please help...at crossroads whether to continue BN..is nursing really that bad????

Hi Gem
I know how you feel, I felt simalar after 18mths....... I did take 12 months off but to save money so i could complete my clinicals, I am now about to graduate and i have 3 three offers for a GNP year. So dont get to despondant. There are jobs out there. As for burnout - this occurs in all jobs, my best advice is take time to look after yourself, good food , good exercise, and a fun hobby or at least time for yourself. Sometimes burn out just needs a new sceanery change. Any way best of luck !!!! yoour doing great.

Having just completed my first placement of my Bachelor of Nursing (griffith uni in Brisbane) in the oncology ward at the pa hospital, I can say that there are happy nurses out there. Some of my buddy rns were recent graduates (1st and 2nd year out of uni) and seemed very happy and fulfilled, and some were nurses that had been in the industry much longer and were happy. One beautiful thing that I saw was a board covered in cards from recovered cancer patients and their families :). It is a demanding profession from what I observed, and time management and organisation in particular takes time to master, but it is rewarding. Even as a student nurse that couldn't do much except take observations and assist with ADL's, I felt that sense of reward from just helping patients in what seemed like simple ways. There is a risk of getting burnt out because it is a high stress job where you will see some very saddening things, but we're told at uni to always reflect on things that have happened, to write things down. To have hobbies etc outside of nursing that give you that bit of respite, and to take time off when it's available or you need it. Also going and working in different areas, or going on to do postgraduate study or specialise can help you to feel more fulfilled once you're working as an rn. I think it is a profession where if you have a partner they need to be very understanding, because of the hours. You need to be dedicated and be drawn to do it I feel to make a good nurse. It is cliche but I feel that it still is in many ways a calling. The good thing with nursing is that you don't have to stay in the one area, if you start working in some specialty that you don't like you can always change to something else. There are graduate nurse programs that you can get into that help to transition you in your first year as an rn, at least there are up here in brisbane hospitals, not sure about other states. You can travel with nursing and work overseas, or travel to other states of australia. I was so nervous about my first clinical placement, but once I got in there I found there was nothing to be nervous about. First year placement you work mainly on your communication skills. I'm 23 and a fairly reserved and quiet person and I get nervous easily, but after my first couple of goes at taking observations of patients I started to relax. Ask questions, and show initiative by getting in and doing what you can for patients (provided it's within your scope of practice). Most patients love nurses, so just be pleasant and helpful and remember to smile. Draw on what natural traits you already have, and just treat the patient how you would like to be treated. Act confident even if you're not. I would say to stick with it. If you study hard you will become a great nurse that will be able to get a job. I've read recently in the paper that graduate nurses up here are also finding it difficult to find employment, yet qld health regularly advertises, and there are the graduate nurse programs, so I think the media blows things out of proportion. For example a lot of people say that the qld public health system is the worst, yet from what I observed there were excellent resources and care. I think sometimes it's best not to worry about what other people say about the profession...there are always going to be some that get into it and find it's not for them, like with most professions. Do what feels right for you. Just because others have issues or problems doesn't mean that you will.

Thanks everyone, I am currently out on prac at an amazing hospital, I have been reenergised to continue, they are mostly nice and my clinical teacher is so encouraging and inspirational. I am still a bit scared of how much they have responsibility for, but I think Im comparing myself against experienced advanced nurses. I know I would not be expected to be at their level straight out of uni. I am so happy to find enthusiastic amazing caring nurses to model my practice on. Where I work most of the RNs are nasty and cranky all the time and it makes work seem to take forever. I believe that if people are respectful and communicate well and have a positive attitude, everything happens easier and everyone is happier, patients and staff alike. Thankyou everyone for answering, I hope I can complete my degree and find a place to work where people like you outnumber the burnt out nasty nurses that shouldnt be nursing anymore ( :

I won't lie to you all, nursing can be incredibly stressful at times. There are some days where I just have to do the best I can because we're short staffed and you can only do so much in 8 hours.

dlyness-I'm going to respond to you're post because some of the comments you made, especially the grumpy old nurses bit were a tad offensive (and they say we eat our young, it appears that old nurses get eaten too!).. Many nurses come online to vent online about the problems they face to other nurses in the profession who understand the challenges and problems we face daily To say they need to get out because they are negative really shows you're naitivity. Maybe if you become a nurse one day you'll understand but until then you're only speaking out of ignorance because you're not even a nursing student yet. Believe me when I say that a lot of nurses start out with good intentions like yours and end up with role burn out because of working short staffed with limited resources, horizontal violence and treated with disrespect from patients, relatives and doctors. And the shiftwork can be a killer ! So it ain't all rainbows and lollypops in nursing. If you get into nursing school I suggest you do some research about burn out. Nurses need all the support they can get.

Saying all this though there are many positives to nursing and I wouldn't leave nursing because I love my job, I have found my 'niche' in the operating room. I never felt a 'calling' to it, I got into it because I wanted a stable job, have always been interested in anatomy, science etc.and wanted to do something that makes a positive difference in peoples lives. I'm convinced that a lot of nurses who are truly unhappy with their job just need to find an area in nursing that suits them.

To all of you who are concerned about job burn out and the negatives of nursing may I suggest that on your clinical placements ask the nurses you're working with how they find the job, and what their coping mechanisms are. Personally, I have had to accept the fact that I can only do so much in 8 hours, that as long as I do the best I can with what I have that's all that matters. I don't take my work home with me and I don't take my personal problems into work.

You haven't offended me at all. It's just important for us all to recognise the difference between a nurse that is burned out to one that is plain nasty.

Unfortunately bullying exists in nursing like it does with all professions, I'm not convinced it's worse in nursing though. I have friends in other professions who have come across bullying type behaviour.

gem632 my advice is to stand up for yourself, and to be assertive without being aggressive. I've found that some areas in my hospital are really supportive with great staff morale while other areas can be quite hostile to work in. I believe that these types of nurses you're talking about tend to end up in the same place for two reasons. a) because it's an area where management aren't proactive enough to stop the bullying and b) because misery loves company. Perhaps your placement was in one of these not so great areas. I worked on this ward once where bullying had been problematic for years to the point where it built up such a bad reputation that management were forced to do something about it. The problem people were sent to other wards to split them up.

gem632-I think you're definitely on the right track. You work as an AIN so by the time you're an RN you will be competent in basic nursing care. I often see GNP's who haven't worked in health care struggle even giving patients a shower and I always advise nursing students to get out there and get a job in aged care or become an AIN. Every bit helps when you graduate because it's hard enough being a new RN without having mastered the basics.

Confidence develops over time. Don't worry about not being confident, always know your limitations and I much prefer to work with a new grad/student who isn't confident than one who is over confident. If ever you're unsure of anything always ask for clarification and ensure you have read the hospital protocols and procedures.

As for assertiveness if I have an issue with someone I sit back and assess the situation. Is it personal or is someone simply having a bad day? Am I contributing to this problem?, is this worth worrying about because in nursing you learn to choose your battles carefully.