With the way nursing is today the common sense thing would be...

6 Just to get your RN, put your time in at the beside and jump ship to advanced practice or non beside care as soon as possible, right? Why put up with all these horrendous working conditions, lateral violence, etc... and why talk about all this stuff you have to deal with if you aren't gonna raise a finger to do something about it?

I don't think it's right that I should have to sacrifice my mental and physical health to satisfy the "needs" of a business. I don't think it's right that we should have to do "more with less" (staffing, rations, etc...) and still be expected to deliver exceptional care to the people that need it, the patients. I don't think it's right that we should "whore" ourselves out to please the patients and CEO's, yet there is no one to back us up or anyone we can fall upon? I don't see these "problems" in nursing fixing themselves anytime soon.

I mean, if this isn't what nursing is supposed to be, then what is? Are we glorified medical waitresses or are we professional healthcare providers? Cause I graduate nursing school this year, and I sure don't feel "professional" at all.
Problems usually don't "fix themselves." They require people to fix them. In order to fix them people have to talk about them.

I felt and was treated more professional as a minimum wage clerk than as an RN!

This sounds really negative, especially without having any experience as an RN yet. I hope I don't get this negative while in school.

Quote from Spikey9001Just to get your RN, put your time in at the beside and jump ship to advanced practice or non beside care as soon as possible, right? Why put up with all these horrendous working conditions, lateral violence, etc... and why talk about all this stuff you have to deal with if you aren't gonna raise a finger to do something about it? I don't think it's right that I should have to sacrifice my mental and physical health to satisfy the "needs" of a business. I don't think it's right that we should have to do "more with less" (staffing, rations, etc...) and still be expected to deliver exceptional care to the people that need it, the patients. I don't think it's right that we should "whore" ourselves out to please the patients and CEO's, yet there is no one to back us up or anyone we can fall upon? I don't see these "problems" in nursing fixing themselves anytime soon.I mean, if this isn't what nursing is supposed to be, then what is? Are we glorified medical waitresses or are we professional healthcare providers? Cause I graduate nursing school this year, and I sure don't feel "professional" at all.

Quote from kjm84This sounds really negative, especially without having any experience as an RN yet. I hope I don't get this negative while in school.

Quote from Spikey9001Just to get your RN, put your time in at the beside and jump ship to advanced practice or non beside care as soon as possible, right? Why put up with all these horrendous working conditions, lateral violence, etc... and why talk about all this stuff you have to deal with if you aren't gonna raise a finger to do something about it? I don't think it's right that I should have to sacrifice my mental and physical health to satisfy the "needs" of a business. I don't think it's right that we should have to do "more with less" (staffing, rations, etc...) and still be expected to deliver exceptional care to the people that need it, the patients. I don't think it's right that we should "whore" ourselves out to please the patients and CEO's, yet there is no one to back us up or anyone we can fall upon? I don't see these "problems" in nursing fixing themselves anytime soon.I mean, if this isn't what nursing is supposed to be, then what is? Are we glorified medical waitresses or are we professional healthcare providers? Cause I graduate nursing school this year, and I sure don't feel "professional" at all.

Nursing and healthcare often takes an emotional toll and it's all too easy to get swept away by the tempest of negativity that seems to overrun our environment due to toxic co-workers, unrealistic expectations, long hours, etc. Not to mention seeing people at their physical and emotional worst every day takes a psychological toll even when the nurse/healthcare worker is unaware of it. It's sad that we as nurses give so much that we wind up breaking ourselves either figuratively or even literally. To the OP, my advice to you is to let it go. These problems have been in nursing for a long time, it doesn't make it okay but the way you can contribute to the problem is by not being consumed by the negativity and frustration that this career can cause. While you're in clinicals and once you begin working, go in do your job to the best of your ability and go home and live your life. On rough days, do as you did today and vent on this forum and then let it go. I have seen more than one nurse go down in flames because the frustrations and negativity from the job became the ruling force in their lives. Good luck to you, I hope this helps.

