The Effects of Nursing on Nurses
Hi, welcome to my blog post. I have never had a blog post get more than 50 comments, so I am a bit overwhelmed. After responding to many comments, here is a note:
Note: I wrote this blog entry at the end of my 3rd 12 hour shift in three days. I was tired and I was emotional. It is a blog post, not an “article.” It is not researched or sourced, it is purely opinion.
The point of this post is that nurses (and many other professions) need to take the time to practice self care and to encourage one another to practice self care.
My biggest mistake in this post (and there are many) was to use “her” or “she” when I should have used “they” or them.” I ignored my male coworkers, and I should not have. You have my apologies, and I have corrected the post. I have left “she” and “her” in place in the portion where I talk about my coworker.
I have read every comment posted and deleted some very nasty comments that were not helpful to conversation. If you feel this is the place to spew your vitriol, it is not.
August 11, 2013
This morning, while I was giving report to the day shift nurse taking over my patients, she burst into tears.
She’s going to miss her children’s hockey play offs due to our strictly enforced every other weekend schedules. You work every other weekend, no more, no less, unless you are going to college (I work every weekend because I’m in college). She’s their hockey coach, and inevitably, each year, their last game falls on a day their mother has to work. I’ve come in early for her before.
So I offered to come in on my night off for an hour and a half so she could get to the game. I’m coming in that early because I know she won’t be done charting.
She turned me down until another day RN got involved. I reminded my coworker I only live a mile from the hospital, and it really wasn’t a big sacrifice for me. She finally agreed, and calmed down. We got permission from the charge nurse.
Nursing is one of the largest professions in the world. If you don’t know a nurse, I’m really surprised. Nurses talk a lot about the rewards of nursing. Catching that vital sign, saving lives, providing comfort, but nurses, by nature, are taught to martyr themselves on the altar of nursing.
When I was a new grad, I hated coming to work so much that I would wish I’d get hit by a car on my way to work just to get out of work. One night, while checking medication sheets, I confessed this to some experienced nurses and found out some of them still felt the same way.
In nursing, it is NORMAL to have days where you wake up and just can’t mentally and emotionally face the day at work. I swear, the only other people who can understand this are nurses.
Nursing is emotionally, physically and mentally taxing, and some days you run too low on what you can give emotionally, physically and mentally. That minor back injury you don’t want to report to HR because you don’t want it on your record. Having a patient with constant diarrhea who can’t get out of bed and needs to be physically rolled and cleaned several times an hour. The cold you got from the two-year old someone brought in. The sorrow that comes from supporting someone who has just found out they were dying, holding in your own tears so you could wipe theirs. In one day, all of those patients could be yours.
I don’t know a nurse who hasn’t taken a mental health day. Some do it by requesting more vacation than others. Some do it by calling in sick, but it’s all time off because we are too drained to give anymore.
So if you know a nurse, and that nurse mentions to you that they feel like calling in because they just can’t take it another day, don’t give them a hard time. Especially if you have an 8-5 job with weekends off or some other really great schedule. The 12 hour shifts nurses work mean we miss the entire holiday we work with our families. Night shift nurses have to choose between holiday dinners or sleep. Often, if a nurse chooses to sleep rather than go to the holiday dinner, guilt ensues. Even though I’ve told my mother-in-law repeatedly that every nurse has to work holidays, she makes a point to say how horrible it is my husband has to be alone for a few hours. What about me? Working my ass off while everyone else celebrates?
We work hard. We are intentionally understaffed by our hospitals to improve profit, even if the hospital is a non-profit. We help people at the worst times of their lives, and often have no way to debrief, to get it off our chests. We don’t just bring warm blankets and pills. We are college educated, degreed professionals who are often treated like uneducated, lazy servants. We get sexually harassed by our patients. We get groped, punched, cut, I even know of a nurse on my floor being strangled (she survived).
Nursing can be rewarding. But nursing is a fucking hard job. If you are afraid of healthcare rationing, you should know it is already happening. Nurses are unable to give everyone the care they need, so patients with smaller problems may not get the same level of care. A nurse may be pressed to only give the minimum amount of care to a patient if they have 5 or more very sick patients. If you don’t want healthcare rationing, talk to your local hospitals about their nurse to patient ratios. Talk to your doctors. If you hear of legislation to support nurse to patient ratios, vote for it. Support it.
So if a nurse needs a day off, you support them. If you’re in a position to help like I was this morning, do so. If you are a nurse, go easier on yourself when you think about the things you didn’t finish, or the things you should have said. It’s a 24-hour a day job and you don’t have to do it alone.
As of January 27, 2014, this post is no longer accepting comments. I am doing this as a practice of self care. Tending to this blog post, several times a day, has become a burden. It has had over 2 million hits, and I am tired. The post has become a platform for people who want to propel their own agendas and are using my space to do so. Thanks to all who said such nice things, and to everyone else, go write your own blog.
Posted on August 11, 2013, in Nursing and tagged Health care, Nursing, registered nurse. Bookmark the permalink. 2,612 Comments.
ofcourseitsaboutyou 
Fellow nurse here with children that are now nurses. I hear everything you say! It may be rewarding, but is VERY hard. Why is it that we are expected to be super human? I have had all of your feelings at one time or another. I guess we are a different breed of people. I hope my children had a great life growing up despite me being absent for things and for holidays. It is nice to have co-workers that will step in and help out. However, because of reasons stated in your blog it doesn’t happen a lot. Nurse to patient ratio does need to be evaluated. I hear ratios are going to be higher in some places for the night shifts. NOT a good thing…
lpn’s are nurses too We too are overworked Tired Frustrated We have a pt load of 30 while thje company never takes in all kinds of pt to fill a quoted Not one ever ask how can I help They just keep piling more responsibilities onto your already heavy work load Families dont understand They lash out at you because you dont have enough time to spend with their Mom or Dad I could be here all day But remember lpn,s are nurses too
I am an LPN too currently going for my RN. I alone have a pt load of 30-40 residents with the help of 2-3 nurse aides. I can fully understand. Families and residents don’t realize they or their loved one is not the only person you have to care for. To have all the meds to pass, charting plus treatments heaven help us if there is an admit, someone has to be sent out, falls or passes away. Much love to my fellow nurses.
God bless you…and all nurses! Thanks for this well-written thoughtful and compassionate post. Nurses have a special gift and deserve much better than you get!!
