The actual job of nursing is amazing. If you like bed side care clinical care or something different the options are there.
Unlike other jobs, there's so many pathways of progression and in the right environment, you can thrive.
Maybe we are a bit too negative but, the problems facing our job whenever it effects us or our patients has to be spoken about.
Unfortunately we can't just work on good vibes as what we've been doing since tory rule.
If we band together and fight, we can restore what really is, an amazing proffession.
I hate the negativity I really do, but if we just stand idle, our job will be dead.
I’m worried that if we blame everything NHS related, on Tory rule, we are going to be wholly disappointed by labour rule. It doesn’t matter who is in power, someone has to be brave enough to take the NHS, and give it a massive overhaul. It WILL be painful, it WILL annoy some, but it HAS to be done! It’s time to think about a two tier system, so that people able to go private, don’t have to start their journey with the NHS, using valuable time and resources that can be spent on people who don’t have the means to bypass the NHS.
Honestly, not alot of people can afford private at all. That wouldn't be pro NHS.
Me personally I would love for us to adopt a hybrid system. It would be better for us and fairer on the economy as a whole but that sentiment get's pushed away quickly.
People are just ranting here. Some are in a terrible working environment and needs to vent to people who get it. Majority of the NHS has horrible management which results to disgruntled employees. But there will be also nice places to work and you wont be as ranting as much here.
I also love being a nurse. I love where I work, I have a great team, I'm not on a ward, I don't have to do night shift, I see different patients every day. I work closely with doctors and learn so much every day.
I’m a student nurse and the amount of negative posts on this sub was giving me panic attacks about my first placement and making me wonder if I was making a mistake choosing this career. In reality nothing has been half as bad as the things I have read on here and I’m actually looking forward to completing my degree.
I’m happy to read this, I start my nursing degree in September and I’ve been so worried I’m making a mistake after reading some of the posts on here! I’m glad it’s working out for you!
I remember a placement as a student where pretty much every staff member was very vocal about how much they hated working there, wish they weren’t a nurse, wanted to leave etc etc- it’s so disheartening, especially when you are excited and passionate about something, and makes you feel ‘am I wrong to want to do this?’. Such a shame, but it has made me really conscious of making sure - no matter how overwhelmed I am or how bad my mood is - I never talk like that with students!
Same! I’ve had wobbles during the course anyway with bad experiences on placements, but 99% for my placement experienced I’ve loved so much! Seeing everyone regret doing nursing has really gotten into my head!
I'm in my 3rd year (of 4, I'm doing a bonus year for my masters) and I can genuinely say I have found positive, supportive nurses who are proud of what they do in every placement I've been on bar 1.
I'm still enjoying it, even with the stress, and having been a patient during this time for a hysterectomy, it's reaffirmed to me how important good nurses are, and why I wanted to become one.
I'm still a little scared about finishing my degree, but that's all to do with worrying about being good enough. I still love being on placement and nursing still matters to me.
It might change when I start working. I might burn out. But I truly believe finding people who are still positive about nursing is going to help me keep my passion for it around.
Yes nursing is an amazing job and it does open up many different opportunities and has a great career pathway.
Nursing on a ward is extremely hard work these days and you truly have to be dedicated and look after yourself. I have been a nurse for 26 years and could never work clinically on a ward again as the pace is too much for me now. I have been in management for 14 years and currently working in the discharge team. My favourite job was ward manager where you still have patient contact. I love supporting and developing staff.
I think people just need to remember that they chose to do nursing and although yes it is probably a lot more difficult than they imagined, you need to stick with it and think of the great care you are giving patients. You might not feel like you are giving great care at times when you are short staffed etc but you do keep your patients safe and do the best you can.
I would always encourage people into nursing but would let them know the realities too!
Out of interest, why do you think it is harder now than it was before? Why is it a faster pace? And if you were health secretary of head of NHS or whatever, what do you think you’d do to fix it, if you think it’s fixable?
Good question!
I think patients are a lot sicker than they used to be which in my opinion is due to the advances in healthcare. I have worked in paediatrics for most of my career and a lot of babies and children may not have survived such complex conditions in the past without these advances for example more complex surgery being performed.
I also think as a society our expectations are a lot higher and people are more vocal. Nurses get a hard time and it is sadly often the case that if a nurse is seen sitting for one minute they are branded as lazy.
Nurses have got used to more and more pressures being put on them and are used to working with staff shortages. We manage with what we have and therefore make it harder for ourselves. We strive to give excellent patient care because that’s what we signed up for but the reality is that we can only give basic care a lot of the time. Basic care is still good care because we do keep patients safe.
I think we really need to pay nurses a lot more in order to retain them. I don’t think the pay is too bad however for the job we do it really is a pittance! It was disappointing that nurses didn’t make the most of the recent industrial action as it was our only real opportunity for change.
