I received an email notice from allnurses saying that I haven't logged onto the site for a long time which is true because I've been busy working a full-time job at one hospital and per diem at another. It was then I decided to take the opportunity to start a discussion that reflected a recent conversation I had with co-workers one night: would we want our children to become nurses? The response was a unanymous 'Hell NO!!' We generally were hoping that our hard work would allow our children to something 'better' and less stressful. Don't get me wrong; we enjoy our jobs and are grateful to be able to work with patients etc, but more and more, it seems like it is becoming more about saving money and charting 'correctly' to prevent law suits. At one hospital where I work, they fired the CNA's and the RN's have to do everything; that is, in addition to RN duties, we have to do I/O's, turning, cleaning post-poop, VS, EVERYTHING!!! At the other facility, as soon as humanly possible, they flex CNA's so that we end up having to do CNA-type stuff, in addition to the fingersticks, etc. Then they wonder why they have so much trouble getting people to come in when other nurses call off for 'sickness'. Also, it seems like management comes up with more and more ways to make charting more time consuming to protect the hospital from 'frivalous claims' from patients and family, etc. Of course they have staff who are paid to sit on their butts for 8 hrs/day and look for nurse charting errors, etc. They are now threatening write-ups for 'improper' charting. I told my co-workers to expect to be counseled sooner or later because we are human and dealing with 4-5 patients (in CA) AND their families. Nursing does not seem to be about patient care anymore; it seems to be about how to get the patient in and out as quickly as possible (unless they have good insurance), before they get a UTI, fall, or skin breakdown. So I ask each of you: Would you want your child to become a nurse as nursing stands now (at least in the med/surg/tele settings)????