I agree with all of this and more. I worked bedside for ten years, went to work for an insurance company for a year and a half, and now I am officially done with the profession. I am going back to the laboratory–the profession I had before nursing. It pays about a third of what I made in nursing, but I won’t have the stress, the misery, or the constant fear. One of the things that no one has talked about it is the bullying culture that is so prevalent in this position. I can’t describe the number of times I’ve watched “charge nurses” sit idly in front of a computer screen, “surfing the net”, while call lights went unanswered, tele monitors were alarming, etc., and when someone had the audacity to suggest that said charge nurse actually do something about it, they were subjected to a verbal tongue-lashing. And let’s not forget the nurses who always have to make sure that they document each and every error that their coworkers make, inform their coworkers on how stupid and inadequate they are, dump all of the admits or high-acuity patients on the float nurse because they don’t want to take time away from their internet surfing and gossiping with their fellow bully-buddy….
The list just goes on. I’ve lost count of how many times I drove home wondering what critical thing I forgot to do, worrying about my patients, wondering if there was anything else I should have given in report; and the times I fell asleep driving home after being mandated to stay all day after having worked a night shift, waking up just in time to see my car drift into oncoming traffic and managing to swerve back in my line just in time to avoid a head-on collision…..
Having to do a complete bed change on a 300 pound person who couldn’t move because there was absolutely NO ONE available to help because we were short-staffed and everyone was in other rooms….
Having to care for 4 different patients with a total amongst them of FIFTEEN drips, including TPN, blood, albumin, and heparin–and then being told I was getting an admit.
And yes, I’ve been slapped, groped, grabbed, spit on, coughed on, belched on, had people pass gas in my face, cussed out, “fired”, stepped on, kicked….
I would always work for other people who had kids and had things they wanted to do with them. I would work holidays for other people–but when I had an event for my dogs I wanted to attend, no one was available to work for me. I got tired of giving up my weekends off to other people.
Then there’s the ever-tightening budgetary belts, and the ensuing restrictions on how late you can stay after your shift. Any thing over fifteen minutes and you’ll likely end op on the disciplinary floor. We’re being expected to accomplish more and more within shorter and shorter time frames, we’re being expected to carry ever-growing patient loads, with increasing acuity levels, our hands are being tied by the fiscal managers so that we can’t do our jobs properly…
I am so glad I am done.
My hat is off to all of those with the temerity to stick it out.
Well said and hats off for being able to get out! I think about it every day!
I’m not a nurse but my wife was an ICU nurse and now she is a nurse anesthetist. While I have a great 8-5 schedule, she said she prefers to have crazy 12 hour or 14 hour shifts so she can have 3 days off during the week. I try to tell her those shifts are hard on her and she cannot get a good routine but she won’t listen. Anyway, I agree with all that is on here. It’s a tough, thankless, yet necessary job. Stay motivated!
You took the words right out of my mouth. So many medical staff go to work everyday in fear of getting fired. Someone is always looking to get ahead. They don’t care who they step on to get there.
Fabulous post!!!
You hit the nail in the head lady!!! We work so hard and are so under appreciated!
I’m a teacher, and when I posted an article recently that vented some of our issues, I wondered to myself what other professions were in the same boat. Then I read this.
For both of us it’s not like we can just up and do something else when this is our passion. Hugs to all you nurses out there who keep on keeping on!
Please stand up and do something else! I’m a teacher and see way too many teachers like you who are tired of being there, don’t want to be there, etc. It’s not fair to the students or the other teachers. If you really feel that way then you are no longer teaching, you’re just babysitting and the kids deserve more. Yes teaching is draining, we don’t get paid enough, we spend our own money, we are teachers, counselors, parole officers, moms, it’s not just about lesson plans but when you make a difference it’s all worth it…and that’s passion not just “keeping on”
I am also a 12 hour shift worker and my 3 children miss activities or I should say I miss them. I work in a prison and we cannot call out or switch most of the time.either. But nursing is who I am and wouldnt change it for the world. Somedays I do not want to face the day but make myself. Thanks to all the nurses in the world. Saving lives is our job and we love it but remember to take care of your selves as well.. We do forget this at times..
I have been a nurse for 22 years. I have been punched by a pt because he did not want a male nurse. watched people I care for over a long period decline and die, yes they are like family. in 1year 11 month I turn 62. Nursing fulfilled all the reasons of why I became a nurse, a job where you help people, make a good wage and decent benefits. I counsel all new grads to continue their education and get away from floor nursing as fast as possible. If I knew 24 years ago what I know now, I would have become a carpender.
Shut the hell up please!
Remember this post if you ever really need a nurse. I certainly hope they can find it in their hearts to have a teensy, tiny bit of compassion for a jackass like you!
To whom are you speaking? Just curious.
Are you a nurse????
Really linz…all ya got to say…tell me how ureally feel.
Really? Hope your life is never in the hands of a nurse. You do realize that it’s not the doctor that saves your life but the nurse who picks up on the “change” in your condition that does!
Why?
Rude.
I’ve always said nursing was emotionally, mentally, physically draining. But I also add spiritually draining to that list.
I can appreciate the foibles of all profession, but blog or not, this is an article as much as an opinion, … they are one in the same. I will try not to be as negative or sarcastic as some of the antagonists, but I do come from a career in the public service, and served many years as a union president, health and safety representative, and a teacher of human rights and workers compensation.
Let me start by saying one very true and important fact,…. your complaints about the nursing field are not unique to nursing, repeat, …. not unique to nursing. Having said this, you shouldn’t expect sympathy or understanding from other people in the workforce if it appears you are trying to convince them you suffer from a situation they cannot appreciate. You refer to it being a Martyr Syndrome, but you should not try to perpetuate it.
The best way to combat the feelings of frustration, hopelessness, and ungratefulness is to embrace your job to the fullest. Remember, no one forced you to become a nurse. If you truly want to continue in nursing, it must be accepted and embraced. If you can’t do this you will never survive the career, …. if this is the case, get out now!
I see a large part of the problem being the fact that you don’t seem to control the situation you are presented or have created. No breaks, bad shifts, personal or work related illnesses should not be expected as acceptable or the norm. Organize among yourselves work with your employer to set reasonable standards standards that can be met and kept.
As a workplace injury advocate, I say do not ever not report a personal or workplace injury to your employer. Federal workplace standards will protect you from wrongful dismissal. If you don’t follow this advice, your injuries now become self-inflicted.
Another bit of advice I give people at seminars is that regardless of your profession, never ever take your work home with you. That is easier said than done, but in a way this very blog is doing just that. I am sure you are not writing this blog on the employer’s dime, so why are you taking up valuable “your time” to continue to dwell on this.
