Is it just me , or does it seem that soooo many new nurses are posting questions about being stressed and overworked ? I understand that nursing is a stressful job but my goodness. I'm not complaining about them I'm just concerned about why their stress level seems to be to the point many of them want to leave nursing. Is it that they are not getting the proper training for what the job entails.(4 year and 2 year) I know that the nurses I precept come to the unit with little experience with pt care. It seems the little things stress them out because they have never done them. Therefore, somehting like a critical pt, completley discombobulates them. Many times they can't get past a simple procedure let alone critical thinking. I've done ER /ICU/OHRU for almost 30 years now. I'm " Old", and many days I feel busy and overworked but, I can still keep up with the best of them. Nursing is no more stressful now than it was in the 80's. Sometimes I just want to say , put your " I'm a nurse now, panties on" , stop whining and start learning. If you didn't learn it before you got to the hospital, you need to learn it sometime.
Is it just me , or does it seem that soooo many new nurses are posting questions about being stressed and overworked ? I understand that nursing is a stressful job but my goodness. I'm not complaining about them I'm just concerned about why their stress level seems to be to the point many of them want to leave nursing. Is it that they are not getting the proper training for what the job entails.(4 year and 2 year) I know that the nurses I precept come to the unit with little experience with pt care. It seems the little things stress them out because they have never done them. Therefore, somehting like a critical pt, completley discombobulates them. Many times they can't get past a simple procedure let alone critical thinking. I've done ER /ICU/OHRU for almost 30 years now. I'm " Old", and many days I feel busy and overworked but, I can still keep up with the best of them. Nursing is no more stressful now than it was in the 80's. Sometimes I just want to say , put your " I'm a nurse now, panties on" , stop whining and start learning. If you didn't learn it before you got to the hospital, you need to learn it sometime.
Maybe you are just like many "Old Nurses" that think they know everything and be little many of the new nurses with your "Super Nurse Power Head". I have news for you, my mother is a nurse for almost 40 years and she is amazed by how much I learned in nursing school. When she went to nursing school she was used as a free worker in hospitals and she didn't had to study as hard as we do in our days. A lot is expected from new nurses and the only thing you are right about is the fact that nursing students are not exposed to clinical as used to be. Yes, they do get over stressed when confronted with reallity. Also nurses today has more autonomy and must think more critically, they don't depend as much in doctor's order to treat patients. So back off, and stop eating your youngs!!! I am glad you have so much energy, maybe you should use your energy to help a new nurse to climate to the SO STRESSFUL profession.
As for myself, most of my stress as a new nurse comes from not getting any kind of orientation/mentor, just got thrown out on the floor, and worrying about that license I worked so hard to get.
But MOSTLY, during nursing school, we are taught to do things "just so", exactly right, or "you can lose your license".
So, being new at everything,
AND having to worry about losing your license,
doing something wrong d/t inexperience or understaffing...
it can be a hard, cruel world.... especially considering a profession that deals with humans in life and death and healing and lawsuits.
Hold on there a minute! I have been a Registered Nurse fo 47 years and yes I'd like to think I have learned a few things along the way including some of the technical procedures and devices that were not even mentioned in our class room books back then--if we all stop to think about it we ALL must remain life long learners to continue to work--I was going to say in this field but "continue to work" covers it; once you feel you have it all wrapped up they come out with something new that you MUST be flexable enough to learn. And some of the young ones have an edge, but don't count us "OLD nurses" out
Specializes in psychiatric, UR analyst, fraud, DME,MedB.
At the end of the day, there are a group of people far more likely to be stressed than nurses, and with good reason. Who, you ask?
Patients!
They are the ones who are sick/injured/dying. Besides that considerable stress, many of them will be worrying about the bills, how much paid time off work they have, how their loved ones will cope with their absence (permanent or otherwise), whether they'll have a relapse, etc.
A bit of perspective helps. Six decades ago, a polio epidemic raged across this country, striking many kids with a debilitating, often fatal illness. No warning, just finding your life turned upside down and your child desparately sick.
Through most of human history, people have coped with famine, plague and other uncontrolled epidemics, natural disasters, etc. There was no unemployment insurance, antibiotics, or counselors.
Most of our stressors that we talk about here, real as they are, don't rise to the level of what our ancestors lived with all their lives. They managed to make it and beget us. We are all inheritors of the traits that allowed them to cope.
:smokin:I like that run through of the history, and yes our generation is much softer than the previous ones, no doubt considering they made it without the tools we have now. We are truly spoiled and can be ungrateful of what we have now.
Having read what everyone wrote I have to say that as a "dinosaur", starting 32yrs in the profession, I have seen too numerous to count changes within the profession. Yes, sometimes we "forget what it was like when we started." The problem is also that some of the experienced nurses had such a bad experience both in nursing school and when they first got out of school that they figure it's "PAY BACK TIME." I remember what it was like when I first graduated as a LPN, on a floor with 5 nurses & 44 pts, my assignment that first 3 days was 14 pts/day. I didn't dare ask for help because in report I was told on one of my pts that she had a "fx arm, but it wasn't broken." I just looked at this "experienced" nurse and thought, what an idiot!! Fracture is the same as broken the severity may t be different. I was also told that I needed to get out on time, doing all of the work myself, controlling IV's with the benefit of an IV pump, I & O's, charting of course, and doing it all within the 8 hr shift.
