New Grad Nurse in a Small City

[greywolf]

Do you think that perhaps nursing just isn't for you? Would you be happier in another profession?

 

 

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I have thought about that, but I don't think that's the case. The nice thing about nursing is that once I get enough experience, I can go anywhere. I think I'd like to eventually go into teaching because I really enjoy that.

 

There are a lot of factors that make me unhappy where I am right now. I experience a lot of moral distress because I'm very particular how I want things to be and I've noticed that I'm more by-the-book than other nurses are, but in reality, it's impossible to do everything the right way. Sometimes we're understaffed, sometimes budget doesn't allow for us to do things how we're supposed to do it, and those things stress me out. I'm hoping that California will provide better conditions so that I won't have to feel that way.

 

I had a patient the other night that actually made me disappointed that I had the next night off. He was in the hospital for chest pain and his lab results showed he was having a heart attack. What really made me enjoy caring for him was that he actually cared about his health. He was in his late 60s with no prior health history, he tried to eat right, he said he jogged a couple of miles every day, and if I hadn't already been super exhausted, I would have requested to come back in the next night just so he could be my patient again. That's so rare! I don't know if it's just this area or what, but usually I get patients in their 50s coming in for their 3rd heart attack, with long medical histories, that get really cranky and rude when I tell them they can't eat or drink anything after midnight (seriously, you're having a heart attack. Food shouldn't be your priority right now. Jeez), that the thought of a 60 year old male that has never been hospitalized before just blows my mind. But then when I thought about it more, my mom is going to be 60 next year and she has never been hospitalized either.

[petite]

The good thing is you're open to trying somewhere else. It just seems you were so unhappy with the patients and maybe even the location. Thing is most people hate hospitals and so nurses are the ones they take it out on.

Throughout the years I've seen some really great nurses and those that just seem like they hate patients and no one grumpy people to take care of them.

 

That's really so shocking though that such young people are having heart attacks.

 

Do you think working at a private hospital would make a difference?

 

I feel like people in California at least LA and around seem to care a lot more about their health than say some of the Southern parts on the US.

 

I remember you writing about your mom being a nurse (I think) what does she say about how the work is in California?

 

It could also be that being back around your family and friends would just be easier for you and would make life in general better so you might enjoy the job a little more.

 

 

 

 

 

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[greywolf]

I don't hate my patients, but I feel like I don't have patience for a lot of the crap that I used to put up with. My mom works in hospice, so it's completely different from what I do.

 

Yeah, you'd be surprised at how young some of the people are that come in. But even when I care for people that don't really take care of their health, it's so nice when they're polite. Most of the time it's, "Get me some juice." No one taught you how to say please? It's especially annoying when their blood sugar is over 300.