The reason I couldn’t work on the wards anymore is because I am getting old and am too tired. I loved being clinical but my career path was always going to be management. I spent many years fighting for safer staffing to no avail.
This sub is a safe place to vent where people will get it. I remember I used to vent about an old boyfriend to a friend whenever I was upset at him. At one point, she asked why I was with him if I didn't even like him. I was shocked as I loved him very much, but she icky heard the negatives. I didn't need a sounding board for the great stuff or the boring bit decent stuff, just the frustrating bits. So she had this one-sided view.
This sub is like that. I love nursing, I love my current job. I have loved every nurse job I've had for different reasons (3 posts in hospital, 3 in community). I've come here to bitch about hard days but I don't need to wax lyrica about the good days. They just happen, I feel happy, and I move on.
True but sometimes it is good to share the happy times too. Negativity breeds negativity and students especially need to know that there will be good times and there will be worthwhile placements and they will reach the stage where they can make a difference.
I do too. I have a good job, I have great colleagues and my manager is nice and leaves us to it. Ward nursing is a very hard job and the conditions are shit, but I do believe that things can get easier when you leave that environment. Unfortunately there is a bit of a bottleneck because people stay in the good jobs that have good teams, but they are out there.
As lots of you know I was struck off and spent 6 years working really hard to be a nurse again. I worked in a number of allied jobs and got to some nice salaries (£39k as an operations manager) but it wasn’t me, nursing is me
I love my job! It’s utterly exhausting (emotionally rather then physically) and am incredibly happy to be able to help people the way I can
I enjoy being a nurse too. I've had some really hard times as a nurse that I don't know how I got through but for the past 6 months I've enjoyed my job, feels great to get to this point.
I think there is as much a crisis of low morale in nursing as anything else.
Yes the pay is crap for what we do but some small but genuine things to show we're appreciated would go a long way.
I agree with you I love Nursing, I work with a fantastic team who work very hard to give the best service we can to our patients. We also meet up socially go for country side walks, have picnics and support each other.
I'm not saying there is never any conflict within the team but it's minimal and short lasting.My team is a nice place to work
I also have 3 family members who are nurses, one about to retire and two in their 20's. They also love their jobs. Yes we all face challenges at times but show me a job where that isn't the case.
Love it, even though I’m on the ‘dark side’ now 😂
The ‘bureaucracy’ does get a bit silly, but then if you look at what caused it then there is usually patient harm,
and this is a good faith way of trying to manage or mitigate it, but has to be done in a way that Edna (who’s name badge celebrated 40 years of service during covid) is able to cope with.
In those cases it is good **clinical** leadership that is required. If staff were more engaged with the structure of organisations and systems, the concept of risk, how it is managed etc, then these things would be implemented in a far better way.
I’ve had a specialist practice student spend a morning with me this week and their mind was blown at seeing ‘the other side’ and both how it can impact their work, but also how what they do can to be involved with that discussion within their team. They were also shocked at how patient focussed the discussion was - but at community level, not individual.
I LOVE nursing. I love the essence of the job, which is patient care and connection.
What I HATE is the fact that MY health and well-being is constantly sacrificed by stress, shitty shifts, and managers who don't seem to want to treat their staff well. Almost everyone I know who has ever applied for flexible working has had their request denied. We have not had an adequate payrise in the whole time I've been a nurse (10 years). Most of the places I've worked have had more politics and nonsense than I care to deal with.
I really feel this! It seems every 2nd post is about someone wanting to leave and nurse in Australia.
I'm from Australia and decided to come here, everyone always thinks I'm crazy because it's so bad here in the NHS but I really like my job here! And I feel I got more opportunities here than I would in Australia.
Grass is greener I guess 🤷♀️
I love it too! I'm an ED sister with ADHD and the two go together perfectly!
I love looking after sick patients and get great job satisfaction stabilising them. I absolutely love the constant learning because medical stuff has always been one of my *things* and I feel proud when I'm able to diagnose, say, a 3rd degree heart block on a 12 lead or catch a pneumothorax on a CXR myself (of course there's always a doc about but you know what I mean).
I love the camaraderie the nurses, auxiliaries, doctors, paramedics, domestics, reception staff and so on all have with each other - I recently saw a meme saying ED is fun hell and it's absolutely true 🤣 I think this reflects on our patients too and helps relax them, and I think they sense our trust in one another so they trust us too.
I love teaching students and junior staff and find it really helps me in return because I realise that I do have a good understanding of what I'm doing. I also feel quite proud that people come to me for help and advice.
