[edynjoy]

Okay...so I'm new to nursing in NICU. Already I'm beginning to feel burned out. I can't say if it's new nurse blues (I've only been an RN since 8/05) or the fact that NICU may not be for me. I've already found myself looking for other job opportunities. While in school I externed in a Burn Unit and Transplant ICU. Perhaps I've had enough with poor prognoses and ICU environments. Did anyone else feel this way when they began....or is it just me? What did you do...where did you go?

I have explored the idea of the problem being with staff/facility and have concluded that it is not them...it's me.

Edynjoy

[monkeyman1000]

edynjoy, I started out on a med/surg ICU in Jan04 and have spent the last 6 months in a Trauma ICU. I was told to give it a couple of years before making a decision. I have learned alot in 2 years and I will always be glad I did it but I know it's not for me. It's perfectly okay if ICU isn't for you. I tend to find that there are certain personalities that gravitate to certain areas of nursing (just like docs, have you noticed that neuro docs are all wicked smart but pretty eccentric, cardiologists seem to think they are God, trauma guys are kind of laid back like ortho docs). Don't be afraid to look around if you feel you have really given ICU a try and you don't like it. I know that there is that 'I failed' or 'I'm giving up' feeling but don't let yourself buy into that (again, if you've really given it enough time to really see if it's for you). Just look through this forum and see that nurses are everywhere.

[edynjoy]

Thanks Monkeyman for your reply! From what I've been reading, with neuro, it's either you love it or hate it. I'm gravitating toward hate. I have learned alot in a short amount of time but I honestly am beginning to think that it is not a good area for me. The high point of me being there was catching a vasospasm at its initial stages...off to arteriogram we went, a little papavarine, and the pt is fine. However, it most cases that we see do not have positive outcomes. Nursing is a second career for me. I was used to M-F, 8-5 and I miss the interactions that I had with our customers. I'm also beginning to have ethical issues as well. The hospital that I work is a "teaching facility" and it can get very hairy when faced with interventions that make me question whether "we are prolonging life or prolonging death" and for whose benefit (sounds crazy...I know, but I hope that I'm making sense instead of what may appear as mindless rambling). All that said, I'm going to give it a little while longer.

[burn out]

just hang in there kid. you just have to give yourself time to get a tough skin. I remeber when I first started just on a med-surg unit when I lost my first patient I cried my eyes out now 20 years later it still bothers me but I have learned how to hold the tears back and take comfort in knowing I did the best I could do. Neuro ICU is a very tough unit with very poor outcomes. Please don,t sell yourself short . Maybe before you leave nursing you should give yourself a second cance on another unit. Really what you are going through is quite normal.

[burn out]

p.s. keep me posted on how it goes for you. good luck.

[goldenbobcat]

Take heart Ed. I have been an RN for many years and have worked almost every discipline of nursing. Neuro patients are by far the most difficult to provide care for. Aside from that, the patient's families tend to be more dependent and hovering. You often find yourself treating the entire family unit. It is very stressful and often emotionally taxing. It helps to vent.

[gongju]

What exactly about your neuro ICU experience are you having problems with. If it's the clientele you're dealing with you may want to try another ICU specialization like CVICU or SICU. I'm one of those people who love neurosurgery ICU; although, I guess I can see how many view it as being too sad of a unit to work in. Did you even like your Burn and Transplant ICU experience? Maybe you just dislike ICU in general. In that case you should explore other areas that may suit you better (maybe something completely different and more upbeat like Mother-Baby!?). There are sooo many areas in nursing so you shouldn't feel obligated to stay in one area if you know it isn't for you. Good Luck.

[ADDnurse]

You have chosen one of the toughest areas to work in and should pat yourself one the back for giving it a try. However, as others have pointed out, we all have areas that we are more suited to and gravitate towards. I have worked with some excellent nurses in my time that couldn't stand ICU/Floor/Peds/ you pick the area, but they all found somewhere where they could make a difference. The fact that you are acknowledging your feelings and asking for advise is also hard to do, and demonstrates your maturity and the high standards that you hold yourself to. From what you have said you sound like a good and caring person, precisely the kind of person we need in nursing. In closing, don't quit, ask your friends and colleagues (that you respect) where they think you qualities are best suited, but as Monkeyman1000 advised, don't rush it, you have along career ahead of you.
Thanks
Tony

[kindaquazie]

You sound like a smart cookie. Just do whatever you need to do to continue to love being a nurse. As a nurse, you can work in a variety of settings with a variety of patients, or no patients at all. If you are a BSN, consider teaching clinicals to students one day per week. There is nothing like lighting the fire in someone else to keep yours burning. My point is, there are so many options it is impossible to list them all. Look around, keep an open mind, and stay in nursing. We really need thoughtful committed people to stay in practice.