I confess: I’ve kind of done a 180 in the area of job satisfaction, at least for the time being.  I have so many friends, husbands of friends, friends of friends who are out of work right now, that I’m singing a different tune.

Though I am hopeful the economy will turn around sometime in the near future, I hesitate advising anyone to give up gainful employment in hopes of finding something they like better.  And you know what, I don’t think working a job you don’t love is the worst thing in the world.  In fact, it might be just the thing to help a rather spoiled nation of workers get back in touch with reality.

There are a lot of people in this world who are grateful to do ANY type of work to earn a very small amount of money in order to feed their families.  There are people who have worked a job they hated their whole lives to provide a comfortable home for those they love.

We feel entitled to get great satisfaction out of the work we choose.  And we’d like to get paid well for it.  But the truth is, if those things happen, it’s a blessing, not a rite.

I have been very fortunate in my life to have had many jobs I loved.  I currently have a wonderful situation where I only work a few hours a week.  But times are changing, and I need to be prepared to suck it up and go find a full-time hospital position with benefits, working nights and every other weekend if that’s what it takes to put food on the table.

I’ve been spoiled and I know it.  I enjoy being home during the day, going out for coffee with friends, meeting my husband for lunch, getting my kids off to school in the morning, and welcoming them home when it’s over.  But if anything were to happen to my husband’s job, I have a profession that would keep a roof over our heads.

We all have to do our part when the economy tanks.  And the beauty of it is, we’re all capable!  It’s in times like these that we get to find out what were really made of.  And if you’ve already made it out of nursing school, you’re made of good stuff.

Is this true? We came upon a car accident the other day, and thankfully everyone was ok. But later my boyfriend was asking me about it. I wasn’t sure how it works, especially since i am a NICU RN…

Thanks!

Katie

Not listed, but also expected: picking up paperclips from the floor, trying to keep my piles neat, and telling someone when the Kleenex are running low.  And really, truth be told, I probably spend as much of my day doing the things that aren’t explicit as the things that are.

A couple of weeks ago I was filling in at the other end of the clinic.  I took a phone call from a patient who was basically gasping for air on the other end of the phone.  She had been in a couple of days earlier with bronchitis, but was worse.  She wanted was another prescription.  What I wanted was for her to call 911.  Our compromise was an appointment at the clinic in about 45 minutes.  I told her to call a cab because her husband was out of town and she didn’t have any friends who could bring her.

In the end, she came in with lungs that sounded like they could be coughed up at any moment.  The doctor called an ambulance to take her to the hospital.  She hobbled out to the desk where I was sitting and started talking about her puppies.  Her distress had much more to do with how they would be cared for than the fact she was about to be admitted.  Before I knew what had happened, she was digging through her address book looking for names and numbers of people who might be able to check on them. And she wrote them down for ME to call. 

Say what?  She also wrote down her husband’s email address because he was at a conference out of state and could not be reached by cell phone during the day, but would have his laptop opened.

Next thing I know, I’m emailing this poor man to let him know his wife is headed to the hospital via ambulance.  Once that was out of the way, I had the task of finding those darn dogs a babysitter. 

As I left messages on various answering machines, I realized the ludicrousness of the situation. 

When I hung up for the last time I said to the doctor, “I don’t remember this being in my job description.”

But as I said, much of what happens in nursing isn’t actually about the job description.  It’s the little things we do everyday that go above and beyond the expected that really speak to who we are.  We are a helpful and caring lot.  We see what needs to be done and we do it.  We care about more than just the physical needs of our patients.  At least that’s what I hope we’re about.

So what have you been asked to do lately that wasn’t in your job description?

But there’s a catch: you’ll need two years experience first. Here Jeff Long,  marketing manager of Medical Solutions, a staffing company that places nurses in travel nursing jobs, talks about what you need to know and can do now to be ready for your dream job tomorrow:

Why aren’t new nurses hired for travel nursing?

This is one of the strange things about travel nursing. Nurses with the lifestyle that would allow them to travel easiest are new grads. However, a travel nursing career requires a nurse to immediately step in with less orientation than a permanent staff nurse. That’s why both hospitals and staffing companies tend to hold to a two-year experience minimum.

This works in the best interest of all involved: a hospital wants an experienced nurse, the traveling nurse doesn’t want to be in over her head, and the staffing company wants both to be happy with the match.

