I hate being a tech. will I hate being a nurse too?

I dont need any judgement with this, b/c it truly is a deep concern. I am a 1st term nursing student, and a tech at a well known hospital in my town. I can say with all honesty that I hate my job. My floor is a small med-surg floor with only a handful of rooms, which isn't so bad, except all they do is float me. Its rare that I work on my floor more that 2 times a month. I get floated everywhere, including areas that I have not one ounce of training in. ICU is the bane of my existence. Ive never had any training in ICU and I get sent there all the time. The first time I floated there, I was so scared that I cried on the phone to my husband in the break room for 15 mins. I hate bathing people, Im so sick of cleaning up feces, Im tired of being bossed around and treated like a waitress, Im tired of pulling elderly people out of bed by myself to get them on the toilet and throwing my back out b/c no one will help me, spending 45 mins in one pt's room just to get them to the bathroom and back, getting run ragged every night...
I actually threw up in a pt's bathroom the other night b/c she sprayed diarrhea all over the toilet and I had to clean it up. Everytime I have to work I dread it the whole day, and I cry the whole drive there. It breaks my heart to have to leave my husband and kids to go to a job that I hate. My back hurts 24/7 and Im contently exhausted. Ive begged my manager to let me cut back my hours but she wont
So my question is this: If I hate being a tech, does that mean I will hate being a nurse? Im almost done with term one and Im just scared Im wasting my time and money. Last edit by K nurse-one-day on Jul 5, '11
You will still have to deal with all this as an RN. Plus even more responsibility. It sounds to me as though you would be happier in another line of work.

Yes. You do all the above + insane documentation and protecting your licensce at the same time as a RN

Its surprising that I would have to deal with this as an RN b/c the ones at my work dont help me one dang bit with any of the things I listed aboveAnd please dont get me wrong. I know theres an insane amount of paper work and charting with nursing. I see it every day. But when Im running my rear end off all night and you're just sitting at the desk chit chatting about a vacation and dont even offer to help me, thats what I have a problem with

I'm sorry; it must be very stressful for you. I think you should try another area of nursing or another facility. Pediatrics might be a little easier because they're easier to lift if nobody is there to help you. I am a tech right now and have to deal with all the things you talked about but my unit has supportive staff with coworkers who always ask if I am doing okay, need any help...so it helps a lot. Maybe you should look into another hospital? Good luck with everything! As far as cleaning up diarrhea and stuff like that, if you think about how it helps the patient feel much better, relief, that should make you feel better.

Well if you hate bathing pts as well as cleaning up poo.. Chances are if you go into hospital nursing it will be very similar.. I am in the ICU, bathing at least one of my pts is a must and we don't have techs in our ICU most shifts so I am toileting and cleaning up poo at times.. I don't mind, it is part of the job.. Of course that is not all a RN does but it is part of it.. Yep, many people do think we are their personal assistant's; at times I have felt like a high priced waitress... Only you can answer if nursing is for you.. Nursing at least in TLC or hospital is not glamorous and we do get messy at times However, I really do love what I do.. Somehow you no longer see it as a negative, it just becomes something you do because it is what is best for your pt.

How many more terms do you have to go in nursing school? What have your clinicals been like? Do you enjoy the classroom portion?Have you had the chance to talk to other nurses on your unit (or on the ones that you get floated to) for a different perspective of nursing?Your job is HARD. I did your job when I was in school, so I understand how tired you must be all the time. It IS backbreaking work. This is the advice I have to offer you, for what it's worth:1. Talk to your manager again about cutting back your hours or perhaps switching shifts. You sound plain TIRED to me. If she still refuses, look into transferring to another unit-perhaps newborn nursery (small poops, not so heavy pts, and bathing is much easier!) or PACU (almost non-existent poop, don't transfer much, you don't have to bathe the pts in the PACU, and you get to learn a different skill set).2. Stay in school for one more term and see if you like it more. The first term is hard because you are learning what you ALREADY do now-CNA duties and basic nursing skills. It's almost like you have a double whammy. Kinda like eating bologna sandwiches for every meal. OF COURSE you are sick of it!Once you are exposed to different areas of nursing next term that aren't so freaking labor intensive, you might just love it. 3. When is your next break from school? Schedule some time off from work so you can CHILL! Seriously, everything always looks more bleak when you are burning the candle at both ends. Everyone needs to take a break, and it sounds like you are due. 4. Why won't anyone help you lift/bathe/toilet these pts? What the heck?!?Try some of these things and see what you think. Give it a bit more time. Good luck to you honey, and here is a big hug from me to you

K:They may not help you much for a variety of reasons, but before going into anesthesia, I worked in most areas of nursing and always did direct patient care. Some of the best opportunities to assess patients come at those times. When I was recently a patient, I rarely saw an RN--so I also wonder what they are doing, but have been off the floors since 1991, so I don't know what is going on. I do believe patient care has deteriorated, but why, I don't know. Find something else because, IMHO, it isn't going to get better.

Quote from K nurse-one-dayIts surprising that I would have to deal with this as an RN b/c the ones at my work dont help me one dang bit with any of the things I listed aboveAnd please dont get me wrong. I know theres an insane amount of paper work and charting with nursing. I see it every day. But when Im running my rear end off all night and you're just sitting at the desk chit chatting about a vacation and dont even offer to help me, thats what I have a problem with

Unfortunately, it just sounds like another day at the office. Try to see this as a good thing, that you've found out this isn't for you before investing a great deal of time and money.

At the hospital i work at, we don't have aids/techs. We do everything ourselves. So yeah, if you hate being a tech you will hate being a nurse, all the same plus more.

Yes, you will also hate being a nurse.I don't mind doing any of those; that's my job, and they don't frustrate me a bit. Seas, RN

I hated being a tech. Absolutely never wanted to go to work. Not because I had to do turns, and incontinence care, and sitting, etc. But because that was all I did. I knew I could be doing more (as in... in addition to these basic nursing skills). I also was a float too, so I never had the chance to really establish relationships with staff so I was often working by myself with few help. Also, because I wasn't consistent with my presence (varied shifts, floors, days, etc), nurses didn't know me and had the tendency to talk down to me. Or blow me off if I had a concern about a patient. My patients were often impressed I pulled them up by myself because I didn't want them to have to wait forever while I tried to find help and my callbells were never answered if I was tied up in a room. The worse is when I was a sitter for up to 12 hours and the nurses would walk into the room and pretend I wasn't there. There is no respect given to being a tech. You are often overworked, underpaid, and non-appreciated. It is not fun. However, it did help me become a nurse and I learned a lot from the experience.I hated being a tech but I love being a nurse. I am challenged and (somewhat) respected in this role. I feel as part of a team and feel I can actually maybe do something on my shift. An abbreviated explanation but it works. See how you like clinicals as a student nurse (don't being utlitized as a tech, but using your critical thinking, giving meds, looking up patho, doing assessments).. it's different and that's what motivated me.