I suggest to people to become a different person when their shift ends in an effort to get their mind off of their job. This might mean some symbolism such as putting on a hat or glasses, wearing a symbolic sweater, taking off your work shoes and getting into something comfy. All of this simply states, “I am me and am in control. I am not a slave to my job, and I am living and breathing to enjoy life”.
As I said, I am not commenting to contradict or say you are wrong. If you think this blog works for you, I at least hope you have tried other venues as well. Some people cope with life in many different ways, …. as they say, to each his/her own.
Have a great day!
When you see someone’s kid die in the Er, it’s hard not to take it home with you. And I’m sorry, no job compares to taking care of human beings, and being morally, ethically and legally responsible for their welfare. Period.
Amen
Bill, I’m a Nurse and you’re a jackass. Union presidents in my experience are often crooked and biased. To become a nurse is a choice, yes. But there are parts of our job that are frustrating and NO we don’t always have choices about scheduling, getting breaks, etc. So then our choice becomes “feed our family and keep our jobs, or lose our jobs.” Many of us do speak up, many of us find nothing changes.
So while you sit at your desk and get your holidays off, AS UNION PRESIDENTS DO, don’t you EVER criticize a nurse the way you have here again!
M.
Agree, the person above doesn’t know that she doesn’t know. I worked many different jobs before becoming a nurse at age 40. No other job compares.
Bill, I know you mean well, and I agree with much of what you’re saying. But there are a few flaws in your reasoning here.
First, no one here has said that these frustrations are unique to nursing. Repeat: no one here has said that these frustrations are unique to nursing. But this is a nurse’s blog, and she is simply talking about some of the frustrations of her job to people who have been there and can empathize.
Second, you can’t really KNOW that other jobs have the same level of frustration, if you’ve never worked in nursing yourself. You seem to be suggesting that you’re more insightful than the nurses who are venting here, and that’s an unfair assumption to make.
Third, when you work in an emotionally wrenching field, with so much potential for errors and omissions, it’s impossible just to leave your feelings behind when you clock out. Indeed, I’m not sure I’d want a nurse who was that cavalier about his/her job. Reality is that, especially after a very eventful shift, it takes time to wind down, and to process all that happened over those hours, that we didn’t have time to reflect on when it happened. Things like, “Did I remember to document that last pain medication?” “Oops—I forgot to fill out that incident report when the patient fell.” Or, “I keep seeing that patient’s stricken face, when she was told she’s going to die.” Or, “Why, oh, WHY didn’t I clarify that dose with the doctor before going ahead and giving it?” Or, “That parent was really angry with me, when I didn’t get back in there with her son’s pain medication. What could I have done differently, to prevent that?” Or even, “My head is killing me, but there wasn’t time to drop what I was doing and take some ibuprofen.”
And, fourth, it’s all very well to give people pep talks about getting their minds off their jobs, but the fact is that venting is healthy. So is thinking. I do some of my best problem solving at home, when thinking over what didn’t go well at work, and how things could have been handled better. In no way does that mean I’m being consumed by my work—-it just means that I’m a a responsible person, who doesn’t stop being responsible just because I’ve clocked out after a shift. You need to realize that there’s a difference between being a nurse 24/7 (because we ARE nurses, and don’t stop thinking like nurses just because we’re off the clock) and being unhealthily overwhelmed by it.
If you really want to show support to nurses, perhaps you could start by assuming that we’re every bit as cognizant as you are of the hazards of our profession. And that, when we choose to commiserate with each other on our own time, it’s not necessarily a bad or destructive thing.
You summed up quite nicely what I wanted to share with Bill! Thank you! I am a nurse…. So Bill, walk a mile in our shoes, then we may give you an ounce of credibility. I wonder if Bill has ever told a family that their loved one has passed and had to sit with that family in the hospital until the funeral home arrives to collect the dead body that you have cared for, for weeks! Leave that at work….sure Bill, sure.
Well said, Olivia!
Thank you, Olivia. You spoke to Jack in a thoughtful way but really nailed some of his reply’s problems. I agree with everything you said. As nurses we are educated to question, question, question – it only makes sense that this questioning continues past the shift end. We do need time to turn off, and this can translate into our working lives bleeding into our already compromised personal lives.
Not having appropriate debriefing services is a very real problem in nursing. I think it is what causes a lot of the gossiping, slighted comments, and even bullying. In a time of profit building there is no billing code for compassion, which means we are subversively told that the most difficult part of our job is unimportant (ie. non profitable). I think this takes a real toll on nurses and their sense of self worth. Support staff for NURSES need to be developed to give nurses a safe way to debrief these very difficult situations they encounter in order to help them let go, move on, and develop coping skills.
I think Jack has a point, insofar as he comments that our unions are SUPPOSED to help us. I think we forget, sometimes, that the fact there ARE so many nurses means that collectively we CAN change things. It just means taking the step from venting, to organizing. Which, when you’re exhausted, is very hard to do. I sometimes think people in public service as so vested in the rhetoric they forget how hard it is to translate that into reality when you’re overworked, overtired, and under appreciated. It’s easier said than done (although not impossible).
I think you were absolutely correct in pointing out this isn’t an article, it’s a personal blog sharing some personal opinions. I agree, many nursing struggles are shared by other professions but I do feel there is an element of the life-or-death reality of nursing, coupled with an ever developing culture of liability, that is working to make nurses nervous, and less self assured in a very detrimental way. I’m not saying I have all the answers,,,but I do think we need to consider what is happening in this culture of nursing and need to start coming up with concrete suggestions and solutions to care for our caregivers.
Sorry Bill, you couldn’t be any more wrong. I am a a former military guy who went into nursing as a second career. I’ve worked in three different careers and there is no field I’ve worked in or seen that is similar in any way whatsoever as nursing.
The author hit the nail on the head, directly. I could list the five or six hundred reasons why there is no profession like nursing but I worked in healthcare for 20 years before I got my nursing degree and in spite of working directly with nurses I was not prepared for how poorly nurses are treated and how little we are truly valued.
not trying to sound indignant but feel free to get back with us when you finish your nursing degree and have 10 years under your belt.
