If all the nursing school suddenly open the door and let more people in, there will be a overflowed. Think about all those software programmers back in the days, lawyers, MBAs. We used to think lawyers and MBAs can make a pretty good living but now there are too many out on the streets.
I'm sure you guys don't want to see the same thing happen in nursing, don't you? DO NOT increase enrollments of nursing schools please. Otherwise, we will all suffer. Graduate 10,000 new nurses each year across the nation would be enough.
If you are in nursing education, tell the dean DO NOT increase the enrollments therwise, we will all be screwed.
'Long as we are discussing "brown-outs": I try to remember how it is for the person who has it happen. Just the other night I had a guy in end stage liver failure. We kept giving him Lactulose and finally it came through, big time.
The second explosion happened and I found him crying. As I assured him that we wanted that to happen to clear his liver, I could see him begin to relax. By the third total change in 1 1/2 hours I wondered if he or I would survive. He is huge and the anasarca made it impossible for him to move himself at all.
I hope my attitude and compassion helped him to deal with this embarrassing time. It sure helped me.
When I was an aide I figured I would not have to do this much as a nurse. Now I am grateful that I have what it takes to have the good, bad, and ugly thrown my way.
Sorry if off topic. We need more nurses so I can hang up my hat for good someday.
That's very true, with the downfall of the white uniform and cap, so too fell respect for the nurse!
Right now, I work where we have to wear white uniforms, and many still wear caps...and it does nothing for respect. If anything, we get treated worse than other places.
Hospitals used to have rules. Like no visitors under the age of 12 - no tripping over kids screaming in the halls, skating in their heelies in the ER waiting room waiting to be seen for their "Emergency". Parents didn't allow them to open and pour the contents of the chemo bucket on the floor.
There were visitors passes and hours. No more visitors than two at time. The patient got rest, and the staff did not fetch chairs from one room to another for 12 visitors. Family need that they were not permitted to stay the night in most cases,. They also did not expect visitor meals, and then whine about what was served on the visitors tray. Those that did not speak English, did not get into snit when the staff was unable to speak their language.
Nurses did not wear low jacks, carry beepers and spectralinks (I clocked 50 phone calls in one shift - of which maybe 6 were useful, answerable, and really needed my attention). You had a med room, where you could concentrate in peace unlike med carts where you get interrupted every 3 minutes by every passerby wanting you to check their blood pressure.
We don't need Dielbolds and scannable meds. How many med errors would be prevented if the nurse were not interrupted every 5 minutes, were given time to review the chart, and were not having to dodge misbehaving children, fetch chairs for visitors, and were given adequate time and a quiet environment to do our work? If we had time to do what we learned in school and concentrate and read our meds, instead grabbing them from a machine while 4 other nurses are waiting to get meds out.
Tele patients to a tele floor where the nurses actually knew tele - unlike today, when they give you a 3 hour tele class, put you on a floor with 6-8 patients, and expect you to watch the monitor, spot the arrhythmias and have you intervene, just as if you had the same experience as a cardiac nurse. I had an MD actually want me to start a procainimide drip on an M/S Onco floor with that ratio.
Medical/Nursing care were the priorities. These days, customer service is the priorities, the heck with providing a safe environment and good care.
Students are complaining that we complain about our work, when we knew what we are getting into.
NO, NOTHING IN NURSING SCHOOL WAS LIKE THIS!!!!!!!
We teach students to prep meds in a quiet environment, to exam pts carefully, to review the chart thoroughly.
And then we/they get thrown into a world, where there will be no opportunites for that, give them 3 to 5 times the patient load, stick, beepers and phones on them, don't allow them time to have a lunch break/any break at all, change assignments 2-3 times during report, have report interrupted by CT calls, and MDs that have to round with a nurse. And when they clock out late (any later than 6 minutes after the set clock out time), we write them up for "poor time management" - even when adm shorted them a nurse and a tech.
Do this for 10-15 years, and , yes, you too will be disillusioned also.
Now think about the children who weren't allowed to visit their parents in the hospital... for months, sometimes. Think about the people who spent long hours alone between visiting hours. Our hospitals are and should be more patient-centered now.
I never used the word "bitter", nor did I ever mean to imply that anyone was uncaring or crusty.
.
If you read my post, you will see where I said something along the lines of "maybe you missed the posts since they were deleted,"
I wasn't talking about you when I said the words bitter. And we were called much worse and it was implied that we didn't care by very naive nursing students.
Oh don't worry, we'll let you find out on your own just fine!
And I don't have a crystal ball-just a little something called life experience.
Wait, you'll see.
Oh, and I didn't see one burned out nurse on this thread. I must have missed something since you see so many of them, but I didn't see any...
Yes, this is how it sounds when we aren't burned out. When we do still like our jobs, when we do still care.
Truly burned out nurses don't care- and probably don't spend a lick of time on a bulletin board for nursing.
Kasia, when do you graduate? I would like to keep an eye on your posts.
Don't worry, we'll let you vent then. We won't rub it in your face. You will understand and we will understand.
But, please, whatever you do, don't take that attitude into oriention with your preceptor. Honestly. It will make all the difference in the world.
