Actually, it isn't the doctors or the patients, it's the staff who think they need to cut others down to make themselves look good.

After 34 years of full time nursing, you have many crossroads that come along that you must figure out which way to go. I still struggle with the path that is right for me. Follow the advice above and follow your gut and heart and you will find the right answer.

I agree with Paula, also, however I also feel we slice our own's throat. We all are human and have needs and feelings and sometimes we need that understanding we give to our patients. We kill our own and that is why people burn out who really care for their patients.

It's hard to really care after awhile when day after day you are worked short, given more and more to handle.I'm so tired of feeling like I've been beat up when I go home and feeling so exhausted from running non stop 12 hour shifts. In all honesty if I wasn't a single parent I would walk away from Nursing and never look back. Truth!

I think nurses should say to the management "no more, we will not work short anymore, do not give us more than we can handle, I refuse to take more than 4 patients on a given shift, I want to always put my patient first and to practice safe nursing, so do not give me more than 4 patients..if california can do it, other states can do it too...'

I went into nursing because it offered a flexible schedule and the opportunity to do God work helping the sick. But this job has taken a toll on me physically and emotionally. The most worst is all of the back stabbing and jossip that goes on. And yes, nurses do eat their young. So as soon as I find another career that offers the same type of flexibility and money, I AM OUT OF HERE! The nursing culture is embarrassing. A lot of these nurses have either drug or alcohol issues and put patient's safety at risk everyday! I would offer some advise to those who want to be a nurse, please shaddow a nurse or better yet, be a nurses assistance.

I am also trying to get out of the profession. After trying travel nursing, I have quickly realized that all facilities are the same...nurses who are complainers, management who let slackers get away with anything, and the higher up's who try to dictate policies and procedures on the floors (trenches) and have no idea what it is actually like to work on one. Vital open positions are just eliminated due to 'budget issues' and the remaining staff and patients suffer. It just isn't worth my time, stress, and life anymore. Good luck to you who love nursing, you are better people than myself.

The problem with nursing now is we are been treated like slaves and not like real nurses. The families and the patients are very rude and expect so much and it appears some of the families and patient are there to create troubles for the nurses. Another problem is the managers going crazy trying to please the patients so bad that they will do anything for the patients to help boost the scores. I will not advice people to go in to nursing except they can avoid working at the hospital. I also can't stand some of the nurses that runs to the manager with every little thing just to get on the good side of the manager. From:Jane

I, too, fell victim to nurse burnout. It's very hard to see what is happening because it is so insidious. If you are unhappy AT ALL, look for something else! There is so much to do in nursing. Sometimes just a "culture" change from one facility to another can help. But DO SOMETHING! A word to managers: do research and learn the signs of burnout so you can recognize it in your staff. I guarantee you will see it before they do, then you can offer them assistance. And I have to agree with the frequent comments on ugliness among nurses. It is rampant in our field. So support one another!

When you consider the amount of knowledge that even a 2 year nursing degree requires, the responsibility, the stress and lack of respect and add to that mediocre pay, few holidays, stingy PTO, no nursing is not what I thought it would be. I have been encouraged to follow my "passion" in nursing on many occasions (imagine a man being offered that advice!) to which I reply that my passions are my husband, hiking, knitting and cooking. Oops! There goes another nurse following her passions.

Nursing can be a wonderful career. I agree that there are always going to be some nurses that I call "pot stirrers" they are the ones that can't be happy until others are miserable. We can not always choose who we will work with; however, we can change our perception of their irritating behaviors. I have choosen not to let someone else control my emotions. I have worked in several facilities. The one I enjoyed the most was the one where the nurse mananger communicated her expectations to each staff when they were hired. She then expected each of us to live up to her expectations-which were patient and family focused. We were given opportunities to make suggestions and to see them come to fruition. She was visible on the units on a frequent basis and did not hesistate to help the techs and nurses when it was busy. She managed MICU, CVICU, 3 telemetry units, and a transplant unit. Turnover in her units was not a problem. I wish I still worked for her.

I wish that the people in charge of staffing and such would read nursing comments made online. Sometimes I wonder how people actually get the care they need when everyplace runs short staffed and understaffed all of the time.

