Published
Nope...it took me two jobs after my first failure job; all three of those jobs put me in the right specialty that I currently in.
Every nurse is different; it wouldn't do me any good to be envious of others accomplishments because they don't fit who I am; and no one shouldn't be envious of me because I am different.
Remember, even if your classmates have jobs that look good on paper, that doesn't mean they are happy. Every nurse will have to go through the learning to be a new nurse, and this is stressful.
It is too early in any nurse's career to determine success since you are all right out of school.
Yup. I totally get what you're saying. Pediatrics procedures scares the piss out of me. Long term care nurses have patience beyond mortal comprehension. ICU nurses seem to know more about tubes, drips, and pathophysiology than anyone I know.
I just stabilize and send. Oh, and bring ginger ale to everyone in the universe.
That mindset is toxic to your well being You must never compare yourself to others.Stay in your own lane,focus your energy on what your interests are and what you need and want. It is even OK if you do not know what that exactly is at this point. The truth is you really do not know all the trials and tribulations they may be going through. It takes years to become comfortable in these areas of nursing and even then its constant learning.
I graduated from a class of about 60 or so nurses, most of whom have gone onto amazing nursing jobs and are quite successful at them. Some of them are working on ICU and PCUS (AS THEIR FIRST NURSING JOBS!!!), I know one that is working in an IV infusion center (and I can't even start an IV, since my school did not teach it) and more. I've got a new nursing job coming up, after failing my first one, but it's no where near as impressive as these other jobs. I can't help but feel a bit envious that these other new grads are way more successful than I am and much better nurses and people than me. Anyone else feel like this?
"way more successful than I am and much better nurses and people than me. "
No they are not. They just started out in a different place. You are very successful. You made it through nursing school.
Please stop wasting energy comparing yourself.
Onward and upward! Let us know how it's going.
I graduated from a class of about 60 or so nurses, most of whom have gone onto amazing nursing jobs and are quite successful at them. Some of them are working on ICU and PCUS (AS THEIR FIRST NURSING JOBS!!!), I know one that is working in an IV infusion center (and I can't even start an IV, since my school did not teach it) and more. I've got a new nursing job coming up, after failing my first one, but it's no where near as impressive as these other jobs. I can't help but feel a bit envious that these other new grads are way more successful than I am and much better nurses and people than me. Anyone else feel like this?
I am not sure how other nurse's jobs/abilities translate into them being "much better nurses and people". I think your view is tainted by your ongoing feeling of being a failure because of the first job. It almost seems that your thinking is stuck in that mode. You need to start re-wiring your thinking in a way that is productive and more in sync with reality.
I get that you feel you are a failure because it was your first job and did not work out. But when you look at the whole situation from a different perspective, you might be able to realize that jobs can be a bad fit, everybody has different abilities, strengths, and wishes. There is no law that says you are only a good person and a good nurse if you make it in PCU or ICU - that is just not true. By the way - you can be an great nurse but an awful person and the other way around...
Success does not equal happiness as somebody also mentioned. Plus what do you really know about the inner life of other people? Is it the "Facebook Illusion" in which everybody has always amazing lifes, amazing pictures, amazing kids .... ? From working as a nurse for 20 + years I know that all new graduates struggle - some more visible than others. And I have seen new nurses go because it was not a good fit. I left a job that was not a good fit for me -pay was great but I hated it and did not feel that I would be happy. And I left a job with great reputation in one of the best hospitals because I did not like how nurses treated each other. Was not good fit.
But to get back to your question :
I am totally bad at drawing blood. I started out in ICU where everybody had central lines, A lines, PA catheters and what not and we literally never had to do a peripheral stick. There were those rare occasions when people needed a blood culture stick but that was it. Later on I just never got the hang of it. I was sent to the blood draw center in order to learn - they gave up after some hours !
So - I would like to be able to draw blood but it is not my skill.
purplegal
432 Posts
I graduated from a class of about 60 or so nurses, most of whom have gone onto amazing nursing jobs and are quite successful at them. Some of them are working on ICU and PCUS (AS THEIR FIRST NURSING JOBS!!!), I know one that is working in an IV infusion center (and I can't even start an IV, since my school did not teach it) and more. I've got a new nursing job coming up, after failing my first one, but it's no where near as impressive as these other jobs. I can't help but feel a bit envious that these other new grads are way more successful than I am and much better nurses and people than me. Anyone else feel like this?