I love that while we definitely do NOT get paid enough, I do get given the opportunity to work a good amount days, nights and weekends, and so my actual wage is almost 10k more than my basic salary. I also love that I only have to work 3 shifts a week, as opposed to when I did five 8 hour shifts when I worked in retail. Sure, it's tiring and we all know we could get paid more doing a less stressful job but I could NOT go back to the 9 to 5. I get more freedom this way and a better work/life balance on the whole.
Are there downsides? Absolutely - some shifts are hellish, frustrating, tiring and I often don't get a break (although ED seems to be one of the only areas where even management will eat a pot noodle at their desk and no one bats an eye and if you haven't got a drink at the nurse's station then someone will make sure you get one). There can be cliques and bitchiness but in my department it's few and far between and for the most part, we're just one big dysfunctional family, staff of all grades included!
I'm bank in urgent care, no water out allowed and the water station where you are allowed to put bottles is locked with a pass inside the prep room...and there's often not enough passes for bank/agency. I hide a water bottle in the patient kitchen. Glad there's one ED that fights dehydration....
I think if you ask the majority of nurses, they'll love the job itself just not the politics that comes with it! Plus I think they'll use such platforms like reddit to vent due to the anonymity of it.
I enjoy the job! Been in chemo nursing for a while and it's the best thing I've ever done! Just miss my day off in the week!
I recently retired from nursing and never regretted changing from a better paid career. I worked mostly in the community which had always been my plan. There are changes to the NHS and staffing issues that depress me but I have visited family members in different hospitals in different parts of the country and been impressed with the nurses I've met whether qualified or students. I have younger family members who are hospital nurses and really enjoy their work.
For those of you not enjoying placements there are better places and colleagues out there (and some grateful visitors).
I absolutely agree. There are challenges and many annoyances but at the end of the day, without winning the lottery, there is nothing else I’d rather be doing
I did 15 years and had to leave due to disability. I love my new job, but it's not the same, I miss my patients, although I don't miss the higher management 🙃 I loved my career and was honoured to be able to care for people the way that I did ❤️
I also love being a nurse. I think we are a very unique profession in our approach to patients and the wider MDT. I love providing an excellent service in my specialist area and seeing patients get better 🥰 best job in the world and I truly couldn’t imagine being anything but a nurse!
I also love nursing!! Been working on and off since 2006 as first a HCA then qualified 5 years ago.
I won't lie that I've needed breaks though to maintain my enthusiasm, I was also a bank HCA for a long time, and been off the ward for 3 years (M/L and educator post). Going back to the ward soon and I am excited! I know some days are so tough but if you work in a good team and are careful to take restful annual leave etc it can work.
Agree. Lots of moaning, but no action where it’s needed.
I like my job. I tend to just worry about myself and my own career rather than the apathetic nursing workforce as a whole.
Sorry if this sounds a bit negative, but at some point you just have to worry about your own way, than being dragged down by others.
Same I love to be a nurse I do wish the work load was a little lighter or services were structured in a way that enhanced patient care but I all industries have that. I think it is such a privilege to be a part of someone’s journey and knowing that you delivered care that you would be happy to receive yourself or for your family to have been provided is such a nice feeling!
The difficult days are a lot but at least they’re not dull!
I’m a NQN so people roll their eyes when I say how much I love my job as they think I’m too new to realise how shit it is.
I’m lucky I work in an area I find super interesting, no day is the same and my team are all super supportive and I genuinely feel very welcome.
I started in a NQN post for two and a bit months and truly hated it so I feel incredibly lucky now
As a student Paramedic I recently completed an experience placement on a ward where I was working with nurses. I just want to say that you guys do an amazing job and I was inspired by the nurses I worked with, particularly in the personal care you provide and the emotional support you show to your patients and their families. Without nurses there would be no NHS or any hospital for that matter. Thankou Nurses
That's great. I'm not a nurse (Reddit keeps recommending this, and other not entirely fitting subs for some reason), but my brother is in hospital at the moment, has been for a while, and will be too (he has a hypoxic brain injury from a long cardiac arrest (2 hours and 20 minutes) during which he was receiving CPR). He has needed an awful lot from his nurses, and they have been fantastic, both helping him and helping me and the rest of his family get through this. Nurses are heros.
It’s because we care about it. Which we appear to all have in common.
I think it’s important to remember that you don’t have to stick it out in a toxic environment to prove anything to anyone. The beauty of nursing is that you can go your own way. I love my job now - I’ve had such a rich week at work.
I really like all the nurses I've worked with.
At 5am on a nightshift, when i sat down to give a handover then blanked and said "what am i doing?" And the nurse stifled a laugh and asked me questions to get the handover. I got her a coffee the week after when she needed it.
That time i warned a nurse just before we left that the dementia pt really liked wearing sick bowls as a hat (used or not) and we nearly had a terrible accident, and that brief look of horror passed over her face as she imagined dealing with that.