Is there anything new nurses can do now to prepare for a travel nursing job two years from now?

Be ready. Right now with the travel nursing job market down like it is, it is important to be organized and have all your certifications, licensures, vaccinations, etc. in one easy to access location (a three-ring binder is an easy way to do this).  And make sure everything is always up to date. Keeping these things organized is easier the sooner you start.

What areas of the country do you find more jobs than applicants?

At this time we are not seeing any area of the country with more jobs than applicants. This is due primarily to the overall shortage of jobs in the industry and the unwillingness of travelers to work wherever they can. The majority of our placements have been in the Midwest (Kansas, Texas) and California over the past six months.

What questions must new nurses ask recruiters?

Travel nurses should exhaust their recruiter with questions, but overall they should dig into six key areas:

• Housing and location
• Recruiter
• Company
• Compensation, costs, and expenses
• Benefits
• Specifics of the job he/she will be doing.

There are a lot of good resources online and books written by travel nurses with lists of questions that you should ask. These resources can expand on the six areas I mentioned.

What are the qualities of a good recruiter?

It really comes down to a relationship.

A good recruiter is not only knowledgeable about the industry, but she should be genuinely interested in you and your career. If you feel like you are being treated like a paycheck by the recruiter, then you probably are. It may take working with a couple of different recruiters to get a feel for what is a good. Sometimes you’re lucky and find a great one right off the bat.

Generally, though, you want them to be honest and up front, just as a recruiter wants that from you.  Neither of you want surprises during the assignment.

Why do nurses fail at travel nursing?

There are a variety of reasons, but the most common are:

• Homesickness;
• Preference for more stability;
• Not mentally strong enough for the challenge;
• Conflict with staff/doctors, didn’t like the hospital or area, or weren’t a good fit for the unit;
• Personal issues/events (death in the family, sickness, etc);
• Not skilled enough to hit the ground running in their modality;
• Not strong enough personality to break the ice with the perm staff or get used to being treated different from staff and management in some cases; and,
• Difficulty staying out of the hospital politics.

Do recruiters value nonprofit medical nursing experience (like mission trips, service nursing)?

Most travel agencies don’t look at volunteering as part of the two-year experience requirement, and we have never seen a hospital ask for it. While it probably does not hurt, it does not really help either. It really comes down to skills and years of experience in their specialty.

It’s driving me crazy.  I long for sunshine and warmer days.  I dream of flowering trees and green grass.  I wouldn’t even mind my normal Spring allergies kicking in–as long as it meant the seasons were changing.

It happens to me every year.  I start longing for a change.  Mostly of scenery.  I need a little something new to keep me hanging on until I can start complaining about the heat of summer.  I want nothing more than a trip to someplace warm, preferably with a beach.

Unfortunately, it never happens.  Here I sit in Chicagoland waiting.  I watch the weather report for glimpses of hope.  Tonight it happened.  Tuesday it’s expected to get into the 70’s!  I’m ecstatic!  I keep watching, hoping the turn has come.  But Nooooo.  Thursday a cold front comes through and the temperature is going to plummet again.  Arghh.

Life is kind of like that.  There are times that feel a lot like the end of Winter.  It feels like it will go on forever.  It’s dreary.  We’re miserable in our current situation, waiting for something to change so we can be happy again.  We feel like we’re holding on by a thread to our sanity.  We want to scream.  We’re grouchy.

But here’s what I’m thinking:  At least it’s going to be in the 70’s for one day.  If I enjoy the heck out of those few hours, maybe I can hold on until the next time it warms up.  Maybe my soul will be soothed just enough to feel hopeful again.

I think the rest of life is like that.  Generally speaking, most weeks have something to offer that gives us the boost we need to keep going.  The trick is to enjoy it when it comes, and not be disappointed when it doesn’t last.

Spring always comes.  Eventually.

You start pounding the pavement.  Sending out resumes.  Making calls.  Working your network.

Nothing.

You’ve got the degree, you passed the NCLEX.  No one cares.

Now what?  How do you pay the rent?  The student loans?  Let’s face it, looking for a job doesn’t bring in much of a salary.

My goal here is not to solve the job crisis, it’s just to throw out a couple of ideas.  My hope is that others will chime in with thoughts of their own and together we can move towards gainful employment for every RN looking for work.  Heaven knows we’re needed.  Just ask any patient who’s been ignored due to cuts.