Nursing is unique in that you are caring for people at the most vulnerable times of their life, often at the end of their life. Nurses do what they do because they serve their fellow human being at a level that many people don’t understand. So to the gentleman who wrote to stop complaining, leave your work at work, leave the field clearly you don’t understand who nurses are. This isn’t a “job”. It’s a desire, a passion to help people attain, maintain optimal health and at the other end achieve a peaceful death. We are educated in the sciences to recognize issues that compromise the continuum. We are the eyes and ears of the people we care for and the lifeline between you and your physician nursing has changed in that documenting, charting, to the nth degree has become priority over bedside care. I could really go off on many obstacles that we face but the point is that nurses do get tired, emotionally spent. It doesn’t mean that they should leave the field. They simply need to be lifted, supported, understood and appreciated. Having a unit manager or other people in administrative positions, who are still RNs by the way, seeing them pitch in when staff is short or come out of their office during a code would go a long way. Again sir, unless you have held the hand of a patient taking his last breath or listened to the gut wrenching sobbing of a wife and 3 small children as they lay over the bed of their dead father, husband do not think that you have the credentials or remotely understand what it is like to be a nurse, doctor, fireman, EMT, paramedic etc
I can appreciate where you are coming from on this reply; However, until you have saved a life and have your license literally on the line on a daily basis you CAN NOT RELATE TO MY JOB! I personally love what I do, I love taking care of my patients. I do take time for myself, I do relax and try my best to not take my job home with me. When you have held the hand of a dying person, or held their love one while their family member takes their last breath, then you can not relate. I have held many titles as well in my life, I have managed people, been a service employee for oh soooooo many years. This job is rewarding and frightening at the same time. I make a decent wage and work with a great team of fellow nurses. We have to help one another or we would drown on my high acuity floor. I am personally insulted by your condescending post. We as nurses are not complaining just letting the GENERAL public know how a life as a nurse has become. I understand that we could pursue other avenues, but for the most part we love what we do, we just need to vent sometimes. Venting isn’t always a bad thing, especially in this field. So until you have followed a nurse for a week straight, and you have witnessed how difficult and mentally, physically and emotionally draining the job is, then you can not tell us how we should or shouldn’t feel. Good day sir.
I am a nurse, a mother of two, and work every weekend. I feel that you are right. There are examples of sacrifice in every workplace, and you must do what ‘You need to do’ for yourself and your family. Although I t felt overwhelmed at the end of 3 12 hour shifts. I thought your post was very well written.
Bill,
I have been a nurse for 28 years in a “right to work state” with no union. I assure you that you would be appalled by the work practices that have taken place.Nurses need to have a voice, and this woman’s opinion is correct and valuable. The way care is provided in a hospital affects us all, and the more the public is made aware, the more changes will be made to protect us.
I appreciate your advice. Thank you. I am a nursing undergrad and your comment really solidifies many ideas that I have about the role of being a nurse. Awareness and control (at least in a proactive prepared way) are imparitive and should be found in every aspect of our lives, reducing further occurrences of self inflicted injuries (physical or psychological). If you haven’t yet, look into an author named Eckhard Tolle. Thank you again.
I can’t wait to try this putting on a hat or “symbolic sweater” to help me forget about my patient exsanguinating after surgery and hearing the their loved one scream in painful loss! And all this time I could have just “become a different person” to forget all my stresses and frustrations…
There’s a lot we see and hear that we MUST digest for our own well beings and not suppress and wait for the next shift to address It helps us grow and learn, but more importantly, it helps our psychological distress. Knowing you are not alone and have a safe place to vent is very important.
You did, however, bring up some good points: control of the situation…I think you said some other stuff, but I don’t remember anymore. Your tone was elitist and it turned me off pretty quick. Whether or not OP has written a perfect article /blog, your critique is hard to swallow because you are not a nurse. Sure, the complaints may be similar to other professional jobs, but still, you have absolutely no idea what it is like unless you’ve been in our shoes.
Have a great day!
You have not mentioned anywhere in your comments that you are a nurse. Consequently, you do not know what you are talking about. You have no idea of the lengths nurses have gone in order to correct this situation. Nurses do get fired for speaking up. Please don’t say that getting fired can be avoided. If nurses join forces, talk amongst themselves about improving a situation administration puts and end to it. I have been afraid to use the word “union” in conversation at previous facilities unless I was speaking about someone getting married or having sex.
I can appreciate your trying to offer solutions. None of them work because I have tried them. You are right about the idea of putting on another hat and not talking about the work day when it’s over. It works for a time-and ends with frustration, anger, and depression.
Home care nursing is working for me at this time. It has eliminated so much stress although can be very boring after hospital nursing.
But it pays the bills and I don’t have to put up with all the bull that was mentioned in this initial blog.
If you ever feel the need for me to assist you with your job just let me know. I have often wanted to follow a patient’s visitor to their work place and show them how to do their job.
Just sayin….
bullshit is what I say …….. as a nurse and a compassionate person u cant help but it spill into your life ………… and u do worry that maybe it is something u didn’t do because u were so pressed for time it could possibly hurt someone …. and “Federal workplace standards will protect you from wrongful dismissal” comment …….looks really good on paper but when u have to hire a lawyer and deal with years of bullshit because u know a ” nurse that eats her young” and you are the next one on the list ………..makes it quite obvious u don’t understand what is expected of a nurse.!!! and a lot of times we have to deal with unreasonable family members that don’t care u have 6 or 8 patients because of budget cuts ………. but they want u in the room with their family member continuously……….. u also have pts that think this is a hotel not a hospital …….. most nurses love their job and that is why we do it …………. but we just need some support from the public and families……….. if u have spoiled your family member then maybe u should stay in the hospital with them to help u continue this. or don’t reprimand that nurse because they are taking care of a pt going bad instead of fluffing your pillow. if your arms work …… use them …………. if its medical …………. by all means I will do anything for u that u cant ………… but have some mercy ……….. not only do we take shit from the pt and the family ……. but we are the grunt workers for the dr. I love my job but never forget I am the one that is loved and pushed around by all three of them (pt, family, dr)……and I didn’t even mention administration. what other profession has all them to answer for?……….. I frustrated me in your comments and I could not help but to let u in a little deeper to help u understand. unless your a nurse………. u just don’t get it. have a great day
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You can’t really speak on the profession. None of your job titles compare remotely.
When you go for a new nursing job, you have a physical. Injury, work related or not can have you denies a job because your essentially found “incapable” of doing it. Back pain? Well you can lift patients!? NOT HIRED!
As far as breaks… Congregate amongst are selves huh? Who’s breaking when people are coding left and right? New admits every time I turn around? Take a break or save a life?
Nurses signed on to help people when they cannot help themselves…. Not to the work conditions many have.
