I have had my nursing license about 2 years after getting a B.A. in Sociology around the time of the 2008 crash. A lot of people urged me to reconsider going in medicine at all, warning me about how brutal the nursing profession was, with the horizontal bullying, abuse from doctors and patients alike, and the generally appalling working conditions (like no bathroom or lunch breaks, illegal staffing ratios, etc...the list goes on). I was confident that I could find my niche and bypass a lot of the more unsavory jobs, but without experience one is relegated to bargain bin positions.
I now work in chronic dialysis, my 3rd job so far, and I just can't believe what these companies are getting away with! I often work 14 hour days with no lunch relief, as the only RN in the building I am not allowed to leave for lunch either since it's a legal liability (even though our manager pressures us to press the button declaring that I "clocked out for 30 minutes and was relieved of my duties" when I punch my time card). This is actually highly illegal...but just one more thing the company keeps getting away with. The discrepancies are endless.
I know the stories about people leaving the nursing profession are pretty common because it's one of the harder jobs with all the back injuries, burnout, and and salaries aren't always competitive enough to make them stay---but what about everyone else? I often wonder if PAs, RTs, MDs, or other healthcare workers feel like things are just getting more insane than they've ever been?
I once did a contract assignment for fit testing N95 respirators at the local hospital and was able to meet a broad array of staff. Across the board, pretty much everyone seemed stressed to the max, unnaturally impatient to get their 5 minute test done, generally miserable, and at times, downright rude. The feeling of dissatisfaction was immense.
Readers, do you think that the landscape of healthcare and it's attractiveness as a career path is diminishing compared to what it once was? I understand that the reimbursement model is changing and less people than ever are privately insured, so the facilities absorb the cost and then cut wages, but on a greater scale, does anyone else feel worked to death?? I am considering leaving the industry since I refuse to work a job where I'm on call 24/7 for only 45k a year. I know the days where recruiters would roll out the red carpet for nurses are gone, but I almost feel at times like I'm back working retail again, where the feeling that you are disposable is very palpable and they'll just get someone else to slave away if you can't or won't comply with the demands. I once thought becoming a Nurse Practitioner or PA would buffer me against some of the hassles you deal with as a floor nurse, but now that I see how unhappy a lot of them are, I question whether anyone involved in healthcare is spared the relentless crap-storm that now typifies the work.
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