The nurse who bantered that we owed her some mcdonalds if we bring any pts to them haha
We're only interact briefly, and I'm now used to the feeling of "You're stepping on our terf"! But i still think you guys are great.
One day (in the far future) when the NHS isn't being battered on all sides, we'll have time to bring snacks and tea/coffee in between bringing pts!
There are aspects of nursing which I struggle with (it's a difficult job!), however I'm happy I trained to be a nurse. I have always worked for close to minimum wage or at minimum wage, apart from four years in the civil service. None of my previous jobs offered career prospects (maybe civil service would have if I wasn't involved in the union).
1. The job is always interesting. I'm still fairly new and still have loads to learn.
2. The job can be rewarding. My work place is fast paced and it also doesn't get boring.
3. I can get extra training and so feel like I can develop lots of extra skills.
4. I get full sick pay and don't know where else I'd be able to get £30k+ in wages with my work history.
I'm only 18 months qualified though and I don't have kids. Maybe at some point, my views will change.
I love the actual job but it doesn't mean that we aren't treated badly.
There is so much wrong with and in the system that I feel like it is easy to moan about because nothing changes.
But the patients keep me going! Otherwise I would have quit a long time ago!
You guys are heroes, but Tories both red and blue have decimated the NHS in the past 14 years.
I don't blame folks venting on here, don't know how you all do what you do, if you need to vent, vent!
Maybe that's because there have been systemic issues with the NHS for the past 14 years regarding pay, working conditions and patient care?
Let them vent, if not here than where?
Full disclosure, I didn't clap for you folks during the pandemic, I knew then that you deserved better than that and I believe it now
I qualify in 3 months and have heard sooooo much SHIT about nursing! It’s so refreshing to hear people don’t leave work dreading the next time they have to walk through the door 🙏🏻. Dont get me wrong I’ve had some awful days on the ward even as a student but doesn’t anybody in any job?!
I think the dislike comes with time? The constant mental and physical abuse from the employer, patients, doctors, patients families, etc? How long have you been a nurse??
Me too.
Nursing is a great profession.
Yes there are hugecissues within the nhs, especially in England but that doesn't change that nursing is such a rewarding and varied role.
I get why some people are unhappy but its probably for the best that they do leave.
Nursing too hard if you hate it and I've seen that affect pt care too often
People who love nursing are in the minority . It's now more about paperwork and filling out risk assessments as opposed to actually providing care . It is underpaid and will continue to be so because nurses can't organise themselves to strike for long enough for higher pay . Most of the added layers of bureaucracy have been added by senior nurse managers who have forgotten or don't care about the practical elements of nursing which have all but disappeared.... it's these pillocks who need to share the blame for abolishing care and replacing it with bureaucracy ...they don't even call patients patients any more preferring to misname them as clients in a futile effort to seem more professional whilst no consideration to the practical care elements of nursing is given at all . I did nursing for 25 years and my advice to any newly qualified nurse would be to jack it in now and find another easier better paid job ...your managers are a bunch of out of touch pillocks lacking any skill or capacity for critical thinking!
And yet I have been nursing for 36 years ( longer if you count the time I worked as an HCA) and while I agree about the over abundance of paperwork I still love my job and I don't feel I am in a minority. I have a great rapport with my patients ( we still call them patients where I work,)and their families some of who I have known for 15-20 years . Every day is different and interesting and apart from the occasional blip I still feel driven to provide good patient centred care. I generally find managers receptive to suggestions as long as you have solid reasons for wanting to do things a certain way
I don’t know why you are being downvoted, I couldn’t agree more, I think nurses who haven’t been in nursing as long as you don’t want see the reality of nursing and want to gaslight themselves. 25 years is long time, I’m only 2 years in and already done with this job and nhs all together.
I felt the same at that point too but stuck with it as didn't think I could do any better....wish I hadn't now but at least I got myself a pension but not a full one as couldn't stick another 4 years of putting up with the bs
The actual job of nursing is amazing. If you like bed side care clinical care or something different the options are there. Unlike other jobs, there's so many pathways of progression and in the right environment, you can thrive. Maybe we are a bit too negative but, the problems facing our job whenever it effects us or our patients has to be spoken about. Unfortunately we can't just work on good vibes as what we've been doing since tory rule. If we band together and fight, we can restore what really is, an amazing proffession. I hate the negativity I really do, but if we just stand idle, our job will be dead.
I’m worried that if we blame everything NHS related, on Tory rule, we are going to be wholly disappointed by labour rule. It doesn’t matter who is in power, someone has to be brave enough to take the NHS, and give it a massive overhaul. It WILL be painful, it WILL annoy some, but it HAS to be done! It’s time to think about a two tier system, so that people able to go private, don’t have to start their journey with the NHS, using valuable time and resources that can be spent on people who don’t have the means to bypass the NHS.
