Why I Quit My Job as a Registered Nurse...

thanks for watching gang(:

WHO AM I:
I'm Jay- an RN, creator, athlete, and student of life from Minnesota, USA.
My mission is to empower others to live a more adventurous, healthy, joyful, and fulfilling life.

I am fascinated with the human body and how we can optimize to function at the highest level possible. Special interests in functional medicine, longevity, nutrition science, and holistic view to health. I strive to deeper understand the connection between the mind, body, and spirit.

I grew up playing sports all day, every day. I played football, basketball, and ran track in high school, playing a bit of basketball at the collegiate level. Ran a marathon. I have always been a hard worker, and I will continue to pursue challenges, play sports, get outside, mtn bike, ski, etc.
I love to travel and experience the world.

[JayFriedrichs]

Since this video is now over 2 years old, SOME THOUGHTS:
The Pivot
-This was a good PIVOT from a stressful nursing job, to a better one for me. I hope other nurses or medical professionals can learn from that. There is other jobs and opportunities. Find something that works best for you.
-As I've learned a lot more about medicine I am not as jaded. There are wonderful things in medicine. There is ways we truly can impact patients.
-Nursing can be a great job. I still have a desire to make a bigger impact and this desire has sort of plagued me. The route isn't entirely clear -The multitude of questions remain: become MD, NP, or find a different way to impact others health like coaching or business. Regardless, I am very confident that I will find it in time when the time is right. I continue to learn, grow, and just try my best to use my skills to help others.
- Keep going. it will get better.

Thanks for the kind comments, STAY HARD LETS GOOOO BABY.

[Jeb]

I quit, as well. Can't take it no more. I didn't have a new job when I handed in my resignation letter. But I can't take it no more. They don't even let me clear my annual leave because "we're too short staffed". I still don't have a new job and am contemplating leaving the industry. It's getting from bad to worse. It's all about money now. There's no compassion and I absolutely hate the bullying.

[rokuwhitefox]

Being a nurse killed me inside. I have PTSD from working as a nurse. Staffing ratios, mistreatment from patients and families, management blaming the nurses for everything, getting physically assaulted by patients more and more frequently due to the patient population. I would never recommend this career to anyone. The system needs to protect and support nurses, and until that ever happens, it's not worth spending the money and time to become a nurse.

[ladyofwinterfel]

the moment you sit down, patients think you are playing a video game on the computer

[kimuralove]

I've been a BSN-RN for 7 years. I left bedside nursing in med/surg after 3 years -- because one night, a young "baby" nurse, only 22, came and asked me to do a stroke assessment on her. I laughed, realized she was serious, and did as she asked. Her left hand grip was weak, she could barely push with her left leg against pressure, smile was asymmetrical. I told the charge RN, then called the resident to the floor. The charge said casually: "Ah, you're being dramatic. She's 22, not an AARP member. She's just tired. And we don't have coverage to send her off the floor, everyone has 7 patients." I pointed out that if SHE would just take over the young nurse's patient load, then we could cover her and she could go to the ER to be checked out. But the charge was "exhausted" because she'd worked 10 shifts in a row, and refused to let her go until the resident also said he was alarmed by her symptoms and told her to go to the ER right away. By the time she did, she had to be pushed in a wheelchair because she couldn't walk. She was evaluated and found to be actively experiencing a CVA. A cardiac cath was done, revealing a patent foramen ovale. She was also on the pill, which already increases stroke risk, and coupled with the patent FO, her heart had been spitting small clots and one lodged in her brain. She'd complained to the charge of a severe headache and numbness/weakness on her left side for HOURS --- since 7 PM. She came to me for the stroke assessment at 1:30 AM. Far past the window for TPA to be started in time to avoid permanent damage. She was left with residual numbness/weakness in her left hand/arm, a slight limp, and she can't lift her leg to even cross her legs anymore. AT 22 G*DDAMN YEARS OLD. She was DOWN THE HALL from every single thing she needed to prevent this, but no one gives a sh*t about nurses!!! We are expendable. We're not people, we don't have feelings or illnesses or needs. THAT is why we're all peacing out of this hellish trap of a profession... Nobody looks out for us. We're shamed and belittled for asking for help, for saying we're burned out or depressed or sick. Ridiculed for saying the workload is too heavy, or the patients are too high-acuity for our scope of practice, or we're under mental strain. Told by a CHARGE NURSE that symptoms are all in our heads, and that even if something is wrong, we CAN'T leave the floor because there's no one to take over our patients, even if we're having a damn stroke! It is barbaric, toxic, and abusive. When I was pregnant with my son, I had recurring nightmares that I'd go into early labor while on the floor... and be told, while standing in a puddle of amniotic fluid and having contractions, that "we don't have anyone to cover you, so you can't leave the floor." Then I would end up having my baby in the middle of a hospital hallway floor, with an annoyed float nurse in my face, rudely demanding report from me while I held my newborn baby. Nursing has literally been hell on earth for me, and I feel like it's the worst mistake I've made in my entire life. I loved it for a couple of years, but the good moments are so rare and so far-between that it just isn't enough. Nothing is worth your life, your health, or your sanity. I've struggled with depression since I was a child, but I've never been suicidal until I became a nurse. I'm sick to death of seeing other nurses and management make fun of colleagues and subordinates for struggling, telling them to "toughen up" or "that's just nursing, get over it." People won't understand the damage this attitude has done to the profession until the mass exodus becomes a major crisis everywhere --- especially in the U.S., where the baby boom generation is aging into long-term care and requiring chronic hospital stays and nursing home admissions. That's about to be 25% of the U.S. population with NO nurses to take care of any of them. That's when the fun will really begin.

