Burned out and hate nursing

Nurses Stress 101

Published

Since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to be a nurse. I wanted to help people. I wanted to heal. Now 4 years out of nursing school, I HATE nursing with a passion. I am a med/surg nurse with a BSN.

Reasons I hate nurses (in no particular order)

1. Most days I feel like a pill-pusher. I don't feel like I make a difference.

2. Doctors feel they are perfect.

3. Patient satisfaction scores.

4. Patient sense of entitlement. (see #3)

5. Family at the bedside dictating what they want...like I am their personal servant. I have to comply (see #3).

6. Lack of appreciation mized with how much more work can they give us.

7. Nights, weekends, and holiday. I don't want to give everything I've got only to see no return in work satisfaction.

I don't want to be a case manager. I don't want home health nursing. I really want to be outside of the hospital. Quite honestly, I want to be away from people. I would be quite content to work on a computer and have email interactions. Preferably work from home. Any suggestions?

Specializes in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

I feel you. I hate the customer service mentality the most. I hate trying to smile when you're already so exhausted.

Specializes in Assisted Living Nurse Manager.

I have worked for a CMS contractor for the last five years. Have worked from home for four of those years. I hate it! It is very isolating and now I feel useless. I miss making a difference. i have applied for other jobs but never get an interview I am sure because I have no recent hands on experience.

OMG!!! I agree with you 100%!!!!! I want out of this prison!!!

Masters in epidemiology? I think that's a cool alternative.

Nothing wrong with hating it. Now you just need to figure out what your next move it. I am back in school and working part-time to get out of nursing. Good luck to you!

Hi! That sounds something to look into.. as long as the job market and outlook is good and the pay is well. Thank you!!

Hi, I'm trying to figure out my next move.. my wife is in school now and working part-time so I have to wait until next year. I just know that something has to change. What is your path?

Specializes in Home Health.

Did I write this post 2 years ago?

Specializes in icu,prime care,mri,ct, cardiology, pacu,.
Yeah informatics is kinda old. Never see ads wanting RNs for that anymore, they just use regular IT folks now. You know it's all corporate now. A friend of the family taught IT related stuff at a CC after he lost his IT job and now he's in charge of implementation and RN teaching at a hospital chain that's kind of in the boonies. He has absolutely no healthcare experience, and he teaches the RNs how to use the EMR....
look in the job for an it job and put your name

Look into becoming a clinical research associate for clinical research organizations like PPD, Quintiles, etc. A CRA audits charts for clinical studies, so they need a good medical background. No patient interaction, but you do interact with doctors and healthcare staff running the trials. You make good money as well.

I found myself thinking I hated nursing as well, but in reality it was the particular setting/ environment/schedule I was working that was not a good fit for me. Since I've started doing agency nursing full time I have exposed myself to a wide variety of different settings and environments (LTACs, rehab hospitals, group homes, assisted living, and health fairs, to name a few) which has helped me break up old patterns and routines and adapt/grow my skills in many different ways- not to mention the better pay, extreme flexibility and picking my own schedule is a plus! All that being said, I really quite enjoy nursing now more than I ever have before. So if you think you're burned out and haven't tried working for an agency (or multiple ones) try it out. You just might like it.

I hate nursing but it's all I've ever done so it's more of a "comfort zone" situation for me. However here recently I have been thinking about taking a break because I am burned out again for the 50th time in my career.

+ Add a Comment