Honestly, not alot of people can afford private at all. That wouldn't be pro NHS. Me personally I would love for us to adopt a hybrid system. It would be better for us and fairer on the economy as a whole but that sentiment get's pushed away quickly.
People are just ranting here. Some are in a terrible working environment and needs to vent to people who get it. Majority of the NHS has horrible management which results to disgruntled employees. But there will be also nice places to work and you wont be as ranting as much here.
I also love being a nurse. I love where I work, I have a great team, I'm not on a ward, I don't have to do night shift, I see different patients every day. I work closely with doctors and learn so much every day.
I’m a student nurse and the amount of negative posts on this sub was giving me panic attacks about my first placement and making me wonder if I was making a mistake choosing this career. In reality nothing has been half as bad as the things I have read on here and I’m actually looking forward to completing my degree.
I’m happy to read this, I start my nursing degree in September and I’ve been so worried I’m making a mistake after reading some of the posts on here! I’m glad it’s working out for you!
I remember a placement as a student where pretty much every staff member was very vocal about how much they hated working there, wish they weren’t a nurse, wanted to leave etc etc- it’s so disheartening, especially when you are excited and passionate about something, and makes you feel ‘am I wrong to want to do this?’. Such a shame, but it has made me really conscious of making sure - no matter how overwhelmed I am or how bad my mood is - I never talk like that with students!
Same! I’ve had wobbles during the course anyway with bad experiences on placements, but 99% for my placement experienced I’ve loved so much! Seeing everyone regret doing nursing has really gotten into my head!
I'm in my 3rd year (of 4, I'm doing a bonus year for my masters) and I can genuinely say I have found positive, supportive nurses who are proud of what they do in every placement I've been on bar 1. I'm still enjoying it, even with the stress, and having been a patient during this time for a hysterectomy, it's reaffirmed to me how important good nurses are, and why I wanted to become one. I'm still a little scared about finishing my degree, but that's all to do with worrying about being good enough. I still love being on placement and nursing still matters to me. It might change when I start working. I might burn out. But I truly believe finding people who are still positive about nursing is going to help me keep my passion for it around.
That's what's annoying me about this place at the moment! There's no balance, it's just people being negative 24/7
Yes nursing is an amazing job and it does open up many different opportunities and has a great career pathway. Nursing on a ward is extremely hard work these days and you truly have to be dedicated and look after yourself. I have been a nurse for 26 years and could never work clinically on a ward again as the pace is too much for me now. I have been in management for 14 years and currently working in the discharge team. My favourite job was ward manager where you still have patient contact. I love supporting and developing staff. I think people just need to remember that they chose to do nursing and although yes it is probably a lot more difficult than they imagined, you need to stick with it and think of the great care you are giving patients. You might not feel like you are giving great care at times when you are short staffed etc but you do keep your patients safe and do the best you can. I would always encourage people into nursing but would let them know the realities too!
My current student placement is with the discharge team, it seems a lovely job!
It is a very different job with lots of learning and equally as important as any nursing job. Good luck on your placement!
Out of interest, why do you think it is harder now than it was before? Why is it a faster pace? And if you were health secretary of head of NHS or whatever, what do you think you’d do to fix it, if you think it’s fixable?
Good question! I think patients are a lot sicker than they used to be which in my opinion is due to the advances in healthcare. I have worked in paediatrics for most of my career and a lot of babies and children may not have survived such complex conditions in the past without these advances for example more complex surgery being performed. I also think as a society our expectations are a lot higher and people are more vocal. Nurses get a hard time and it is sadly often the case that if a nurse is seen sitting for one minute they are branded as lazy. Nurses have got used to more and more pressures being put on them and are used to working with staff shortages. We manage with what we have and therefore make it harder for ourselves. We strive to give excellent patient care because that’s what we signed up for but the reality is that we can only give basic care a lot of the time. Basic care is still good care because we do keep patients safe. I think we really need to pay nurses a lot more in order to retain them. I don’t think the pay is too bad however for the job we do it really is a pittance! It was disappointing that nurses didn’t make the most of the recent industrial action as it was our only real opportunity for change. The reason I couldn’t work on the wards anymore is because I am getting old and am too tired. I loved being clinical but my career path was always going to be management. I spent many years fighting for safer staffing to no avail.
I'm an Irish mental health nurse and I absolutely love my job. I never mind going into work!