I too am "burned out" on nursing after 21 years. "Overworked and underpayed, I'm a nurse, I got it made" could not be more true! Jaded perhaps, but none the less, over it. Now working part time in assisted living (which I had been a director of for many years) and still dread going to work. What a shame, I would reather be a bartender on an island someplace, and I dont drink. And like so many before me have said, as soon as possible, I am out of nursing, and at 57 years old, I WILL NOT look back. Terry in Florida

I have to agree with everyone else, it's love-hate relationship day in day out with nursing. Most days I dread going to work and a near anxiety attack as I arrive on the unit. The manager is no help just says corporate and administration have their hands tied due to jcoh and medicare. If it weren't for these entities over zealous regulaton thing might be a little better then on top of all that is the impossible patient satisfaction scores, no body or place is perfect so the scores just hurt more than help. I'm currently work toward another career, after 27 yrs in healthcare I've seen too many changes that hurt, so I encourage anyone to find something else!

My hat goes off to Michelle C. We must, as individuals, stand tall and take responsibility for the control we "allow" other team members to have over our situation. I work in an O.R. where we have a very unique culture which has evolved over the years. Nurses do not eat their young .... we welcome new employees and value them. We have mutual respect for each other and patient safety is our primary goal. We achieve this through supporting each other. Yes, staffing is an issue. Unfortunately, it has been for a long time and will continue to be but there are still patients and families who look to us for healing. Burnout is rampant but it starts within. How much are you willing to tolerate? Set your boundaries and, if it doesn't work out, move on. You cannot take care of others when you need care on all levels: physical, mental emotional and spiritual. Seek out a relaxation technique you can draw on when you feel consumed. Every day won't be perfect but you will find strength to be there for the next patient to whom you will make a difference. Take the reins as a leader and role model a new culture. It can be done. Don't let the rotten apples determine your future. They don't want to change. The World can't afford to loose compassionate, caring nurses ..... now more than ever. I have been in Nursing for 47 years and I am not a rookie. Change the focus and you may change the way you feel.

I have been an nurse for almost thirty years, started out as an LPN, then an RN, I feel I was called by God, if you went into nursing for any other reason, that is why you are unhappy.Please set the example and be a role model to students and new nurses,remind them how nursing used to be; a noble,caring profession.If yo are unhappy, get out, your patients deserve a happy, caring,professional, as do your co-workers. I have held many positions,don't judge managers,walk a mile in the shoes first.God bless a of the good nurses!

I've been a nurse for 35 years and i love it ,i know its a miserable job but my rewards is in heaven and i do it for God to continue his mission here on earth and i offer all my sacrifices on him so He always rewards me what i want.God Bless all Nurses They are the live angels on earth(it depends if your heart and soul is really in nursing)

right on! i have been in nursing for 35 years also .same old story from day one except now it is worse. more paper work added everyday it seems . customer service but no time for actual patient care . the patient does not come first. this hospital is operated on the fear factor , you weren't nice enough,you didn't smile enough you didn't answer every question so you must be fired !! where are the employee advocates?? the change is coming .. hospitals are about to be flooded with patients with the new health care plan sicker patients and more paper work and an even greater nursing shortage.. i have less than 5 years left and will be glad to be out!

Re Monica B.'s comment-You have hit the nail on the head!! I,too, feel I have been put into the nursing field for a purpose-and have never been disappointed!If you think you're going to float through this career until retirement time,you're in for a rude awakening!! You'd better be ready to shed the blood,sweat and tears.If you don't like it-find something you can commit yourself to.I love it-have for 30 years!! Don't want to retire.I am 63 yrs old and as long as God give me the good health to do so,I will serve!!

I have been a nurse for many years, and never as tired and frustrated as I am now. The mounds of endless paperwork, and pressures of nursing management are depressing. I go home many nights in tears, so unhappy from the stress in my job. I would never recommend a nursing management position to anyone. It is hard enough to be responsible for yourself, let alone other people. Nursing needs to make some serious changes to its profession.

the paperwork it gets in the way of managing your time.c'mon now, 7 forms for a fall without injuries?!!!