Quote from xtxrnThen don't. You chose nursing school- there's no "sacrifice" when you volunteer to go to school for something. Was there a gun at your head? So either buck up or move on- it's never going to be what you want it to be if you already don't like it. You think it's hard now? LOL You have no idea- you aren't fully responsible for a n y t h i n g yet. Is it hard work? Absolutely. Did you want a job that paid you to just go at things when you felt like it? Good luck Healthcare is a business. Period. It's always about the money. You're not supposed to feel professional yet because you are not. You think this is rough working conditions??? Maybe outsource yourself to a third world country. Did you know that the US is now 41st in infant mortality??? We've dropped from 28th (or thereabouts) over the last decade or so..... Slovakia is ahead of us- and they were in an active war zone not long ago.... maybe you'd like their conditions? Either face up to what IS- not what you want, or bail out now while you can still use your credits for something else. Seriously- think about it. Hospital CEOs do not care what you (or I, or anyone else who doesn't have the checkbook to pay for their ideas) want or prefer. Work is a verb- not a destination....it's not fun, easy, or just what we want it to be. But if you can hang in there, get out of school, and get through the first several years (it takes that long to really get a handle on things, and find your own niche), it is a really great way to make a living. You're not going to make a fortune. But if that was your goal, you got the wrong college catalog You will work hard, and sometimes work will work you. I loved it. I didn't always like some of what I had to do, but it was worth every bad day. There were far more acceptable ones, and even some good ones (you won't have wonderful days all that often- give that up now !!). If you can get through your shift, do what is expected, and leave people no worse for having been their nurse, all else is a bonus.But if you're this peeved now- you really need to figure this out soon- did you make the right choice? Don't try to figure out something you aren't even doing yet...get some experience if you still want nursing. Find out how hospitals, billing, reimbursement, staffing, etc work before you diss your managers and hospital/LTC administrators.... the almighty dollar is your boss- and theirs, too. Good luck, if you choose to stick around

Quote from Spikey9001Just to get your RN, put your time in at the beside and jump ship to advanced practice or non beside care as soon as possible, right? Why put up with all these horrendous working conditions, lateral violence, etc... and why talk about all this stuff you have to deal with if you aren't gonna raise a finger to do something about it? I don't think it's right that I should have to sacrifice my mental and physical health to satisfy the "needs" of a business. I don't think it's right that we should have to do "more with less" (staffing, rations, etc...) and still be expected to deliver exceptional care to the people that need it, the patients. I don't think it's right that we should "whore" ourselves out to please the patients and CEO's, yet there is no one to back us up or anyone we can fall upon? I don't see these "problems" in nursing fixing themselves anytime soon.I mean, if this isn't what nursing is supposed to be, then what is? Are we glorified medical waitresses or are we professional healthcare providers? Cause I graduate nursing school this year, and I sure don't feel "professional" at all.

I completely agree with xtxrn--you should evaluate why you went into nursing and make some decisions. No matter what the business, you will have to "make do with less." That's life. As much as we want nursing to be all about caring and helping people, there is the business side. The only way you'll ever have control over your business and your resources is to run your own business. That's not going to happen in nursing.

Quote from Spikey9001Just to get your RN, put your time in at the beside and jump ship to advanced practice or non beside care as soon as possible, right? Why put up with all these horrendous working conditions, lateral violence, etc... and why talk about all this stuff you have to deal with if you aren't gonna raise a finger to do something about it? I don't think it's right that I should have to sacrifice my mental and physical health to satisfy the "needs" of a business. I don't think it's right that we should have to do "more with less" (staffing, rations, etc...) and still be expected to deliver exceptional care to the people that need it, the patients. I don't think it's right that we should "whore" ourselves out to please the patients and CEO's, yet there is no one to back us up or anyone we can fall upon? I don't see these "problems" in nursing fixing themselves anytime soon.I mean, if this isn't what nursing is supposed to be, then what is? Are we glorified medical waitresses or are we professional healthcare providers? Cause I graduate nursing school this year, and I sure don't feel "professional" at all.

ooh u mentioned lateral violence..that must be a hot new buzz word, bc i NEVER heard it mentioned until i got into nursing school and we are discussing it in our ethics class this week as well...