In almost a decade at my current job in a busy suburban ED, I have watched countless talented and experienced ER nurses come and go. At first, I asked them why they were leaving. Now, I ask them why they stayed as long as they did. Over the years, our ED has seen a drastic increase in acuity, a steady increase in volume, and a decrease in staffing levels. Is it any wonder that nurses leave after a few years in that environment? The phenomenon isn’t unexpected at all. It isn’t an unsolved mystery.
An ER is a great place for a new nurse to start working, provided he has good preceptorship. One can learn an incredible amount, develop competency and confidence with various types of patients, as well as become a member of the team in a busy American emergency department. There is great satisfaction in becoming competent; not long ago, I experienced that thrill as a physician. But competency only sustains a worker for so long. The hours, the demands, the endless negative reinforcement, the dwindling support, the feeling that one is not meeting one’s own standard when it comes to patient care, all wear each and every nurse down. They wear down so much that they leave to work somewhere else. All of them do: every single one. I have seen seemingly unbreakable people with seemingly unbreakable spirits leave because their spirits were broken.
This is the way in all fields of nursing. I worked as a geriatric nurse for 28 years and by time I retired they were doing the same thing. I no longer can encourage young people to go into nursing because those we are suppose to care for are no longer first. Administration would rather blame nursing than fight and deal with what is truly the problem.
I have been an ER nurse for 24 years. When I look back on how it used to be, I get sad and frustrated. I loved my career and the fact that eventually I gained the experience to be proud of my nursing skills and being confident in what I was doing. Then things changed; I thought it was because I am now 63 years old. Thank you for validating how I am finally realizing that it is not just me feeling overwhelmed at times, it is the healthcare system with out-of-proportion nurse-to-patient ratios and the fact that there are some “clients” (do not like that label for patients) that we could NEVER be happy. Once again, thank you!
Thank YOU for posting eloquently and specifically and not just ranting. I, too have left the ER after 14 years. I have knowledge AND experience, but I call it like I see it, I’m not rude, but nor do I sugar coat things. Management doesn’t like that! They want brand new PERKY GN’s that have ‘book’ knowledge and will take unreasonable assignments to boast about, not realizing they’re too STUPID to know how STUPID they are, but they can TUCK & FLUFF while they PUSH IV potassium!