No nursing jobs (employees, collecting, interviews, wages)

[tuberose]

Originally Posted by BingCherry

EXTREMELY common in this field. This is why I made sure to major in something different for my Bachelor's. The extra 10k/year to be sh*t on wasn't acceptable to me. I have standards. I work as an executive assistant and that field can easily make the same amount, if not more, than a nurse. I only answer to ONE executive (a male too--thank goodness) and I sleep well at night.

I don't think I would have vote "YES" based off of 3 family/friends being able to land nursing jobs, but I understand where you're coming from, I suppose. I appreciate your post. The way you see nursing from the outside really IS the way it is. Many nurses are kicked, slapped, pinched, etc. You don't even want to know. To me, putting up with that for years doesn't deserve any kind of honor.

Wondering if you have let one bad experience colour your view of nursing?
I have been an RN for 20+ years and have experienced many advantages of being in this field.
I have been able to travel and live in four countries with my work.
Work 3 x 12 hr shifts a week and have a long weekend whenever I want.
Hardly ever get caught up in traffic - smooth trip into work.
No 9 -5 grind
Always paid for overtime
Earn a whole lot more than an executive assistant.
Always get my breaks
Work for a wonderful organisation and have a great manager. I love most of my coworkers - they are interesting /amusing /kind/intelligent and worldly.
And importantly ... I get to do something useful and meaningful every day and all day

And have only ever been 'assaulted' twice - mild slap from an elderly lady with dementia and was pushed by a mentally ill teen girl once

[kandle]

tuberose,

Good post! I, too, am an RN and I've also had the pleasure of traveling around the country because of work. Like you, I am ecstatic that I have a job where I only have to work 3 days out of the week... I would never work anywhere where I have to work 5 days out of the week - kill me now! I actually can and do take mini vacations often because I have 4 days off while everyone else is sitting at a desk working.

As for being a "slop slave" and a "mommy sitter" or whatever crap that $hit was, I am neither. I go to work and do a damn good job at restoring the patient's health to what it was prior to hospitalization or better. I work my a$$ off working on people who are at their lowest point in life so they can walk out of the hospital instead of being wheeled off to the morgue!

Nursing has its ups and downs, I will not deny that, but don't disrespect my profession! *Are their politics? Yes, but name a profession that doesn't! Are some nurses catty? You freakin bet, but give me any work place/profession where you have a a lot of women and it not be catty. Remember, nurses are women first!! *Do the powers that run hospitals need a reality check? Hell yeah! To them, patients equal money - nothing more and nothing less. The RN to patient ratios in some places is extremely dangerous and unsafe. There are over 2.6 million RNs in this country if we all got together to demand change for ourselves and our patients, we would be an unstoppable force, however, I don't see that happening in my lifetime.

There is not a nursing shortage but at this point, if a wannabee nurse doesn't do their research and goes through nursing school because they feel like it's a recession proof career and can't find work, then that's on them.

[tuberose]

Originally Posted by kandle

tuberose,

Good post! I, too, am an RN and I've also had the pleasure of traveling around the country because of work. Like you, I am ecstatic that I have a job where I only have to work 3 days out of the week... I would never work anywhere where I have to work 5 days out of the week - kill me now! I actually can and do take mini vacations often because I have 4 days off while everyone else is sitting at a desk working.

As for being a "slop slave" and a "mommy sitter" or whatever crap that $hit was, I am neither. I go to work and do a damn good job at restoring the patient's health to what it was prior to hospitalization or better. I work my a$$ off working on people who are at their lowest point in life so they can walk out of the hospital instead of being wheeled off to the morgue!

Nursing has its ups and downs, I will not deny that, but don't disrespect my profession!

Thanks kandle
Nursing has its low points for sure.
But on balance, it's a good career choice. I've done a bit of griping in the past - a low point a while ago where I was sure I was going to leave.
However a new job has improved my outlook.
High ratios and lack of respect were the two main issues with my last job.
My new job area had great retention prior to the recession.
There's a message here for the newbies - try to pick the better facilities, even if you have to relocate.
When they are terrible ...they are really terrible.
Don't work somewhere with high ratios. Look for great culture - somewhere nurses, docs, support workers and management are respectful toward each other. Go for the facility that values education. Also the place that supports a healthy worklife balance. I can pretty much work exactly what I want in my facility - I request my whole roster two months in advance and will usually be fully granted bar one or two shifts.
I'm no 'slave' or 'mommy sitter' ... do not recognise that experience at all

[scapegoatpa]

I am not sure, but when my daughter went to nursing school I was concerned to say the least that she would not be able to find a job. Luckily I was wrong, as she has only been out for three months now and was working her first job within three weeks of graduation. She started out with one part time job that eventually turned into three part time jobs. She finally went full time at one and is still part time on call at the other two. Pay is $15.50hr at one part time, $22.00hr the other part time and $24.00hr at the full time. She had no trouble finding work.