I graduate in a year.Are you trying to tell me that my preceptor wont have nothing better to do than brag about how nursing much nursing sucks?Well great than it make me question why that person would even willing to precept with this kind of attitude.Nursing students need preceptors who are encouraging and uplifting,of course it is not all always going to be sweet but negativity wont change anything for better and will only makes things worse.
I'm sure when you are around patients you dont show this kind of attitude even though that someone might have very poor prognosis.You know you cant change it but they can learn to live with it right?The same with nursing,you cant change all little B.S it involves but you can learn to LIVE with without dragging yourself into a black hole.
I graduate in a year.Are you trying to tell me that my preceptor wont have nothing better to do than brag about how nursing much nursing sucks?Well great than it make me question why that person would even willing to precept with this kind of attitude.Nursing students need preceptors who are encouraging and uplifting,of course it is not all always going to be sweet but negativity wont change anything for better and will only makes things worse.
I'm sure when you are around patients you dont show this kind of attitude even though that someone might have very poor prognosis.You know you cant change it but they can learn to live with it right?The same with nursing,you cant change all little B.S it involves but you can learn to LIVE with without dragging yourself into a black hole.
I'm saying tha if you walk into orientation with your attitude, that your preceptor and you won't be getting along. And you'll blame it on her. You'll call her bitter, say she's a bad nurse. You certainly won't accept responsibility for YOU and how you come across.
Gosh, I'm all done with this thead. Now it's getting old. And repetitive.
You obviously don't listen at all, and your last post only proves that.
You still somehow, somehow just think that we are bitter nurses with attitude. Whatever you have to tell yourself, I guess. Whatever...
Sigh, you'll just never learn...well, you will when/if you ever become a working nurse, but not on these boards.
Goodbye-I'm so over holding your hand through this!
I'm saying tha if you walk into orientation with your attitude, that your preceptor and you won't be getting along. And you'll blame it on her. You'll call her bitter, say she's a bad nurse. You certainly won't accept responsibility for YOU and how you come across.
Gosh, I'm all done with this thead. Now it's getting old. And repetitive.
You obviously don't listen at all, and your last post only proves that.
You still somehow, somehow just think that we are bitter nurses with attitude. Whatever you have to tell yourself, I guess. Whatever...
Sigh, you'll just never learn...well, you will when/if you ever become a working nurse, but not on these boards.
Goodbye-I'm so over holding your hand through this!
For the thousand times I dont have an attitude...and if my preceptor will vent how much she hates her job or I will smell negativity comind from her I will just politely smile but I in my head detector for burned out nurses will go off:D.I know how to play the game hon:))If I didnt I would be long time gone from nursing program,I mean I'm sure you know how those intructors can be and with the kind of B.S from they have to put up with.
Anyway just couple of last words to YOU.
Dont worry about my attitude but respect other people opinions.Just because I disagree doesnt mean I have an attitude.That is a misconception on your behalf.
And lastly yes I will graduate not IF and if I will keep trying to stay postive about nursing.
Oh and by the way I'm not CNA,I work in the store but I still have an idea what is nursing like.
And since I work and go to school I wont have time to bother you.Now I have to go back to my extensive reading.
Kasia You remind me a lof of myself when I was a student. I do understand what your saying, as a student I too met a lot of nurses who were clearly aggressive with their patients and burned out. But please don't judge us all by a few nurses who sound as though they clearly need some time off work. Maybe where you have done your placement is one of those really bad wards you hear about where there is such poor morale they can't keep staff. I worked on a med ward as a student and I left my placement worried I'd become bitter like some of the RN's I saw. Then I worked in haematology and was blown away by the positive attitudes the staff had. I'd suggest you try a different area, you might see adifference in attitudes.
I don't believe you need to be an experience nurse to know that something is clearly wrong when the majority of nurses working in the one place have a bad attitude, are aggressive with patients and are constantly complaining about issues at work.
But you do need some experience as a nurse to be able to understand why some nurses become burned out. Like when you try and advocate for you patient, then get told off because your being 'difficult'. When your forced to work overtime because theres no one else and managment use emotional blackmail to make you stay put. When your never praised for the good you do, only when you make mistakes.
I really do wish you the best of luck. I hope you stay positive and most of all support any nursing students.
Gosh...this thread was already closed once and seems to be getting derailed again....where are the moderators?? can't we have a civilized discussion without berating and belittling each other AND nursing students??
I, too, can be a little idealistic at times about this field. But I don't think anyone should be crucified for having a positive outlook. None of this has anything to do with the OP's question....
TopazLover, BSN, RN
1 Article; 728 Posts
'Long as we are discussing "brown-outs": I try to remember how it is for the person who has it happen. Just the other night I had a guy in end stage liver failure. We kept giving him Lactulose and finally it came through, big time.
The second explosion happened and I found him crying. As I assured him that we wanted that to happen to clear his liver, I could see him begin to relax. By the third total change in 1 1/2 hours I wondered if he or I would survive. He is huge and the anasarca made it impossible for him to move himself at all.
I hope my attitude and compassion helped him to deal with this embarrassing time. It sure helped me.
When I was an aide I figured I would not have to do this much as a nurse. Now I am grateful that I have what it takes to have the good, bad, and ugly thrown my way.
Sorry if off topic. We need more nurses so I can hang up my hat for good someday.