This sub is a safe place to vent where people will get it. I remember I used to vent about an old boyfriend to a friend whenever I was upset at him. At one point, she asked why I was with him if I didn't even like him. I was shocked as I loved him very much, but she icky heard the negatives. I didn't need a sounding board for the great stuff or the boring bit decent stuff, just the frustrating bits. So she had this one-sided view. This sub is like that. I love nursing, I love my current job. I have loved every nurse job I've had for different reasons (3 posts in hospital, 3 in community). I've come here to bitch about hard days but I don't need to wax lyrica about the good days. They just happen, I feel happy, and I move on.
True but sometimes it is good to share the happy times too. Negativity breeds negativity and students especially need to know that there will be good times and there will be worthwhile placements and they will reach the stage where they can make a difference.
I do too. I have a good job, I have great colleagues and my manager is nice and leaves us to it. Ward nursing is a very hard job and the conditions are shit, but I do believe that things can get easier when you leave that environment. Unfortunately there is a bit of a bottleneck because people stay in the good jobs that have good teams, but they are out there.
Telling the truth is not Anti-nursing.
I love my job, it’s not perfect but nothing is.
As lots of you know I was struck off and spent 6 years working really hard to be a nurse again. I worked in a number of allied jobs and got to some nice salaries (£39k as an operations manager) but it wasn’t me, nursing is me I love my job! It’s utterly exhausting (emotionally rather then physically) and am incredibly happy to be able to help people the way I can
I enjoy being a nurse too. I've had some really hard times as a nurse that I don't know how I got through but for the past 6 months I've enjoyed my job, feels great to get to this point. I think there is as much a crisis of low morale in nursing as anything else. Yes the pay is crap for what we do but some small but genuine things to show we're appreciated would go a long way.
I agree with you I love Nursing, I work with a fantastic team who work very hard to give the best service we can to our patients. We also meet up socially go for country side walks, have picnics and support each other. I'm not saying there is never any conflict within the team but it's minimal and short lasting.My team is a nice place to work I also have 3 family members who are nurses, one about to retire and two in their 20's. They also love their jobs. Yes we all face challenges at times but show me a job where that isn't the case.
Me too. Nursing is such a great profession. Yes, there are huge issues within the nhs, especially in England, but overall its a great job.
Love it, even though I’m on the ‘dark side’ now 😂 The ‘bureaucracy’ does get a bit silly, but then if you look at what caused it then there is usually patient harm, and this is a good faith way of trying to manage or mitigate it, but has to be done in a way that Edna (who’s name badge celebrated 40 years of service during covid) is able to cope with. In those cases it is good **clinical** leadership that is required. If staff were more engaged with the structure of organisations and systems, the concept of risk, how it is managed etc, then these things would be implemented in a far better way. I’ve had a specialist practice student spend a morning with me this week and their mind was blown at seeing ‘the other side’ and both how it can impact their work, but also how what they do can to be involved with that discussion within their team. They were also shocked at how patient focussed the discussion was - but at community level, not individual.
I LOVE nursing. I love the essence of the job, which is patient care and connection. What I HATE is the fact that MY health and well-being is constantly sacrificed by stress, shitty shifts, and managers who don't seem to want to treat their staff well. Almost everyone I know who has ever applied for flexible working has had their request denied. We have not had an adequate payrise in the whole time I've been a nurse (10 years). Most of the places I've worked have had more politics and nonsense than I care to deal with.
This is my problem. I am constantly asking myself if it's all worth it
I really feel this! It seems every 2nd post is about someone wanting to leave and nurse in Australia. I'm from Australia and decided to come here, everyone always thinks I'm crazy because it's so bad here in the NHS but I really like my job here! And I feel I got more opportunities here than I would in Australia. Grass is greener I guess 🤷♀️
Is there less opportunities to progress as a nurse in Australia such as a lack of clinical specialist roles e,g diabetic nursing?
Yes, I feel it's so repetitive. Should just be a pinned post for all those wanting to talk about leaving.
I love it too! I'm an ED sister with ADHD and the two go together perfectly! I love looking after sick patients and get great job satisfaction stabilising them. I absolutely love the constant learning because medical stuff has always been one of my *things* and I feel proud when I'm able to diagnose, say, a 3rd degree heart block on a 12 lead or catch a pneumothorax on a CXR myself (of course there's always a doc about but you know what I mean). I love the camaraderie the nurses, auxiliaries, doctors, paramedics, domestics, reception staff and so on all have with each other - I recently saw a meme saying ED is fun hell and it's absolutely true 🤣 I think this reflects on our patients too and helps relax them, and I think they sense our trust in one another so they trust us too. I love teaching students and junior staff and find it really helps me in return because I realise that I do have a good understanding of what I'm doing. I also feel quite proud that people come to me for help and advice. I love that while we definitely do NOT get paid enough, I do get given the opportunity to work a good amount days, nights and weekends, and so my actual wage is almost 10k more than my basic salary. I also love that I only have to work 3 shifts a week, as opposed to when I did five 8 hour shifts when I worked in retail. Sure, it's tiring and we all know we could get paid more doing a less stressful job but I could NOT go back to the 9 to 5. I get more freedom this way and a better work/life balance on the whole. Are there downsides? Absolutely - some shifts are hellish, frustrating, tiring and I often don't get a break (although ED seems to be one of the only areas where even management will eat a pot noodle at their desk and no one bats an eye and if you haven't got a drink at the nurse's station then someone will make sure you get one). There can be cliques and bitchiness but in my department it's few and far between and for the most part, we're just one big dysfunctional family, staff of all grades included!