[summer22]

Originally Posted by tuberose

Thanks kandle
Nursing has its low points for sure.
But on balance, it's a good career choice. I've done a bit of griping in the past - a low point a while ago where I was sure I was going to leave.
However a new job has improved my outlook.
High ratios and lack of respect were the two main issues with my last job.
My new job area had great retention prior to the recession.
There's a message here for the newbies - try to pick the better facilities, even if you have to relocate.
When they are terrible ...they are really terrible.
Don't work somewhere with high ratios. Look for great culture - somewhere nurses, docs, support workers and management are respectful toward each other. Go for the facility that values education. Also the place that supports a healthy worklife balance.

I think you really made a good point here. Its true in every career field, even professional career fields.

That's the part that surprised me (my college major was education/K-12 teaching.) Even though you're in a degreed field, even though you have a professional license, even though you're working with and for "educated people" there are still many, many, many places where there is bullying, disrespect, poor working conditions and a toxic culture that breaks you down.

No one told me that in college. I thought that once I left the "summer jobs" that all the professional industries would treat people just like professionals. I was wrong. You have to be just as picky, if not more -- do as much due diligence, if not more -- ask hard questions when taking any job, professional/degreed or not.

It's never talked about but its true.

[tuberose]

Originally Posted by Guineas

malignant hospitals. .

That is a very interesting description
If patients avoided 'malignant hospitals' and took their business to the better ones ....then maybe the 'malignant' ones might be forced to improve their working conditions?

[kandle]

Originally Posted by tuberose

That is a very interesting description
If patients avoided 'malignant hospitals' and took their business to the better ones ....then maybe the 'malignant' ones might be forced to improve their working conditions?

It has a lot to do with nurses though. Nurses are too interested in complaining about the working conditions instead of doing something about it. I don't get it, instead of snitching on one another and gossiping about your co workers, take that energy and come together to try and improve some of these working conditions. I will forever admire those nurses in California who striked and fought for better nurse to patient ratios and won. Again, we could change a lot if we all got on board.

[tuberose]

Originally Posted by kandle

It has a lot to do with nurses though. Nurses are too interested in complaining about the working conditions instead of doing something about it. I don't get it, instead of snitching on one another and gossiping about your co workers, take that energy and come together to try and improve some of these working conditions. I will forever admire those nurses in California who striked and fought for better nurse to patient ratios and won. Again, we could change a lot if we all got on board.

Agree
Often seems our diversity is our weakness

[iamrollinglow]

Looks like I'm getting into the conversation a bit late.

I wonder what this girl would say to many people who have replied to this thread and what you would say to her...


YouTube - ‪Don't Become A Nurse & No Jobs Discussion‬‏

[kandle]

Regarding the above video: I was warned as well not to go into nursing and I was just like the lady in the video. I said I've always wanted to be a nurse ever since I could remember and how dare these old a$$ nurses try to ruin my dream. Well, after the 2nd day off orientation at my first job ever as a nurse, I was told by a nursing supervisor that a nurse had called out and so 'oh well' "you have to take the whole floor yourself." I didn't take that lying down, I argued with her and gave her a piece of my mind. She's a nurse too and could've pulled off that lab coat and worked with me. Oh the horror!! On top of that, they filled up the floor with admissions and sent me a lazy a$$ LPN who sat on her buttocks all night as I ran around, begging her for help. That morning, I left work at around 10am, crying and cried myself to sleep. That's when I went from having this dream of being a nurse to hating the career that I had just begun. As I type this today, if I could go back in time, I wouldn't become a nurse.

If a wannabee nurse asks my advice on being a nurse, I give it to them straight and advise that they don't go into the profession. If they try to argue, I just hold my hand up and tell them "do whatever you want, it's your life, I'm just telling you how it is." We will always need nurses to care for our loved ones when they need it but things have to change. I don't plan on sticking around the bedside for much longer. I plan on becoming a CRNA and an FNP to keep my options open. I have a big mouth and speak up on things.... management doesn't like that too much but who cares? They can shove their heads up their a$$es for all I care. I need to be in a profession where my professional collegues are happy and if we see something that needs to be worked on, we do it, just like CRNAs do. What a strong and intelligent bunch!

I do like my hospital now, they listen to nurses and I'm in the medical ICU so I only have 1-2 patients, and the floors have managable work loads. Good hospitals are rare now. Even the world renowned hospitals have their issues with working conditions. I can't fight the battle alone so I will leave the bedside.

I have a love-hate relationship with my profession, there are perks and there are demons, and boy there are demons, howevever, if we could change them the profession would be absolutely wonderful.