Nurse's Rant Over 'Soul Destroying Job' Is All Of Us At Our Breaking Points

She couldn't take it anymore.

After working a nightmare of a shift during which she was left responsible for over 20 patients at a hospital – not to mention the fact that she came into work sick -- a single mother and nurse let loose.

In an open letter, the anonymous nurse wrote,

Words cannot express how miserable I was today and have been on so many occasions in the past. If anyone asked me advice on pursuing a career in nursing I would strongly advise against it. It is by far the worst decision I ever made. The HSE is shockingly understaffed and over worked.

The letter was posted on a Facebook group called "Support for Nurses, Midwives and Frontline Staff in Ireland."

The group frequently posts information related to the working conditions of nurses. The "HSE" the anonymous nurse is referring to in her post appears to be the Health Service Executive: the government-funded body in Ireland that is responsible for providing health care to citizens.

The letter wasn't only about the conditions of her job on that specific day, though. The woman said the compensation nurses receive in general is a joke.

I did not get paid a penny for the work I did today as I am not even in my internship. Zilch. Even when I finally qualify I get paid buttons for the work I do, just like all the other nurses when they qualify. I can barely feed my daughter and I cannot pay my car tax/insurance, my electricity, I often stay freezing cold in the winter because I can't afford to put the heating on.

The woman also said that nurses don't even have the option of going on strike to fight for better pay because their absences at work could prove fatal for patients.

Ultimately, it looks like nurses just have to deal with everything, even in the worst situations. From the looks of this letter, though, dealing with all of this can be nearly unbearable.

I am broken, defeated, deflated and soul destroyed. I am a former shadow of my happy, bright eyed, social self. I am lost. How are we as nurses expected to look after others if we cannot look after ourselves? Why does the government not care about us? Why are we so undervalued?

These are all very important questions, and they need immediate answers.

Citations: Metro.co.uk