I rushed about grabbing supplies to quickly remedy the distress my patient was displaying, and as I bent down to retrieve a dropped item I winced in pain. The searing shockwave that traveled through my neck reminded me of the apparent muscle I had pulled there, and I reminded myself I might have to take it easy today.
Yeah, right.
My weekend partner was out sick with a bad back, and he knew as well as I that taking it easy wasn’t always easy when patient care was involved. If a wobbly patient was about to hit the floor you simply reacted, and you thought about your back later. An hour later when you finally sat you’d notice the dull throb that radiated there, and you’d realize you had failed at “taking it easy.”
Sigh.
If you’ve spent any length of time in a single area of bedside nursing you’ll notice that nurses come and go. Sometimes they go a lot, and a lot at once, and you’ll hypothesize about what’s making them leave. And while there may be a particular problem or two that specifically comes to mind, in the end it comes down to this.
Nursing is hard.
Nursing is hard on your back. It’s hard on your neck. It’s hard on your calves, and especially your feet. Bedside nursing breaks your body down, and I share some of the same aches and pains as my dad who’s been working an assembly line for thirty years.
Nursing is hard because you run and run, you stretch yourself beyond your abilities, and when you can’t go any further, you just do. There’s no choice.
Nursing is hard because people living depends to a degree on you. If you mess up your job somebody dies. Just saying
Nursing is hard because the expectations are unrealistic, the workload is ridiculous, and the amount of knowledge required is insane. Insane.
Nursing is hard because sick people are rude, and their families are even more rude. Not all, by any means, but if we were talking percentages it would easily be 75% in favor of treating their nurse like a dog. True story.
Nursing is hard, and some days seem hardly worth it. On the days when you’re being pulled in a hundred directions, even a million dollars doesn’t seem a fair compensation. And when a patient is dying and you’re fighting to keep it from being so, you later wonder how much longer you can take the stress.
So whether you want to blame a body that is falling apart, a stress threshold that has exceeded max capacity, or wages that don’t meet your expectations, nurses are leaving.
Nurses are leaving their workspace in search of greener pastures, certain that the next fix will be the one. Certain that the next job will relight the dwindling flame of excitement once held. I wish them well, I really do. But as one who spent the first half of her career flitting here to there I can say this. Some places may be a little better than others, and some areas of nursing might suit you better than others, but they all have one thing in common.
Don’t get me wrong. I encourage you to find that area of nursing that you love. By all means. Just don’t assume that it will be easy. You’ll just end up disappointed, because basically, nursing is hard. No matter where you are.
Stephen says
In nursing, you are lucky. That may sound strange but in nursing you can move from specialty to specialty until you find the one that fits you the best. You can find the shift that fits your lifestyle the best. As a young nurse I tried many units and several shifts (8 hr. shifts back then). I finally found Pediatrics and then NICU. Those two specialties fit my personality to a Tee. They gave me more satisfaction than any other of the nursing areas I had tried. I found that working nights allowed me to care for my child while my wife worked days. Never needed child care. You cannot get those opportunities in almost any other field. And to think while finding what is right for you, you don’t lose any seniority.
Nursing is hard and those that chose it are in for a grueling time. But at least you have the opportunity to find something that fits you and then pursue it. Not get tied into one thing, only to find later that it just is not right for you. There is an area of nursing for you, no matter what you personality and goals might be. Just a matter of finding it. I never got burned out in 43 years of bedside nursing because I was lucky enough to find my niche and stick with it until the end.
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Thanks for sharing. I agree. I’m grateful to have a weekend position that works so well for my family, and I’d only find a position like this in nursing.
Howard says
Thank you for the great article!! In my case i was working in a hospital and was right out of Nursing School and wasnt too sure of the area i wanted to get into. So I tried applying for some jobs in other areas than where i started. I was allowed to go to one other dept. When i found that dept was not for me I applied in a couple other depts that i thought would be great places for me. Our Human Resources dept labeled me a “Job Hopper”….. What a huge disappointment!! After trying to stick that dept out for a while I just had to get out… So I got out of nursing…then after a few years i missed nursing horribly!!! I got a job in a Nursing Home and one day a gal from a large hospice came in and asked me if i would be interested in a hospice position in this area! I had thought for a couple years prior that I would really like to get into a hospice job. So i applied and got the job. I have been a hospice nurse for the past 6 yrs now and would not think about doing anything else! LOVE IT!!! I am a true believer that things happen for a reason and happen in their own right time. And….the experiences along the way teach us a lot of what we need to know to help us further ourselves in the lifetime!