When I went back for my RN, BSN, and MSN I decided that if I got to orient/supervise anyone I would remember how I was treated and NOT do that to them. I had a great mentor...retired army nurse...that taught me more than school and my preceptor the first 2 yrs I was an LPN. When I graduated with my MSN, I wanted to be like one of my instructors Diana F., she was a fantastic instructor and made sure everyone understood what she was trying to teach. As a clinical instructor I do the same thing, I look for experiences for the students and I do my best to explain so that they understand...don't get me wrong...I don't give them all of the answers to their questions, I make them critically think through the problem/question so that it makes them feel better about themselves when the get it right...it's all about boosting morale and self confidence.:heartbeat My advise to the "newbees" look at the staff that you are working with and find someone that has it together and ask if they would be your mentor and help you with honing your skills. If they are the nurse that you want to emulate they will be willing to help. DON'T quit...we need you!!:bowingpur
Specializes in psychiatric, UR analyst, fraud, DME,MedB.
Having read what everyone wrote I have to say that as a "dinosaur", starting 32yrs in the profession, I have seen too numerous to count changes within the profession. Yes, sometimes we "forget what it was like when we started." The problem is also that some of the experienced nurses had such a bad experience both in nursing school and when they first got out of school that they figure it's "PAY BACK TIME." I remember what it was like when I first graduated as a LPN, on a floor with 5 nurses & 44 pts, my assignment that first 3 days was 14 pts/day. I didn't dare ask for help because in report I was told on one of my pts that she had a "fx arm, but it wasn't broken." I just looked at this "experienced" nurse and thought, what an idiot!! Fracture is the same as broken the severity may t be different. I was also told that I needed to get out on time, doing all of the work myself, controlling IV's with the benefit of an IV pump, I & O's, charting of course, and doing it all within the 8 hr shift.
When I went back for my RN, BSN, and MSN I decided that if I got to orient/supervise anyone I would remember how I was treated and NOT do that to them. I had a great mentor...retired army nurse...that taught me more than school and my preceptor the first 2 yrs I was an LPN. When I graduated with my MSN, I wanted to be like one of my instructors Diana F., she was a fantastic instructor and made sure everyone understood what she was trying to teach. As a clinical instructor I do the same thing, I look for experiences for the students and I do my best to explain so that they understand...don't get me wrong...I don't give them all of the answers to their questions, I make them critically think through the problem/question so that it makes them feel better about themselves when the get it right...it's all about boosting morale and self confidence.:heartbeat My advise to the "newbees" look at the staff that you are working with and find someone that has it together and ask if they would be your mentor and help you with honing your skills. If they are the nurse that you want to emulate they will be willing to help. DON'T quit...we need you!!:bowingpur
Sorry I got sooo long winded.
Oh yeah , this is a good example of helping others?
I think another problem lies within the structure of the nursing school itself. Students now-a-days are taught (myself included) what my instructor would call hospital usa. The perfect scenario. However I think they should also be made aware of what is like to work as a nurse. Students are not told about the constantly changing environment that is a nursing unit. They're not told that they'll sometimes have to work overtime or stay over to catch up on documentation. They're not told that they'll have to deal with ridiculous bosses, doctors, coworkers, patients and families. Unfortunately they learn that all on their own. That's another sad part as to why many new nurses feel overwhelmed.
Is it just me , or does it seem that soooo many new nurses are posting questions about being stressed and overworked ? I understand that nursing is a stressful job but my goodness. I'm not complaining about them I'm just concerned about why their stress level seems to be to the point many of them want to leave nursing. Is it that they are not getting the proper training for what the job entails.(4 year and 2 year) I know that the nurses I precept come to the unit with little experience with pt care. It seems the little things stress them out because they have never done them. Therefore, somehting like a critical pt, completley discombobulates them. Many times they can't get past a simple procedure let alone critical thinking. I've done ER /ICU/OHRU for almost 30 years now. I'm " Old", and many days I feel busy and overworked but, I can still keep up with the best of them. Nursing is no more stressful now than it was in the 80's. Sometimes I just want to say , put your " I'm a nurse now, panties on" , stop whining and start learning. If you didn't learn it before you got to the hospital, you need to learn it sometime.
Wow, I don't know where to begin! I think the other contributors have summed it up in a nutshell: We new nurses were not inborn with years of experience, and nursing school did not teach us everything. I was told just today by my nurse educator that although she hated to admit it, nurses eat their young. I about fell off my chair! We are already scared of this new experience, and to be told something like this can make the bravest new nurse turn and run. So, please, all of you experienced, seasoned nurses I will beg of you...be patient! Be what you wanted your preceptor to be, teach us and give us the benefit of your experience. We cannot be perfect and do everything fresh out of school. And, I'll bet if you dig back into your memories and think about how hard it was for you in the beginning, maybe you will have more compassion. With an attitude like this, no wonder many of us want to quit!
I've been in nursing for along time too, but I have to say that some of the "older" nurses forget what its like to be "new", I'm happy to say I'm not one of them, you need to remember what it was like!- Even when an "older" nurse changes her job to another area- some of the nurses "older and younger " can be cruel if your not right up to snuff - we got to look out for each other, all the newer nurses are going to be replacing us older ones sooner or later, something to think about - compassion for each other, huh what an idea eh?! ps Nursing is definitely more stressful now than it was in the 80's -forsure!
Back In The 80's when I did my training it was hospital based we did 6 weeks in the classroom and 18 weeks on the wards, We worked along side RN's we had clinical instructors who came on the wards to teach us. As students we wore different coloured uniforms and supportedeach other. We were showen things whilst in class and then prcticed in the real world. So when we hit the wards as RN's we knew what to expect. The proffession has changed since then but we as "old school nurses" have changed as well. I think the jump from student nurse to RN now is pretty big
If you didn't learn it before you got to the hospital, you need to learn it sometime.
Oh yeah , this is a good example of helping others?
Goodrich
23 Posts
Very good point. It is what I worked for-the patients.