[paulla29]

Hi all. I have been an LPN for 13 years, currently taking two prereq classes for the LPN to RN transition. I'm also working full time and am a single mom of two teenagers.

My problem.....believe it or not, is not at home. I am majorly burn out at work. I feel sick just thinking about going, and I know I have a really bad attitude right now. What it boils down to, I can honestly say that I do not care anymore, about my patients, my coworkers, or even if I have a job to pay the bills..... so much cr*p has happened at work, I know that's why I feel the way I do.

I've started on an antidepressant. I feel trapped there. Do I stay miserable and make good money or go somewhere else and take a huge pay cut and suffer financially? I have been seriously searching out my options, and for LPN's in my area, it's pretty much another nursing home.

I need ideas on how to get over this funk. I do not have any vacation time to take some time to get away. Even feeling the way I do, getting mandatoried over frequently definitely does not help. I do not even want the hours I got. I am fighting the urge to turn in my resignation because I do not have anything else lined up yet. I am open to any suggestions anyone may have. Maybe I'm looking at this with blinders on.

[kiyatylese]

Can you ask to work PRN, so that way you can control your own schedule? Or maybe work a different floor? All I can tell you is that no job is worth ruining your health for. Good luck.

[Emmanuel Goldstein]

Do I stay miserable and make good money or go somewhere else and take a huge pay cut and suffer financially?

What good is the extra money if you're spending it on doctors and anti-depressants? Life is too short to ruin it by staying in a miserable situation. I've been there. Please take care of yourself.

[Semperdave]

Is there any way you can get a leave of absence? If you have started on an anti-depressant maybe you could put in for a medical leave?

[Harleygirl]

Hey...it's okay. I was an LPN for 6 years (LTC) and was super burned out and I decided to go back to school for RN, so congratulations on making that choice. I know you will not regret it. It opens up so many opportunities for you.
Now, back to the situation at hand. The thing I found that worked for me when it was all I could do to muster up enough strength to even go to work in the morning is make sure you have something outside of work and your kids that you can look forward to, possibly every day. This could be working out, reading a positive book, etc. You need to make some "me" time for yourself, and not feel guilty about it whatsoever! Give yourself permission, you deserve this time!
If you have been at this NH for a while, chances are it would be really hard to leave financially. I know when I switched jobs from LPN in NH to RN in hospital, I started at maybe $.50 over my LPN wage. If you can, stick it out. Take some CEU's in subjects that you wouldn't normally take. Do not let your job become your identity.
Please hang in there. You are a valuable person and I am sure an awesome nurse! Otherwise, you would not even care how this was affecting your patients. God bless you!

[gloria54]

Re: Burnout!
I read this and felt I compelled to respond. First, hang in there. I think under the circunstances you're facing, checking into FMLA at yourr place of work to get the time off you need is vital. Your doctor may be of assistance to you. I have been in this business for 24 years and i too am studying full-time, but thank god i'm part-time. Please explore your options to take a well-deserved break. my thoughts and prayers are with you. Good Luck

[GoLytely]

I know exactly how you feel. I realized when it got to the point I even started to resent the patients it was time to move on.

But move on where? I'm still trying to figure that out for myself. I took quite a pay cut to go from a very high stress job to a very low stress job, but it still isn't where I want to be. Thing is, it's so hard to get your foot in the door anywhere. Have you thought about working for an agency as an independent contractor so you can set your own schedule? Or taking a job as a private duty nurse? This is usually very low stress and you at least have time to clear your head instead of having to function with all the chaos at a nursing home or other business.

As far as the finances, I am supporting a family of six on a little over $400/week, some weeks I work an extra day and get $600. Oh yea, money is tight--kids are on Medicaid and the free school lunch program, their clothes come either from the knock off rack or the yard sale, supper for us is like, a big can of baked beans with a package of hot dogs cut up in it and some bread and milk or tea or water. Lunch is the dollar menu at Mcdonald's. We didn't live a jetsetter lifestyle before I left that stressful job making $1000/week but now we really know what it means to cut your lifestyle down to nothing. We don't have cable or satellite (get two channels with the antenna), we don't have cell phones (and I've never even used one of those blackberry things). We are not living high on the hog but I also never have to worry about being able to pay a light or phone or utility bill or gas for the car or even food to eat. We don't have anything extra but we have what we need and that is good enough trade off so I can spend most of my time home with my 3 month old.
The high stress job I left was starting to affect my health emotionally and physically. I was yelled at and berated over things I had absolutely no control over, I was running myself to death...it got to a point where I would rather have gone to live in the housing projects and ridden a pogo stick as have to stay at that job. I was eating Tums and drinking Alka-Seltzer like crazy, it was slowly killing me. It wasn't worth it. I felt like a bird out of a cage when I turned in my home health bag and walked out of that office and was so burned out I started looking for ways to get out of nursing altogether. I don't feel so bad now, but I'm still scarred.

I feel for your situation.

[rouqie]

I think someone needs to do a study and come up with a solution to all the depression in LTC nurses. I have been at my current job for nine years. first as a CNA, then LPN, and finally this year RN. I thought that getting my RN would make things a little better and I could get treated a little better but it didn't. I now just get more fustrated and burned out every time I go to work. I talk to my fellow nurses at least every day during my break so that i can vent. I also focus on the patient and what I can do for them. I have learned to try to focus just on the patients and not on all the bull that is flying around.

In my job I have approx. 6 different supervisors all telling me different things and telling me not to listen to the other supervisors. So I understand fustration at the job. Also my new boss can't start IV's and has only been a nurse for 2 years.

I have learned that in long term care that you need to keep your self educated or you get dummer by the day. I have only been out of school for approx. 6 months and I now feel like I need to go back because everything is changing.