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
I understand your love for Hospice nursing. It’s one of my most favorite areas I’ve ever worked in.
Coleen Soden says
Very true article, nursing is hard. And now I find myself worrying for the future of nursing because the last couple of years I have noticed, at least in my neck of the woods, that newer nurses are not looking for the hard work, and have plans from their first graduation to move past the bedside. I also worry about BSN requirements, I feel it can really shut out good nurses that are desperately needed. Nursing has taken its toll on my body as well, needed shoulder surgery at 35; with a recent cancer diagnosis and surgery, have been having talks with my husband about a career change, one without the same stress and physical demands.
Kell says
Nursing has changed just like our society has changed. Everyone is disposable or replaceable and no one wants to take the blame or recognize they are at fault for most of their problems.
Americans have an attitude of we are broke, fix us! Frequently, they are the cause of their poor health. Smoking, drinking, overeating, stress, sedentary lifestyle, all of these lead to morbidly obesity, COPD, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, mental illness, etc etc etc!
We refuse to modify anything because someone else can fix it and if they can’t there better be someone who can or ‘I’m going to sue.’
We are a society of litigious fat bastards.
Welcome to skyrocketing health care costs, ridiculous insurance premiums and health care workers that wish they were no longer health care workers.
Darla says
Nursing has allowed me to be home with my children while working weekend option. It also has saved me thousands of $$$ in childcare. But, having been a floor nurse for 20 years, I’ve had my hip replaced, had steroid shots for sciatic pain and cannot find a pair of shoes that keep my feet from hurting. It is rough on your body, heart and soul.
su mellor says
For Darla~My feet were saved when Nike came out with the “Lunar” soles. I work 12 hour shifts in the ER and my feet are as happy as they can be after 40 years as a nurse! It is like walking on cake 🙂
Keith Sims says
I have loved my nursing career. Even now, as I prepare to transition out of nursing and back into the writing world–what I did before nursing–I have regrets about leaving it behind.
But…there is no doubt. Nursing has beat the crap out of me; it beats the crap out of most of us. I feel like my body is 20 years older than it is when I look in the mirror. The only nurses I know who don’t hurt like hell are the ones fresh out of nursing school, or out not more than a few years. I hurt every day now. I wake up in pain and I go to bed in pain, but there won’t be any anti-inflammatories for me (Coumadin user). So I have to deal with it and know–unless I get out–things are only going to get worse.
Fortunately, I have been able to squeeze a full career out of it (25 years with 35 years of clinical hours–lot of OT). Many don’t. I have lost friends and colleagues along the way either through disease or dislocation. For some reason, many of us can’t stay in one place too long–me included.
As I prepare to move on, I will always be grateful for those I was able to help (I was never asked to screw anyone over for the bottom line, or to lie, cheat, or steal), and I will be grateful for what nursing taught me about myself. Even if it has taken it’s toll on my body, I know I am better for having taken this fork 25 years ago (with apologies to Frost).
Gina Wildman says
Well written! Took the words right out of my mouth! I’m a Geriatric nurse for the last 20+ yrs. and this weekend at work my back was KILLING me!!!! I really wondered how I was going to finish my treatments that I had to do! All of which involved bending over! But I completed my tasks, which I always do! I also have ulcers, so my GI Dr. say’s absolutely no NSAIDS! So I pretty much suffer the pain daily! I truly love what I do for a living. We are only here for a visit, so I love making a difference in someone’s life before they leave this world.
jody allen says
If we all joined NNUnited, we could stand together as one and demand safe staffing ratios. Please think of joining. Together we can make a huge difference!
Vicki says
Well said and so very true. Got my BSN, in 1974, charge nurse right out of college, then CWOCN in 1982. Still working full time but I’ve had so many opportunities along the way. Medical sales when children were young, never missed a ballgame or school event, always stayed clinical every other weekend. Back to Med surg/ICU full time at age 58 after double knee replacements. But I love Nursing and yes it is HARD. Looking forward to retirement in 2 years!!