[icedoutelite]

I quit nursing and became a Truck driver. It was the best decision I ever made for my mental health. It’s such an amazing feeling to travel to different states and just get paid for it.

[jackiesesthetics]

If hospitals would hire more CNAs and bring back LVNs things would be so much better and safer. It is so frickin lame they got rid of most of them and just want to dump all this high risk work into one position.

[ikushabassue]

It is not only in the nursing field. I worked an an ambulance for the past 14 years and I quit my job last month too. Surprisingly, it was for the same exact reasons as you. You go into the field wanting to make a difference, but the only thing that ends up changing is you. Sometimes you have to sit back and ask yourself, "Is this really the life I want?". I am unemployed, but this is the happiest I have ever been!

[bunnymomjulie]

In thirty years of being a BSN, RN, I know one thing to be true.
You can either be a great nurse, or you can have a healthy, happy, good home life.
You can't have both.

[ursulasmith]

I can't blame anyone for quitting the medical field.

[klb]

14 years as an RN now at the bedside and I’m done put a fork in me. Morally injured, ptsd, doing the work of RN, tech, social work, etc etc. Too much stress! I found you by searching I hate nursing.

[tulesg]

Only NURSES understand what you are talking about... From one Nurse to Another...I SALUTE YOU!

[poodledaddles]

I'm a nightshift nurse, I'm burned out, my health has tanked, I cannot recover on my days off. EVERYTHING you said was spot on, You have put into words things what I cannot explain even to my spouse and closet friend. I just withdraw and isolate from people that I love and people who love me b/c I am physically and mentally exhausted and just "talking" about it feels like one more thing I cannot do.

[eiraantoinette]

We all deserves to be happy! I quit my my job as a registered nurse last two years ago after almost 16 years in the field. It was not an easy decision, but life is too short to dread going to work everyday. No amount of money can buy real happiness Lol 😁but friends I'm not asking you to resign from your job or abandon your business but be wise!!

[elfredawright]

The Healthcare system in one word is BROKEN! 36 years in nursing - covered, bedside, education, and management. I salute you!

[mohamedsanad]

Jay. You are absolutely right. I am a doctor for 20 years and I am thinking about retiring early for the exact same reasons. You just described the true status of the current health system. Simply it is broken. I command you for your courage to realize and describe the reasons to quit. I believe you speak for so many people who work in health care.

[katherinestrotman]

All THE reasons why I left nursing in 2019. I’m now a clinical research associate, working from home and making a significant amount more for a much better job. I’m so much happier and in a much better place mentally.
Nursing is broken, nursing is NOT what it used to be, and hospitals are terrible to nurses.
I will never look back.

[nr]

I’m a travel nurse and no matter where you work it’s all the same BS. Nurses are overworked and the hospital system is completely burning us out. I agree with everything you said.

[TheHomesteadTrail]

100%! I moved from bedside RN to remote insurance UM 4 years ago and I will never go back. You can spend your shift busting your butt, literally save someone’s life, and all you’ll hear about is that one thing you forgot to chart. Oh, and while doing the work of 2 other nurses because they’re perpetually short staffed. I can’t tell you how many nights I was literally in charge of an entire hospital as a brand new nurse. It’s not safe and it’s not worth it. Good luck on your future endeavors!

[KayDejaVu]

This is why I laugh at when they say '"but you guys make alot of money". So do other professions. They don't understand what high stress does to you. I'm in nursing but will continue my side hustle so I'm not only depending on my job.