First off, do whatever it takes to get a little experience under your belt.  So what if it’s not your ideal job.  My husband often complains that the new grad’s motto seems to be “I have no experience but I’m willing to start at the top.”

Well guess what.  It doesn’t work that way.

The bottom of the totem pole is the entry point for most of us in the real world.  That means nights, weekends, nursing homes, part-time, or crummy pay.  In fact, sometimes it means the combination of all of them!  The thing is, if it’s a nursing job, it builds a resume.  You don’t have to have this job for 20 years!  You only have to have it until someone else wants to hire you.

The second thing you have to do is HAVE A GOOD ATTITUDE!  If the point is to find a better job after you have some experience, then you want the person’s name on your application to actually say something nice about you when HR calls.  And trust me, it will make your life so much happier if you embrace the moment and try to get the most you can out of it.

I did not love either of my first two nursing jobs.  They were both in hospitals, and I stayed less then a year at each of them.  No subsequent employer ever mentioned that it should have been longer.  I learned a ton at each of them, made some friends, and never looked back.  They just became a chapter in my story.

It wasn’t until three years after I graduated that I found my niche.  I loved Family Practice right off the bat.  The problem was it was a 2-day-a-week job.  Not exactly great for paying the bills.  But it was where I wanted to be, so I figured it out.  I did a little home health care, insurance physicals, and worked at a hospice.  I also did a boatload of babysitting and house sitting.

I scraped enough together to make a life that I enjoyed.  Eventually, I was able to go full time.  Of course, because office work doesn’t pay as well, the babysitting and house sitting continued.  But I was very happy doing what I loved.

And isn’t that the point?

Don’t throw in the towel.  Just figure it out.  There is very little chance you will find a well-paying, full-time job that you adore right off the bat.  You were willing to work hard for the degree, now you may need to work hard for the right job.  But you’ve got it in you to stick it out.

You’ve already proved that.

I am really struggling with how to deal with some of these difficult patients. I just cannot understand the nerve of some people! Just last night, I was discharging a patient and the curtain wasn’t completely closed. The wife of a patient from the room next door peeked in and told me she was going home for the night.

As she began talking and asking for help, I interrupted her and said, “Excuse me, ma’am, but I’m with another patient right now. Please ask one of the other nurses for assistance.”

I have even had patients’ families actually come into other patients’ rooms while there is a code situation- or while I am doing CPR-and repeatedly ask me for pillows, test results, food trays, etc. How do people not understand that we’re in the middle of something?

I have struggled with trying to be polite, but I think in a way that only will encourage this behavior. I just don’t know how to be assertive without getting so upset at patients and their families.

First, I was put in a room with 3^rd-year med students, which was great because I introduced myself and got to chat with them about their program.

Then I waited over an hour for someone to acknowledge me.  (I was escorted to the room, so it was known I was present).  Other nursing students did this same thing through the semester, so it’s not like I was the first one.

Finally, the MD came in. We all stood up, and he introduced himself, shook hands with the med students, and ignored me.  I was very upset by this, so I forced my hand out at him and introduced myself.

Then the MD told some H&P about a patient, mocked them with the door open, called out individually to med students to follow him-and did not provide me directions.  So, I made the best of it and knocked on patients’ doors, introduced myself, and asked if I could observe the visit.  This allowed me time to talk to patients and get information.

Then the docs walked in, did their exams, and left.

I know how to measure a fundus, use a Doppler, and take H&P.  Whoopie!  I was pregnant before, so this was not an educational experience for me.

Also, I was very insulted by the MD’s attitude.  He is supposed to be a professional.  He made it quite clear I was not welcome-even before he met me.  He was also unprepared.  He told every patient he had no idea what labs were drawn, what the results were, or what meds they were taking. I could not imagine this person as my MD!

For the first time since I was in nursing school, I felt out of place, insulted, and even embarrassed to be in the nursing field.  After that clinical visit, I found out that other students were treated this way.  I made a complaint to my instructor and received no feedback.

I am sure not all doctors are like this, but I recommend reading The Intern Blues instead of following some jerk around if you want to know what doctors do.  As for them knowing about what nurses do, they don’t care as long as they don’t have to do it.

I have often talked about how much I love my job.  I work in a family practice office and have worked there for nine years.  I love the staff and the docs.  I love (most of) the patients.  In fact, even the patients I don’t like that much I have warm feelings for, simply because I’ve known them for so long.