To the writer: Preach on mama!!
I’m an assistant nurse manager who works the floor everyday. We are understaffed severally. And somehow can not get approved to hire more staff! (Cause that wouldn’t be profitable right!).
I have 38yrs as a trauma nurse. You are right on. You left out no bathroom breaks so nurses have more UTI. Getting to eat in 2 min is a good night because otherwise you don’t eat at all. We witness things no one should ever see and are expected to go to the next pt smiling. You are nursing future. Keep reaching out. Get involved change the rules and expectations. Never be quiet! I was fired in 1977 for starting a petition for a nursing union. We have to be the ones to take our profession higher. Thanks your awesome.
For the idiot below that said “we don’t control our situation and our complaints are self inflicted” demonstrates the ignorance of the general public. How many times do you get yelled at thratened cussed bitten spit on? I was flipped over a stretcher an told by administration if I pressed assualt charges I would be fired. The list goes on and on. The suits above have been allowed to look the other way for to long. Nurses need the union. Its only In half the states. They fight for better ratio’s work conditions and benifits!! It is our voice. I love being a nurse I gave my life to it and my family sacraficed for me to work it. Thanks for the blog. There are thousands of us out there with a story.
I came to nursing at the age of 33. I had worked various other jobs including a secretarial position in a couple of different venues. In this position I had a pending file. At 4:45, if my work was unfinished, I simply placed it in said file and addressed it in the morning. I did not carry this huge burden home with me and dwell on it throughout the evening.
Bill, you cannot compare human life with paper work nor can you begin to understand the nursing profession until you have walked a mile (or ten) in our shoes. To state that this blog is a waste of time and counterproductive to one’s mental health is hogwash. Any nurse will tell you that bottling up your emotions can create any number of problems. That’s why we learned therapeutic communication techniques, right nurses?
With your smug, I-Know-Best manner, I am having difficulty picturing you teaching any kind of seminar.
Have a great day!
Thank you for the reminder of self preservation! We do need to support each other more. I work with a group of AWESOME Nurses who support one another. We sometimes have to get creative with scheduling by coming in a couple hours early so one can leave or working 4 hours of a 12 hour shift to help cover for someone… WE HELP EACHOTHER!!!!
Please understand that while a lot of complaining is being done, doesn’t mean we are ungrateful and want to jump ship. We simply recognize a need for change and we should be allowed to vent! If I complained about my spouse or children would that mean I should get a divorce or do away with my kids???
Yes, we make good money and yes, we knew it would be hard but those facts don’t negate the reality that we get tired, frustrated, over worked, sometimes under paid-not saying its MORE or LESS than any other profession. A NURSE initiated this personal blog so why would she talk about the woes of a Member of the Armed Forces, Construction worker, Manager of Walgreens, Police officer, Fire fighter or any other job/career/profession? And for those ,”try being…” responses; you’re asking her to do what you’re admonishing her for! The only difference is she didn’t ask you to put yourself in her shoes…she was simply venting.
Very empowering. It’s real and not just in my head. I love being a nurse. Everything you said is so true and all those emotions and events do happen in one 12 hr shift. We need to support our sister nurses Too often I have seen our older nurses who are burnt out. “Eat their young”. These younger nurses need support and patients. They will be the ones taking care of us. Perhaps more blogs like this will allow nurses to see they are not alone and allow people in general to walk in our shoes for a day. Thanks for posting this. I too am a Canadian nurse.
This is a topic that’s near to my heart… Take care!
Exactly where are your contact details though?
First, nursing is my life. But… The 8-5 schedule you talk about with weekends off – right, it’s not what it’s cracked up to be. You should talk to the Nurse Manager that lives and breathes the ICU with the other nurses. Day, night, and weekend….
It is not just for nurses I think it also the same thing for longterm support care workers whe work as hard as a nurse even some time a bit more !!! Its even worst when you not even appreciated of what you for them 😦 its making me sick
Agree. 🙂
Thank you, so many nurses, male and female, will relate to this wholeheartedly. Nursing is a very hard job. One that we love and hate at the same time. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for voicing your opinion. We all need to be kinder and more supportive of one another. If we could all do this, the world would be a much better place for all of us.
I have never commented on a nursing article. This is truly the most honest, accurate pieces I have ever read. Thank-you for your poignancy, for your insight, and mostly, for making me realise I am not alone in the difficulties I have with this career.
Thank-you, you have given me such perspective….and have just plain made my day!!! Xxx
Wow Mister Bill, so angry that RN’s have a life but we have dedicated our souls to care for the sick who are unable to care for themselves in times of need.
I went into this profession because I had a need to care for others, and I have received the treatment in kind when I was sick. We as nurses need to support each other men and women alike. We need to be able to speak up to management and not be afraid that it will turn on us.
We are and always will be a very smart, loving, heart warming, educated and etc….. I could go on and on but we all know what we are capable of doing and we do it.
I raise a cup of cheer to all the RN’s no matter who or where you are we do make a difference. Happy New Year (support one another)
Thank you! Thank you! This article is so honest and true as a nurse I get it and loved every word. I struggle with “pleasing” everyone in my life who doesn’t “get” the nursing life/ profession. Truth is we can not be at every event/party. We must take care of ourselves too. this article speaks to exactly how a lot of us feel. God bless.
Amen sister! I could not have said it better! And after 15 yrs of being a nurse, I am sooo over it! I would take a cut in pay to not have the stress or be as freaking exhausted all the time!
I wish I could have given this to my pt’s grandmother who asked me if I like my job. Yes I like my job but like any Job I didn’t want to be there today or I’m tired. Sorry I’m not all sunshine & flowers at 5am to be here by 7 to your attitude cause I don’t want to be told how to do my job. & yes I know how it is to have your mother in law say every Xmas when I have to work, WHAT!!! You have to work Xmas!!! Yes I’m a nurse hosp don’t close just cause it is Xmas!!! & I’ve been doing this for how many yrs? Oh like 20. Ugh!!! This was a great article
That was so refreshing to read and such truth within the heart if the message!!! I am a nurse as well at a long term care facility who works the 12 hour shifts with 25 and on occasion 50 (if someone calls in for a “mental holiday”) patients to care for. I gave an out loud AMEN at least a dozen times when reading your message. The only thing I would have changed or could have left out were a few if the choices of adjectives used in your message. Without the F, the message would have still been just as powerful and professional. (Smile)
Thanks so much for taking the time to share and encourage all if us nurses!!!!
