Do you enjoy your job?

Yes.

And no.

Allow me to explain.

(What!? You were expecting a simple answer?)

Buckle up, because it’s going to be a lot of long backstory!

Around the time I was 17 or so, my precious, wonderful, and most loving Nana was mugged (follow me here, it pertains to my life’s choices in career).

I spent at least 2 weeks helping her shower, bathe, clean up and bandage her bruised face. Just being with her in her time of need.

Needless to say, I hope the disgusting bastard who committed said crime burns at the fiery pits of hell. I’m sure it wasn’t his first crime, and anyone who harms the elderly, or children, deserves nothing less, social politics be damned.

Anyways! Moving along.

When she was finally of sound mind, she said to me, “You should become a nurse.”

Nahhh, I thought.

That wasn’t really my thing. I did that for her because she was my grandmother and she deserved it for taking care of me so well in return.

She offered to pay for me to go to nursing school.

Nope.

Wouldn’t take her money.

Besides, I was going to be a graphic designer. 😂

By the time I was 18 or so, I had applied to the city to be a lifeguard. So did my boyfriend at the time. We broke up for good that summer. He got a call back for the position, and so did I. I decided I didn’t want be literally working at the same place, same job as him.

The thought of becoming a nurse was becoming more appealing. But still wasn’t quite there in my head.

My grandma said it over and over to me. I took a few classes at the community college here and there, but work always won out due to…well, the need to earn money and live.

I did eventually end up in a nursing program when I was 21, but the school lost its accreditation. Haha, thankfully I didn’t graduate from there. What a nightmare!

I was running out of options. I considered joining the military. However, my grandmother’s health was declining, and I didn’t want to be away from her in her last few years of life incase something happened.

I finally accepted my grandmother’s offer to pay for nursing school after that.

I graduated in 2015.

My grandmother passed in 2016.

I’m just hoping she knows I fulfilled one of the things she dearly wanted for me.

(If you’ve stuck with me this far, I applaud you!)

So! Do I like my job?

I mention the above lengthy history because, well, it wasn’t easy to get here.

I like the foundation of nursing.

Caring for others.

Helping people feel better.

Being a guide for those in need.

But unfortunately, the field nowadays has attracted some very disingenuous types of people. Business people and CEOs, people who have never actually worked with patients telling you how to do your job – managers who are there to enforce said bullshit.

Money, money, money.

Goals to meet, numbers to make.

Let’s not forget those mandatory meetings.

If I could pay someone to never have to attend a shitty meeting ever again, I would.

“Let’s work with less staff, more profit and bonuses for us at the end of the year! What do you mean how? The nurse was able to survive with less people last night – so it should be like that all the time!”

Everything falls on the nurse, everything.

Don’t have the right meds? Nurse’s fault.

Wrong orders? Nurse’s fault.

Something, literally anything, went wrong on your shift? Why didn’t the nurse do something to prevent that?

I’m often thinking of the unfortunate and sad event in which a nurse killed herself recently, who compared the healthcare system to “an abusive partner”.

ER nurse who died by suicide addressed letter to healthcare system

Let’s not forget the corruption in the healthcare system.

So, you may often see nurses that are bitter. And unfortunately, they are – because of how much responsibility they risk coming into work.

Something needs to change.

Thanks for reading.