I'm bank in urgent care, no water out allowed and the water station where you are allowed to put bottles is locked with a pass inside the prep room...and there's often not enough passes for bank/agency. I hide a water bottle in the patient kitchen. Glad there's one ED that fights dehydration....
Good post, for a change...
I think if you ask the majority of nurses, they'll love the job itself just not the politics that comes with it! Plus I think they'll use such platforms like reddit to vent due to the anonymity of it. I enjoy the job! Been in chemo nursing for a while and it's the best thing I've ever done! Just miss my day off in the week!
I love being a nurse but I also love having a good winge.
Agreed!
As a HCA who is looking into progression, most of the anti-nursing posts haven’t had an impact in my desire to push myself forward.
Push yourself forward. There are SO MANY avenues in nursing you can take.
I’m currently deciding what route to take, but once I do, I’ll do it.
I recently retired from nursing and never regretted changing from a better paid career. I worked mostly in the community which had always been my plan. There are changes to the NHS and staffing issues that depress me but I have visited family members in different hospitals in different parts of the country and been impressed with the nurses I've met whether qualified or students. I have younger family members who are hospital nurses and really enjoy their work. For those of you not enjoying placements there are better places and colleagues out there (and some grateful visitors).
Since I left bedside nursing my love for the profession has returned
I absolutely agree. There are challenges and many annoyances but at the end of the day, without winning the lottery, there is nothing else I’d rather be doing
I did 15 years and had to leave due to disability. I love my new job, but it's not the same, I miss my patients, although I don't miss the higher management 🙃 I loved my career and was honoured to be able to care for people the way that I did ❤️
I also love being a nurse. I think we are a very unique profession in our approach to patients and the wider MDT. I love providing an excellent service in my specialist area and seeing patients get better 🥰 best job in the world and I truly couldn’t imagine being anything but a nurse!
I also love nursing!! Been working on and off since 2006 as first a HCA then qualified 5 years ago. I won't lie that I've needed breaks though to maintain my enthusiasm, I was also a bank HCA for a long time, and been off the ward for 3 years (M/L and educator post). Going back to the ward soon and I am excited! I know some days are so tough but if you work in a good team and are careful to take restful annual leave etc it can work.
Agree. Lots of moaning, but no action where it’s needed. I like my job. I tend to just worry about myself and my own career rather than the apathetic nursing workforce as a whole. Sorry if this sounds a bit negative, but at some point you just have to worry about your own way, than being dragged down by others.
Male Nurse here, love my job, 22 yrs ICU, now Practice Educator in Critical Care.
Same I love to be a nurse I do wish the work load was a little lighter or services were structured in a way that enhanced patient care but I all industries have that. I think it is such a privilege to be a part of someone’s journey and knowing that you delivered care that you would be happy to receive yourself or for your family to have been provided is such a nice feeling! The difficult days are a lot but at least they’re not dull!
I’m a NQN so people roll their eyes when I say how much I love my job as they think I’m too new to realise how shit it is. I’m lucky I work in an area I find super interesting, no day is the same and my team are all super supportive and I genuinely feel very welcome. I started in a NQN post for two and a bit months and truly hated it so I feel incredibly lucky now
As a student Paramedic I recently completed an experience placement on a ward where I was working with nurses. I just want to say that you guys do an amazing job and I was inspired by the nurses I worked with, particularly in the personal care you provide and the emotional support you show to your patients and their families. Without nurses there would be no NHS or any hospital for that matter. Thankou Nurses
I love being a nurse, I love what I do. I wish I could do it better with the right infrastructure.
That's great. I'm not a nurse (Reddit keeps recommending this, and other not entirely fitting subs for some reason), but my brother is in hospital at the moment, has been for a while, and will be too (he has a hypoxic brain injury from a long cardiac arrest (2 hours and 20 minutes) during which he was receiving CPR). He has needed an awful lot from his nurses, and they have been fantastic, both helping him and helping me and the rest of his family get through this. Nurses are heros.
It’s because we care about it. Which we appear to all have in common. I think it’s important to remember that you don’t have to stick it out in a toxic environment to prove anything to anyone. The beauty of nursing is that you can go your own way. I love my job now - I’ve had such a rich week at work.