I had a lot of days going to my nursing job, where I wish’d that I had a clone that I could send in instead of me. Over the years, I worked with kidney stones, cervical herniated discs, leukemia, and 1 day after knee surgery, because calling in sick would leave them short a nurse. I also gave up playing sports, playing drums in a rock band, and being in the bowling league, because of my messes up work schedule. See an advertisement for a show or an event that you would like to go to? You then check your schedule and nope!: you’re working that day. I could go on, but that would be whining.
This a very accurate description of my life…I have been in nursing for22 years…I will say I love my job…I just hate all the other stuff that comes with it…at this point I too need a change and trust me it is a very hard decision to make. The lack of understanding managers, careless inexperienced ANM, and the younger, attitudes that come waltzing through the door. As one experienced seasoned nurse…I am officially done. I have to make changes in my life. I feel like I am losing myself in this job. I was always happy…now, not so much.
Everything you’ve said is true! Well said!
I wish we could take a mental health day! We are only allowed 5 days/year sick time including a one minute late clock in to work. While I love what I do, I hate my work if that makes any sense. I wish we could just “nurse” without all the bullshit.
Amen. I have never called in because I cannot stand the thought of putting my coworkers in the position they put us in when they call in. Our floor is down sized to three nurses a shift. We are a speciality floor and so getting someone to float is hard. I get called at least three times a week to work or pick up call on my days off. Cant get stretched to much thinner. But I do love nursing. So haven’t given in yet.
Its so nice to know I’m not the only one who feels like this.I give my heart and soul to my patients and sometimes I’ve nothing left for me.right now I’m trying to find more balance between work and home.thank you for sharing!!
Hi GrimalkinRN,
I’ve been in the Public Safety Profession for 25+ years. I’ve seen all that you describe in your post, both in my work community, and the RN’s I’ve come to know throughout the years. The part I’m puzzled about is the fact that early on in your career, when you were a ‘ new grad’ you stated you felt dread going to work. I gotta tell you, I was a Homicide detective, so I’ve seen some pretty horrific stuff. So I do understand where you are coming from. But I’ve never felt ‘dread’ going into work. As a matter of fact, quite the opposite. When you solve a homicide and the perp goes to prison, you feel like you just won the Superbowl. I’ve worked 30 hrs straight on some cases, and while physically tired, I was just as jazzed about finishing my work as the moment I got there. Now, I’m not trolling or trying to say ‘Yay me’. I’m really just wondering if you’re discovering that Nursing and all it entails just might not be the right fit for you any more. It perfectly fine to change, grow and desire something different. I tell my coworkers all the time…police work never changes—you do. Maybe that’s just where you are at. Good luck.
All these people telling me maybe I shouldn’t be a nurse anymore when I’m actually so damn good at my job. Yes, I do dread how a third night is going to be after 2 really hard nights. Yes, when I was new, there were times I thought getting injured was preferable than going to work. But this isn’t limited to me. As I said in my blog, when I made that comment to experienced nurses, they said they had felt the same way as new grads. So what we really need to address is what about nursing and other healthcare professions makes people think getting hit by a car would be preferable to going to work. I’ve been in healthcare for over a decade now and I have no doubt this is where I belong. I DO plan to study for my NP licensure in order to leave the floor before I’m 50 and continue working and increase my income, but being a floor nurse is what prepares me for the job.
What really bothers me is how many people have told me to quit my job because I made one internet post. Just… leave nursing. Turn my back on it. You were that upset? You should leave. Let me tell you, I’ve turned a blue baby pink and that was my superbowl. I held a woman’s hand and turned her towards the sunlight as she died, and that was meaningful. There is no way I am leaving nursing because I am good at my job and I generally enjoy it. Yes, I have bad days and feel like I didn’t give the best care or I was really stressed or really tired, but I am SO DAMN GOOD AT BEING A NURSE that no, I’m not anywhere near changing careers.
I don’t think people want you to quit but there are so many opportunities in Nursing, there may be one that you will enjoy more. Change is not always a bad thing…
Grimalkin, if you DO eventually decide to change careers, you ought to think seriously about being a writer.
There’s a Superbowl every day in nursing!!! I’m a surgical technologist in surgery, and I see nurses every day change lives.
It’s tough mentally and physically when you don’t get a break, or even get to eat for 12 hours. I work two 16’s back to back, so I know where you’re coming from. And there are nurses in the OR who work 16’s. Regardless… it’s always effing hard.
I know how it is being understaffed. Glad we’re not the only hospital like that. I know how it is to have management that doesn’t listen, and feel like they “just don’t get it!” Come to find out… they’re only doing what they’re told to do. At least where I work anyway.
Hope things get better for you, GrimalkinRN! Have a safe and Happy New Year!!
AGREE, agree, agree!!! I love being a nurse and I know I am damn good at it. But it is a career I love to hate! People not in the medical field (nursing in my case) just do not ‘get it’.
I will let you know I became a nurse at age 46! I too felt the same way about floor nursing. Filled with so much anxiety about how my day would go. If I would be able to manage, prioritize, get my meds out in time, attend rounds in the a.m. assess all my critical patients, pick up on the tell tale signs of decline, remember all the reasons for lab results. At times I thought I would pass-out while at my patients bedside I would be so anxious about getting it all done and most honestly getting it done correctly with-out mistakes. This is what all new nurses experience…or at least the most that really care about taking care of their patients. 12 hour shifts are never 12. They are usually 13-15 hours at times the floor is running rampant with admissions and discharges so fast that your head spins.
What I realized as like every job out there are those co-workers you can rely on and those you can confide in. These are the co-workers that make you feel safe, that you are not alone, that it is okay to chuckle and make light of some situations whatever it takes to get you through the shift……then you have the others, the ones you know to steer clear. I love most of the nursing staff I work with. Especially the ones that work hard and really know how to care for their patients and are always smiling and trying their best. I know I have to keep smiling and be as positive and hopeful as I can be. Make the best of every situation. I love bedside nursing. It is exhausting but fulfilling. Patient care and all the interaction is priceless! It is unique, one of a kind, cherish it! This patient may remember you for the rest of their lives!