I have been in nursing 45 years I work a Med/Surg/Ortho wing I love my job thats why I have been in the profession for so long I can see the frustration Our unit has a mixture of seasoned nurses and new grads It seems the new grads have a different style of nursing I dont think they even put a stetescope to a pts chest Our young nurses all they think about is using their cell phones and texting while they are working they even text each other on the floor when they are working together Everything is funny to them They are always the first ones to be sitting down charting while the rest of us oldees are still doing our pt care They are always flirting with the Docs and use the F word without even caring who hears them They have been reported but nothing seems to be done because of retention problems I give the best care I can give because the pts deserve it I know they will be the ones taking care of me someday God help them I know I go home every morning with a good feeling knowing I gave them the best care ever

I have been a nurse for 31yrs after 28 yrs for many of the reasons listed above I chose to change careers. I now teach and have never been happier.

I have been into nursing for 16 years, I am so burned-out from the people that's in charge of me. I try hard to make my cna's feel good about what they do, and i would even get out on the floor with my cna's, if I have the time just to let them know that I wouldn't ask them to do thing i wouldn't do. My problem in nursing as been to much credit giving to those that do nothing but talk a good talk but don't walk the walk. The racial acts as well. For most black nurses, we are always having to give more and do more than our white co-workers, and it always seems to not add up. I did at one time loved nursing and I still love helping others which is why I wanted to become a nurse. Lets just be real, nursing make one crazy. People you work with are low down, unjusted and I just don't want to have anything else to do with this nursing career. It has been since a waste of time. No one seems happy are loving any more. And for the most, It's just a pay check, they don't really care.

Great advice! 3 months ago I stepped down from a supervisor position that made me feel like I contributed to the unit and was very satisfying, when I first took the position. In the last 2 years, it has changed into a frustrating bureaucratic paper pushing stressful drudge. I am now happily working with patients again. I think everyone should be proactive and honest with themselves. If the position you're in doesn't fit, you need to find one that is right for you. There is plenty of diversity in the nursing field. People that just suck it up and do the job that they hate aren't doing a good job. Do yourself and everyone you work with a favor and change or quit. I work with too many nurses who complain and "have a bad" day and don't realize they caused it themselves.

Nursing is all I've ever wanted to do, and I've done it for 35 yrs. I've seen and worked for good and bad, seen great things happen in nursing and questionable. The thing that kept me sane all these years was the moving around we did. Finally settled down and have been in this job 12 yrs. Yes, there are days when I'd like to leave, but the bottom line is that I still like my job in the ED. I AM getting tired though and wondering if I should do something new. But, can you teach an old dog new tricks? And if so, what are they?

Stephanie Staples, a highly regarded (and slightly hilarious) nurse speaker Stephanie, all I can say is blah blah. Sounds like another management pep talk that never results in change! We work in the real world and there is nothing glorious about it. Step up or step down, how about run as fast as you can to get out. This profession drains you mentally and physically. Moving on and will never look back!

Move on? To what? I've tried agency nursing, per diem work, pediatrics, nursing home, and assisted living. It's all exactly the same: patients are great, but families are brutal. They have the attitude that their family member is a guest at the Ritz Carlton, and the nurse is just lazy and stupid. They look over your shoulder and question every move you make. I was once calculating a heparin titration and a family was trying to have a conversation with me about a baseball game! When I didn't answer, they became annoyed, saying, "That nurse is in her own little world over there!" I've had to stay at the bedside of a chest pain patient whild my other patients repeatedly rang the bell for a bedpan. Since I was busy, no one came, and I was admonished for not answering call lights. I was given a pediatric patient whose surgical procedure was totally foreign to me, so I went to get a nurse who knew what to do for the child. The family wrote a letter saying I was incompetent. I've had family members threatening to videotape all the nurses so they could sue us if something went wrong. Management did nothing. A 12 hour shift means 13 hours on your feet without a break. If you take lunch, you're considered to be a slacker. As a Per Diem or Agency nurse, I'm always given the worst patient load because "you make the big bucks." Charge nurses will not pitch in and help even if a blood transfusion is sitting there waiting to be started. I was pretty much fired last year when my son committed suicide and I needed time off. I was told I needed to resign because they could not keep my job open unless I fulfilled my contract hours. I haven't worked for a year now. I miss the money, but I am enjoying life again.