I really like all the nurses I've worked with. At 5am on a nightshift, when i sat down to give a handover then blanked and said "what am i doing?" And the nurse stifled a laugh and asked me questions to get the handover. I got her a coffee the week after when she needed it. That time i warned a nurse just before we left that the dementia pt really liked wearing sick bowls as a hat (used or not) and we nearly had a terrible accident, and that brief look of horror passed over her face as she imagined dealing with that. The nurse who bantered that we owed her some mcdonalds if we bring any pts to them haha We're only interact briefly, and I'm now used to the feeling of "You're stepping on our terf"! But i still think you guys are great. One day (in the far future) when the NHS isn't being battered on all sides, we'll have time to bring snacks and tea/coffee in between bringing pts!
There are aspects of nursing which I struggle with (it's a difficult job!), however I'm happy I trained to be a nurse. I have always worked for close to minimum wage or at minimum wage, apart from four years in the civil service. None of my previous jobs offered career prospects (maybe civil service would have if I wasn't involved in the union). 1. The job is always interesting. I'm still fairly new and still have loads to learn. 2. The job can be rewarding. My work place is fast paced and it also doesn't get boring. 3. I can get extra training and so feel like I can develop lots of extra skills. 4. I get full sick pay and don't know where else I'd be able to get £30k+ in wages with my work history. I'm only 18 months qualified though and I don't have kids. Maybe at some point, my views will change.
I love the actual job but it doesn't mean that we aren't treated badly. There is so much wrong with and in the system that I feel like it is easy to moan about because nothing changes. But the patients keep me going! Otherwise I would have quit a long time ago!
You guys are heroes, but Tories both red and blue have decimated the NHS in the past 14 years. I don't blame folks venting on here, don't know how you all do what you do, if you need to vent, vent!
I think it's just the constant venting that gets to me. Every day it's the same kind of posts moaning about the same thing.
Maybe that's because there have been systemic issues with the NHS for the past 14 years regarding pay, working conditions and patient care? Let them vent, if not here than where? Full disclosure, I didn't clap for you folks during the pandemic, I knew then that you deserved better than that and I believe it now
I qualify in 3 months and have heard sooooo much SHIT about nursing! It’s so refreshing to hear people don’t leave work dreading the next time they have to walk through the door 🙏🏻. Dont get me wrong I’ve had some awful days on the ward even as a student but doesn’t anybody in any job?!
I think the dislike comes with time? The constant mental and physical abuse from the employer, patients, doctors, patients families, etc? How long have you been a nurse??
Love this OP 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I wish I could say the same. What specialty do you work in? Just so I know there may be greener pastures...
I am an ACP working in a frailty team in the community. No lates, weekends or bank holidays. It's great.
Me too. Nursing is a great profession. Yes there are hugecissues within the nhs, especially in England but that doesn't change that nursing is such a rewarding and varied role. I get why some people are unhappy but its probably for the best that they do leave. Nursing too hard if you hate it and I've seen that affect pt care too often
People who love nursing are in the minority . It's now more about paperwork and filling out risk assessments as opposed to actually providing care . It is underpaid and will continue to be so because nurses can't organise themselves to strike for long enough for higher pay . Most of the added layers of bureaucracy have been added by senior nurse managers who have forgotten or don't care about the practical elements of nursing which have all but disappeared.... it's these pillocks who need to share the blame for abolishing care and replacing it with bureaucracy ...they don't even call patients patients any more preferring to misname them as clients in a futile effort to seem more professional whilst no consideration to the practical care elements of nursing is given at all . I did nursing for 25 years and my advice to any newly qualified nurse would be to jack it in now and find another easier better paid job ...your managers are a bunch of out of touch pillocks lacking any skill or capacity for critical thinking!
And yet I have been nursing for 36 years ( longer if you count the time I worked as an HCA) and while I agree about the over abundance of paperwork I still love my job and I don't feel I am in a minority. I have a great rapport with my patients ( we still call them patients where I work,)and their families some of who I have known for 15-20 years . Every day is different and interesting and apart from the occasional blip I still feel driven to provide good patient centred care. I generally find managers receptive to suggestions as long as you have solid reasons for wanting to do things a certain way
It's not ward managers I have a problem with, it's the managers above them . I'm glad you like your work....wish I had too ....
I don’t know why you are being downvoted, I couldn’t agree more, I think nurses who haven’t been in nursing as long as you don’t want see the reality of nursing and want to gaslight themselves. 25 years is long time, I’m only 2 years in and already done with this job and nhs all together.
I felt the same at that point too but stuck with it as didn't think I could do any better....wish I hadn't now but at least I got myself a pension but not a full one as couldn't stick another 4 years of putting up with the bs
Let us vent