The main thing I learned over the past two in a half years is…….we are human and we will make mistakes! It is okay as long as you learn from it and remember not to do it again. It will get easier with time! We as nurses are in constant motion and always learning from our patients, co-workers, doctors, residents. It truly is one of the greatest environments to be in! There are learning opportunities everywhere. Eventually you build your confidence, relationships, with doctors, the fear disappears and you become “more experienced” it is easier to approach those that you may need to get answers from, you are still learning, about new treatments, new drugs. You are learning about all the varied personalities you meet, the amazing patients you have their wonderful families and then the not so lucky. You are broadening your horizons even though you don’t even know it! It is all the job politics, required bullshit charting, phone calls from families, and distractions that really don’t allow you to do your job. I worked on the telemetry unit starting out and spent my first two learning years there. I remain per diem, and recently started a FT position at Express Care. The hours are friendlier, It is much more task oriented, I work with the providers one-on one and I love it!!! I am so glad I made the choice in nursing as there is all kinds of opportunity out there. You just have to keep your eyes and ears open, remember your co-worker could be your next hiring manager somewhere. Treat everyone with respect, be kind, and you will find your niche. Do it with heart and it will find you!
First of all, I love your post. I’m not the only one either. On my Facebook timeline alone it has already been shard nine times by nursing friends of mine. I take this to mean that you’re not alone and there are lots of nurses that feel like you do. I know I did. I recently made a change to an outpatient infusion center after working pulmonary med surg, trauma icu and oncology. It was hard for me to admit that I needed a change, but I had a lot going on in my personal life that only added to my feelings of emotional and physical exhaustion. I could relate to everything you said. I dreading coming to work. Some days I even hated being a nurse. I know, it’s a terrible thing to say. I felt awful for feeling that way. I tried to put on my big girl panties and deal with it, but I just couldn’t anymore. Finally, I confided my feelings to one of my supervisors one day. I was very surprised by her response. She was kind! She understood! I had been so afraid to admit how I was feeling to anyone. I thought I would be looked down upon cause I couldn’t “hack it.” She told me something that blew my mind…she told me “it’s not that you can’t do the job, but maybe you just don’t want to anymore.” She offered to help me find another floor where I might be happier, which blew my mind even more (you have to understand that I had VERY bad past experiences with some very cruel and unhappy nurses to understand why her kindness touched me so much). She helped me find a position in the infusion center where the patients are overall happier and healthier and have more hope. It has made a huge difference in my personal life too. I don’t dread going to work. My husband tells me all the time that I seem happier. I’m not nearly as tired when I get home from work. Most importantly, I don’t have those feelings of hating nursing anymore. I feel like I can give what is needed now. I was very discouraged with nursing and I was ready to quit it all together. I’m glad I didn’t. I decided to share my story in case there’s anyone out there who feels like I did, but is too afraid or ashamed to admit it. I was for a long time. I want them to know that sometimes just a change of pace can make all the difference in the world. I know you have said that a lot of people have told you that you need to change jobs after reading your blog. I won’t be one of them. That’s a decision you have to come to on your own. If you feel that you have more to give, then give 🙂 My advice, for what it’s worth, would just be to pass on the message of kindness that my supervisor gave to me. Nurses shouldn’t judge each other. It’s a hard enough job as is without tearing each other down. You never know what’s going on in someone’s personal life that might be draining them emotionally and physically. Most of all, support your fellow nurses. When someone feels like they need to make a change encourage them. Nurses are supposed to be kind and caring and healing. We give these things to our patients but not to each other or ourselves. It makes nursing even harder than it already is when we are unkind to each other. We should never underestimate the importance and power of kindness. I wish you all the best in your nursing career!
Mr. Confab,
Congrats on being a homicide detective and working with nurses… you sound like you know what your talking about but the fact of the matter is you do not. Unless you’ve spent 10 years at the bedside. let me know when as a cop you radio for help and no one shows up…When your in the trenches truly alone. Then you can speak about things you know nothing about… The author of this article had a bad day…she was honest and truthful and the fact that everyone is comparing their professions with ours is comical…not taking anything away from your profession of course, I just wouldn’t comment on being a homicide detective because it’s not the experience I have. …
Glad you brought that up… sometimes there literally is no one to help you. Let me correct myself… MANY TIMES there literally is no one to help you.
I think what the author was trying to say is that there seems to be an “eat your young” culture in nursing. I remember those days where I felt that everyone was waiting to pounce on my every move. It could be paralyzing. many days I would have to force myself to go to work, praying the entire time “Please don’t let me accidentally kill a patient on my shift!”
Hey Sherlock! How many codes did you run during that 30 straight hours?! How many lives were you personally responsible for during that time?! During this same period, did you get to eat? Use the restroom? Hell just get to sit down for that matter? That’s what I thought. Go comment on a police blog and leave us nurses to vent in our own forum.
Boy, do I relate. I have just retired from nursing after 28 years as an Oncology nurse. I just can’t wait to have the stress gone. Don’t get me wrong, It has been very rewarding as far as taking care of the patients, yes there has been some very demanding patients. But I found that dealing with the families more stressful. The hospital politics are the worse, You learn to “play” the game just so you can make it the 8-12 hrs shift that you work. I love my nursing and would do it all over again, but am also glad I am done. I’m not saying I’m giving up nursing totally, but for a year I am taking it off and then going to do something slower pace, no more hospitals or nursing home work for this gal.
Well written! I work every other weekend and I missed my sons’ football and bowling games. Schedulers do not care. Ours was a nurse “on the floor” once. I told her she has already forgotten what it is like. Someday, I will get enough backbone to just let my opinions be known. Until then, I keep putting on “my big girl panties” one leg at a time and do my job.
As a Nurse of 21 years, I have seen a lot of changes in Nursing. The one thing that has not changed is the treatment of nurses. Comments above relating to the unfairness and disrespect of nurses are very true in my opinion. Comments like Marcias are ridiculous because frankly, she just does not understand. Its like trying to explain motherhood to a childless woman. Nurses give with their souls not just their hands. I believe we are born to be nurses, it chooses us. If you think about it, it has to be true because no one in other professions would put up with the same things we put up with. Blogging is so good because it allows us all to vent. Please don’t tell us to suck it up, that is rude. We suck it up every day. The sad thing is we have more power than we know, We just don’t use it because of our servants heart. As healthcare moves forward, my hope is nurses come together as one voice to be part of the decision making of policies. Empowered nurses are unstoppable, and very happy. unfortunately many facilities run on slave master relationships. Eventually we will have to make a stand. Our future depends on it.
WOW! I’ve been a nurse for thirty years and you totally hit the nail on the head. Amazing, I’ve always felt like the only one who could possibly have some of those feelings because I work with many incredible caring people. I am back in school to be a CNS so I could help dispell the “stupid and lazy” treatment from management and administration.
