I am doing a paper for school.... please post your opinion

The nursing shortage is real and we are already feeling the effects of it. I am writing a paper for my class on my way to getting a BSN. I need some ideas on why nurses are dissatisfied in our field. (examples: poor management, no voice, high pt to nurse ratio///////// Please respond and post your biggest dissatisfaction, or what you've been hearing.
I would like to add that the nursing shortage is not real for ALL areas. Where I am, most employers are un-willing to hire new grads. The ones that will consider a new grad have between 200 - 400 applications for EACH position! I am aware of new grads that passed their boards over a year ago and just got a job. I had considered moving to an area where there is a nursing shortage, but finally found something after 10 months of searching.

If you spend an hour reading this board, you will find enough information to write a book! Good luck on your paper!

Definately the poor staffing. They are cutting the secretary hours, cutting the cnas, and giving the RNS more patients. So now we have more patients and less help. And then on top of the added workload, you had to answer the phones, put in orders, etc etc. At my former work place they were calling off nurses, purposely leaving us short staffed to help the budget. They are cutting supplies & linens as well.The biggest issue by far, is that you go into nursing to care for the patients, but it isnt about the patients anymore its about the money. It is ONLY about the money. You always leave feeling like you did not do a good job. You can't possibly give the care you want with all the cuts. You physically cannot keep up with the work load they try to dump on you. It is a for sure burn out job. You try try try try and bust your but running all shift and still cannot get it all done.

I have heard of this mysterious "nursing" shortage, but haven't been lucky enough to catch a look at it yet....The only dissatisfaction that I can report, is knowing that I have to put up with all and every piece of unfairness and poop, because there are probably 500 people waiting for my job if I don't smile and "take it"

Quote from HospiceRN88I would like to add that the nursing shortage is not real for ALL areas. Where I am, most employers are un-willing to hire new grads. The ones that will consider a new grad have between 200 - 400 applications for EACH position! I am aware of new grads that passed their boards over a year ago and just got a job. I had considered moving to an area where there is a nursing shortage, but finally found something after 10 months of searching.

Higher demands on nurses. For example...our hospital was a 4:1 patient to nurse ratio. It's now moved to 5:1.Charting has gotten insane. We actually have 2 nurses, with masters degrees, scheduled every shift to "check on our charting" throughout the day. So if we have a patient that is lets say...on 15 minute checks. If these nurses see that we havent charted and its been 17 minutes, then we get a talking to. But the reality is, maybe i didnt do it because i was in a code? or a patient fell? or i was taking my patient to the bathroom.They expect us to be in many places at one time, which just cannot happen. They are putting more and more work on nurses. I wouldnt be opposed to all of that if my patient to nurse ratio was lower, like lets say...2:1 or 3:1. But its getting to be 5:1 and are pushing a 6:1 within the next few years. Don't even think that is safe....

Quote from LPNweezywhat area are you in? please don't say FL....

Quote from jaclynshroyer64The nursing shortage is real and we are already feeling the effects of it. I am writing a paper for my class on my way to getting a BSN. I need some ideas on why nurses are dissatisfied in our field. (examples: poor management, no voice, high pt to nurse ratio///////// Please respond and post your biggest dissatisfaction, or what you've been hearing.

My biggest dissatisfaction pertains to the rediculous amount of charting required. It seems like there was a new form for us to fill added to the stack on a weekly basis. Whatever time you have left over can be given to the patient (not really, but that's how it feels).

If it's your nursing instructors who are perpetuating the "nursing shortage" disinformation, I think you and your classmates would do well to investigate a little. Not in the national media, but on this board where real live nurses are telling the whole story.

OP, now think a bit. Don't get caught making an invalid statement. You might recover by stating and citing projections made re: nursing shortage. But then counter with reality: no nursing shortage and cite examples. THEN you can go on with your meat about why understaffing/corporate greed/foreign recruiting, poor conditions, lateral violence, is causing nurses currently working to become dissatisfied = nurses leaving. I'd lean heavily on a summary statement that gives some validity to the shortage projections, but somehow mention that projections from government sources don't at all influence how huge corporate hospital networks choose to conduct business re nurse patient ratio/hiring practices/environment.

I have to agree with the charting issues. There is so much redundancy in our paperwork, all created by administrators who are cow-towing to JCAHO to look good on paper. If we could streamline our charting and only chart ONCE for the ONE task that was completed, I think you would see happier nurses.Example: simple implementation of placing a bair hugger on a pt intraoperatively. I must chart this as a circulating nurse, although the anesthesia care provider is responsible for actually doing it. I must, as a circulating nurse, ensure that this has been done, so I understand WHY I must chart it. However, the charting is such that on one screen, I chart that a lower body bair hugger was used. Then I must chart in another screen that the machine used was a bair hugger. Then I must chart in another screen that a LOWER body bair hugger was used. To make sure that everyone is nice and happy, the anesthesia care provider must also chart THE SAME IMPLEMENTATION. Why must we do this? Does it make sense to any of you? It creates a mountain of unnecessary paperwork that each provider must fill out when time is better spent actually taking care of the patient instead of satisfying a faceless auditor. I understand the importance of charting, and I do it religiously. But in the words of my favorite TV clip from ESPN..."C'MON MAN!!!"