I have been in nursing for 43 years, some good years and some bad years. I have just been bought out, I wanted to work 3 more years but I feel it is a blessing in disquise. The last three years I have worked Hospice and so loved it. I have mixed emotions about leaving, but I feel so much better less tired, less stressed, I did not realize how much stress I had. I am proud to have been a nurse, but I do feel sorry for the new nurses, they are not respected enough, appreciated enough and they will not put up with all the things us older nurses have had to endure. I wish them all well, I have hung up my career and am feeling better about it as time goes on. God Bless you all.

i find after 17 yrs ..the hospitals just suck the staff dry. I am always stating to people would lawyers talk to each other like that . Nurses are nasty little housewives not a profession . sorry to say that is true and blue .

For 33 years I have been doing this and have seen coperations, lawyers and the goverment destory my profession. There is no hope and there is no tomarrow. With no doubt in my mind we will soon be a third world country with nothing but misery here.

Man, I am glad I got this email and found this site! I thought I was the only one who feels this way about nursing. I got into this field to help people but saw the dark side of it during nursing school. My friend and myself were the targets of verbal abuse by our instructors and hospital staff. Unfortunately, many of the people I work with just do it for the money. We still take care of the people but, with all the bad stuff administration puts on us, the staff feels deflated. The day before I go in, I feel anxious due to the uncertainties. I tell myself "it pays the bills" and nothing more. I do the best I can to take care of the patients and make sure they aren't neglected. In the end, however, for me and a lot of other nurses it is all about the money!!

I have been an RN for almost 32 years and worked half of my nursing career in the community/private setting and the rest of the time was in prison system. The former is more rewarding than the later not because of the group of patients in the correctional setting but of the bureuacracy with management,politics, and poor or no knowledge of nursing or skills of SRN's as they call themselves but like the blind leading the rest like them with common goal in the institution, that is to look good with the State's stats and comply with the directive of the State. But most of the nursing supervisors lack the ability to lead and support some of the good nurses that happen to be liitle percentage of thier nursing staff. Not only that the whole health care system is run by custody managemnet who know nothing about nursing and patient care. For the most part the patients (inmates) are considered second class citizens not worthy of care.these people just like the paycheck and the other benefits that goes with it. (although some are better that others). The nursing management are afraid? or callous enough to care and stand up for thier staff or in cahot with the other managent to be included in the circle of "SUCKERS". For the most part of my experience as a correctional RN it was not as rewarding because if you do the right thing management won't like nor appreciate it or you get written up and or get fired because you don't play with their "team". There's a lot of overtime for nurses including the registry nurses because they friends of staffing coordinators or poor staffing strategeis. The nurses there has a lot of down time for gossips, back stubbing,flirting with correctionalofficers who don't like to do their job but love their overtime checks. The rest of the staff start their day with coffee and gossips, then breakfast then personal phone calls and other personal business then a little work and then lunch then a little bit of work thenbreak the time to go home. The whole prison system health care dept are plagued with supervisors that don't know what they're doing being a supervisors or just being a nurse that if you have godd skills in the outside world and you try to practice good nursing inside your skills and knowledge is not welcome bec. it intimidating to the nursing management and custody management. This is only the place I have seen that the RN drives the emergency response vehicle to transport the patients to the triage area while the costody officers sit down beside the RN in the passenger's while a chest pain patient sits at the back of the vehicle not attended by a health personnel.The RN has togo down to unlock a number og gates before the getting to site where the patient is to be picked up apparently in an emergency situation. There are lots of incompetent nurses who had in one way endangered patient's health by administering wrong medications or wrong procedures but go unpunished because of their connections to the incompetent supervisors. If you are a new grad there are no new skills to learn but good for the money without doing much. thank you for the good site to vent and share experiences good or bad. Thank you and keep it up.

I need a change. It's not the doctors or the brand new grad nurses that can't handle their assignment and end up dumping on me. I work as a traveler 7P-7A, nights not by choice but by the necessity of having a job. I am leaving nursing after nearly 25 years because I am tired of hospitals working us nurses short staffed but cannot comprehend just slightly overstaffing us. The Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara calls me at 6PM as I'm walking out the door to cancel my shift with absolutely no concern that my bills are based on a 36 hour income, not 12 hours. I'm taking my ADN and joining the real workforce. If I have to sell men's underware at Kohl's I will do that. The RN I trained to be is no longer requested, we've become bookeepers and we even have to lie now about what we do because we are so busy charting that we don't have time to take care of our patients.