4 answers
Allyssa
Student
1
Question
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What are the main challenges nurses face in a hospital?
What are the hard things to do as being a nurse? I want to know because that’s what I want to do when I’m older so what could help me become one. I’m a middle schooler what could I do to make it easier to be come one. What are the main challenges nurses can face working in a hospital?
4 answers
Lisa Hanson Rodriguez BSN, RN
3
Answers
Updated
Lisa’s Answer
Hi Allyssa
I am a nurse and I work in urology procedures in a hospital. There are good things and difficult things. In a hospital the pay is definitely better as well as the benefits. You usually have a team of people you work with. You will usually work 3-12 hour shifts or 4-10 hour shifts. Depending where you work, you might have to be on call, work nights, some holidays, some weekends. A hospital is 24-7, 365 days a year. The most stressful places to work is the ER and ICU. You get used to it and if you have great co-workers, it will be a good experience. But there are also body fluids you have to deal with, sometimes angry/difficult patients and family members. It's life, death and everything in between. It is a challenge and there is a shortage of nurses. So good luck, find a specialty you like and learn everything you can about it.
Regards
Lisa
I am a nurse and I work in urology procedures in a hospital. There are good things and difficult things. In a hospital the pay is definitely better as well as the benefits. You usually have a team of people you work with. You will usually work 3-12 hour shifts or 4-10 hour shifts. Depending where you work, you might have to be on call, work nights, some holidays, some weekends. A hospital is 24-7, 365 days a year. The most stressful places to work is the ER and ICU. You get used to it and if you have great co-workers, it will be a good experience. But there are also body fluids you have to deal with, sometimes angry/difficult patients and family members. It's life, death and everything in between. It is a challenge and there is a shortage of nurses. So good luck, find a specialty you like and learn everything you can about it.
Regards
Lisa
Thank you so much for sharing your experience working as a nurse in urology. Your details about the shifts, teamwork, and challenges helped me understand nursing better. I appreciate your honest advice and encouragement
Allyssa
James Constantine Frangos
SOFTWARE ENGINEER SINCE 1972; NUTRITIONIST SINCE 1976.
7094
Answers
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Updated
James Constantine’s Answer
Good Day Allyssa!
Have a go at working as a nurse's assistant as soon as possible. Look up medical subjects on Google and Google Scholar. A brilliant search engine for health-related topics is PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Usually, it is fairly straightforward to get employment as a nurse. There are many subspecialties! Very often nurses have to deal with patient deaths. Then there are the frequent bodily fluids to clean up.
In admissions/emergency departments, you are likely to be presented with serious cases requiring immediate care and stabilization. An example would be a motor vehicle accident.
Dealing with Acute Psychotic Episodes can be trying, as can drug intoxication, requiring the assistance of security staff. Then there are the emergent needs for doctors.
JC
Have a go at working as a nurse's assistant as soon as possible. Look up medical subjects on Google and Google Scholar. A brilliant search engine for health-related topics is PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Usually, it is fairly straightforward to get employment as a nurse. There are many subspecialties! Very often nurses have to deal with patient deaths. Then there are the frequent bodily fluids to clean up.
In admissions/emergency departments, you are likely to be presented with serious cases requiring immediate care and stabilization. An example would be a motor vehicle accident.
Dealing with Acute Psychotic Episodes can be trying, as can drug intoxication, requiring the assistance of security staff. Then there are the emergent needs for doctors.
JC
Thank you, this is really helpful.
Allyssa
Just ask if you need more information, Allysa!
James Constantine Frangos
Jeanne Robicheaux Hill
Registered Nurse
6
Answers
The Woodlands, Texas
Updated
Jeanne Robicheaux’s Answer
Time management (but you can learn to do well with this, it’s just that there can be a lot of tasks to complete in a shift on the floor).
Communication challenges with physicians (however, at my hospital, this is rare, most communicate very well!)
Continuous changes made by administration.
Here’s some tips to help cope with challenges above!
1. Write down a list when you come into shift of what you need to chart on before you leave ( assessment , iv, skin check, plan of care) and then on a separate paper ( I prefer post its!) questions / concerns from you and from the patient for the Dr .
Learn to cluster your care. If you’re going into the patients room to bring them something and it is time for scheduled medications, bring those as well.
2. Advocate for your patients. Be assertive but diplomatic in reaching the physicians if they are not responding. This will be less challenging, naturally on day shift.
3. Remember to use your voice and speak up in your workplace regarding questions or concerns that may be disadvantageous for you or your patients. Leadership with good intentions will or should listen, at the very least.
Communication challenges with physicians (however, at my hospital, this is rare, most communicate very well!)
Continuous changes made by administration.
Here’s some tips to help cope with challenges above!
1. Write down a list when you come into shift of what you need to chart on before you leave ( assessment , iv, skin check, plan of care) and then on a separate paper ( I prefer post its!) questions / concerns from you and from the patient for the Dr .
Learn to cluster your care. If you’re going into the patients room to bring them something and it is time for scheduled medications, bring those as well.
2. Advocate for your patients. Be assertive but diplomatic in reaching the physicians if they are not responding. This will be less challenging, naturally on day shift.
3. Remember to use your voice and speak up in your workplace regarding questions or concerns that may be disadvantageous for you or your patients. Leadership with good intentions will or should listen, at the very least.
Thank you for your helpful advice on time management, communication, and speaking up at work. Your tips—like making lists and clustering care—make nursing feel less overwhelming. I appreciate your support and encouragement!
Allyssa
Ken Gish
Human Factors Research
11
Answers
Wilmington, Delaware
Updated
Ken’s Answer
Allyssa,
Great question!
My mom is a retired obstetrical nurse. So, while I can't speak from direct personal experience, I know that the job was extremely rewarding and extremely challenging for my mom. Fortunately, the team of nurses she worked with were caring and supportive of each other.
Having said that, you need to know that new nurses often have a hard time adapting to the stresses associated with nursing. For that reason, you might be required to go through something called resilience training. I don't know much about it, but this was particularly important during the pandemic as it improved retention and reduced burnout. Resilience training helps new nurses learn how to cope with the demands of the job.
I hope that doesn't dissuade you from a career in nursing. We need more good nurses, especially as the baby boomer population ages. The rewards from a career in nursing are some of the best rewards you can get from any career.
Again, good question and I hope you get some responses from actual nurses!
Great question!
My mom is a retired obstetrical nurse. So, while I can't speak from direct personal experience, I know that the job was extremely rewarding and extremely challenging for my mom. Fortunately, the team of nurses she worked with were caring and supportive of each other.
Having said that, you need to know that new nurses often have a hard time adapting to the stresses associated with nursing. For that reason, you might be required to go through something called resilience training. I don't know much about it, but this was particularly important during the pandemic as it improved retention and reduced burnout. Resilience training helps new nurses learn how to cope with the demands of the job.
I hope that doesn't dissuade you from a career in nursing. We need more good nurses, especially as the baby boomer population ages. The rewards from a career in nursing are some of the best rewards you can get from any career.
Again, good question and I hope you get some responses from actual nurses!
Thank you for sharing your mom’s experience as a nurse. Hearing her story helped me understand what the job is really like. I appreciate your time and advice!
Allyssa
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