I started working with my doc right after I found out I was pregnant with my third child.  My hours have shifted and changed depending on what my family needed at the time.  Because the clinic has been so flexible with me, I have tried to accommodate their needs when shifts need to be covered.  It’s been a mutually beneficial relationship and a job that I thoroughly enjoy…until now.

Due to the needs of my doc, I am now working Fridays from 8-2.  Sounds perfect, doesn’t it?  I thought so, too.  The problem is that Fridays are the days he reserves for paperwork.  It’s his day to catch up with the piles on his desk.  The phones are still on and he will see a patient if he needs to, but mostly it’s just about digging out.

And the more he digs, the more I’m buried in charts.

My day is spent calling in refills, faxing, filing test results, and answering phones.  All jobs I’m fine with doing–it’s just not the job I love.

All the best parts of FP nursing have been eliminated from my job.  I work alone.  ON PAPERWORK!  I realize there are people out there who are cut out for this kind of stuff, but I’m not one of them.  The relationships are gone.  I don’t see his other nurses or patients.  I work the phone and shuffle charts.  The days can be stressful, but I’m not juggling the things I enjoy.  There’s a difference.

So why am I still there?  I guess it’s because I still love the thought of my job.  The staff is the same, the docs are the same, the patients are the same.  It’s my duties that have changed.  I guess having great hours isn’t all it’s cracked up to be if you don’t like what you’re doing while you’re there.  But I hold on because I’ve learned that change is the only constant.  Before long, I’m sure I’ll be doing something different.  I hope.

Have you had an experience like this?  Maybe the job is perfect and you just aren’t perfect for it?  Or maybe, like me, a job you once loved changed due to duties, staff, or leadership?  Finding out a job isn’t what you thought it was can be very disheartening.  What do you do?  Quit?  Wait it out?

When you feel like you’re “in the zone” with a job, it’s a wonderful feeling.  But let’s face it, most of us don’t spend our careers in that place.  It comes and goes.  Enjoy it when it comes, keep putting one foot in front of the other when it goes.  Do a little soul searching to decide if you need to move on or stick it out, but keep doing the job well until you figure it out.

It’s bad enough to be in a position you don’t love, but to be doing a bad job at it while you’re there is completely unbearable!  Give it your best.  At the end of the day, at least you have something positive to hold on to.

Along with soul searching and doing your best, do the obvious.  Talk to somebody who has the power to change things.  It’s not fair to them or you to leave without giving them the chance to work on the problem with you.  Maybe they can make adjustment, maybe they can’t.  You won’t know unless you ask.

Sometimes when we’re in a job we don’t like, we feel powerless.  But I don’t think that’s true.  Work for change.  If it doesn’t come, you still have a choice.  Change your attitude…or your job.

Hospitals or new nurses?

A recent headline touted “Nursing Industry Desperate to Find New Hires” (AP, 1-05-09). According to the news report, nurse recruiters are so frantic to fill the gaping job vacancies they are bribing nurses with lavish giveaways: champagne parties, one-year vehicle leases, vacation getaways, gas cards, TVs, GPS devices, and shopping sprees.

Imagine landing the job of your dreams as well as bagging such loot to boot!

If your jaw dropped—you’re not alone.

At RealityRN we’ve noticed a desperation of another kind: nurses tirelessly searching for jobs with not an interview in sight.

RealityRN member Kathy, from Houston, posted, “I bet everyone was told after nursing school that there would be job lined for you. However, for the past three months I have not been employed.” Another RealityRN member posted, “My friends are stuck working non-nursing jobs because no one wants to hire new grads.”

According to RealityRN Senior Advisor, Amy Morton-Miller, RN, APRN, BC, “I have heard both sides of the ‘desperation’ scenario. There’s definitely difficulty actually getting a position, especially for new grads. With many hospitals caught in the economic crisis, some are instituting hiring freezes. At least two hospitals in my area [Chicago] have been ‘bought out’ by new conglomerates.

“My advice to those seeking positions is to keep checking back, if at first they are turned away. Things may change in the next four to six months.”

We want to hear from you.

Who’s desperate—recruiters or new grads? Are recruiters rolling out the red carpet to entice nurses in your area? How long have you been looking for a job? What tactics are you employing to get your foot in the door?