I have retired from nursing after 23 years. It was my third career,. The only answer to the nursing problem is one. Until more men are in the profession this type of problems will continue. A profession where men are in the majority you would never see this happening. If you notice men never stay at the bedside long .They move to the ER, CCU, ICU ,upper management (even it they aren’t qualified) etc. I have sat in meetings where male nurses would make a statement it would be taken seriously , a female would try to speak up and they would be cut off. Most of the male nurses I have worked with were very good nurses, but they came into nursing knowing they were not going to stay at the bedside. If we want nursing to change encourage more males to come into the field at the bedside., YOU WILL SEE CHANGES….
My husband says the same thing. My husband is an attorney and he simply can not understand why we put up with what we do. He has also said if the profession was male dominated these issues would have been taken care of long ago because men would not put up with this crap. What keeps us going is always the patients.
Yes, this is so true, qualified or unqualified I have seen the men pass through and get promoted. Any female nurse that makes suggestions or complains is a bitch, but the males are taken seriously as if they have more to offer even if they have been a nurse for 1year vs. my 20.
This is so true and people don’t even realize it. Female-dominated professions (nursing, teaching, etc) are often thought of as lesser to some other profession. We are women in a patriarchal society. Nursing started as a way to “practice the virtues of womanhood.” Everyone loves Florence Nightingale and her contributions to healthcare are significant, but she also titled the career as one of servitude and sacrifice for the woman of God. In other words, nursing has been a “feminine” career since its formal inception and this causes us to be at the receiving end of many biases and injustices that exist in a male-dominated society.
I actually have done fairly extensive research on this topic. The problem exists.
Wow. I’m in tears at how horribly true this is. Nurses should have one anothers backs. Should hold one another as preciously as we hold our patients. Make it a point to be kind and caring while encouraging growth of one another.
Excellent piece
Suzi Baker, RN
I totally agree with your blog, I just wish you would of mentioned all those Nurse Assistances also that don’t get paid very good and work their butts off and also miss all there family stuff.
Talk about back breaking work!
I work in EMS and do 12 hour shifts also. Along with weekends and Holidays….when I was young I worked in SNF’s and worked all the Holidays as it gave others a break. It is a team effort that we all help each other out. Yes there are days it get difficult, always giving. But every so often you get the Pt that makes it all worth it. An old partner of mine used to say every so often, “We need one of those calls today that we give and get hugs”. This is what makes it all worthwhile. I have never talked to a lot of nurses that felt they needed out. They all have had difficult days and knew going in that they would have to work Holidays and Weekends. Again, we are a team and we all do swaps when needed to help each other out…
Amen, sister.
Short but i love it.
You have no idea how much I love this. THANK YOU! My father showed up at my house Sunday morning and was so loud I could hear him over my ear plugs. He was put off that I was mad he woke me up. I had just worked two 12 hour night shifts in a row.
Thank you for sharing. I have the utmost respect for nurses. As a critical care flight paramedic I think I understand a little bit of how you’re feeling. Compassionate care fatigue will burn you out hard and fast if you don’t take care of yourself. As to the 8-5, “what is the worst thing you’ve ever seen”, crowd that have their own “stressful” jobs to tend; they will never understand the fortitude required to hold someone’s hand after they’ve been told their brain tumor is inoperable, or know the screaming agony of a parent watching you run a code on their child. Please take care of yourself and take the time that you need for you to be okay.
you nailed it!
well said
You should say nursing staff because your CNA that works right beside you didn’t have it any easier and are very under paid many have 2 jobs in attempt to survive.
I enjoyed your blog because it is reflective and proactive. The support extended from other disciplines in the comments (chaplain, social worker, other nurses of all levels, physician,RT, EMT, etc) as well as other professions, adult children of nurses, and people who have been patients, is phenomenal. I am in my 34th year of nursing, and have taught and been a NP for the last 10 years. Self-care and promotion of the profession (professional associations) are topics in my courses. We have to take care of ourselves, and each other,, in order to be the best for our patients. Each nurse needs to find the path that makes the most sense for them and their families. Acute care and community-based each has its own challenges. In community-based, I didn’t have holidays but often was on-call and had work that carried over after my shifts. I rely on nurses when my parents are in the hospital so much, and I always appreciate and look for our graduates. Keep writing, it is a healthy practice. Thank you.
I have been a RN for more than 30 years. All of it in critical care and the ER. There have been so many shifts that I have felt like I am being punched and slapped over and over again and cannot ask for it to be stopped. I don’t know why I still feel guilty if I take a rare mental health day off.
I wanted to share this with my 2 daughters who are nurses (one is an assistant nurse manager), but did not because you used the “f’ word. I was with you until you thought you had to use profanity to make your point. I got it- without that! Too bad. Good luck. God is with you.
Debbie, So copy and paste it, then delete the expletive.
In 1968 I had to go back to work and leave my children.My Doctor had told me get a job where you are thinking and doing for others.There was a hospital close to my childrens new school.So I went there and applied for a job.I was told from the beginning that Nursing assistants or techs only got one week end off a month.After missing several week ends with my children and missing a few holidays,I decided to talk with my nursing supervisor.We hatched a plan to send a petition to all three shifts for a change.The nurses backed us up and even signed.Our paper work/petitions disappeared.And in less than a month we got the word that we got every other week end off.I know things have changed now for the worse.The problem is the shortage of nurses.Its not something that women no longer want to do .the long days and very strict rules are just not right.
I no of NO nurse that works 3 days a week! We all do extra shift, stay late etc… so go fuck yourself. You have no idea.
I can relate to that entire article! I’ve been a hospital nurse for 17 + years and I still wish some days for anything to happen that would prevent me from getting to work (God forbid). (Don’t ask about getting home!) And yes I have taken mental health days!
Right now I drive 1.5 hours to a job I really love but think I may have to leave as the drive is too much. Unfortunately, the pay keeps me there. When I think and see it on paper though I think I should have my head examined! We joke at work about leaving and becoming a ‘Walmart greeter’—sounds pretty good right now!
The highs and lows of nursing are so extreme, it’s a miracle we aren’t all in the nut house!
I am entering the nursing field (which I’ve wanted to do all my life). This post scares the hell out of me. My daughter is a nurse and can verify everything that has been posted here, so I know that what has been said is very true and accurate.
I’d like to say that nurses that I have had take care of my family members and myself in the past have been FANTASTIC! They were so caring, helpful, understanding. They are the reason I decided to go ahead with my hopes of becoming a nurse. Nurses should be treated with respect and appreciated for all they do!!!