New Nurse and Need Advice...Thinking about Public Health Nurisng in Future

[Guest989734]

This is my first time on this site and I am hoping to get insight/input from my fellow nurses. I am a new nurse on a med surg floor in a small hospital and still on orientation. In my time as a new nurse, I have realized that bedside care is not what I want to do. I guess I am experiencing the anxiety, stress, and overwhelming factors that comes with being a new nurse. For me, it's overwhelming to have someone's life in my hands and having the huge responsibility that comes with being in a hospital. I really want to be good at what I do and I know it's a learning process that will take time.... I am just so hard on myself for not being smart enough or competent enough. It gets to the point where I am deeply depressed and don't have motivation to want to do anything when I am at home. I am seeing a therapist and trying to help myself overcome this.

I find myself wanting to do the 2-3 years of "obligatory" med surg experience to get clinical experience, but don't know if I can last.... It might be that I will eventually find myself liking or being content with this job (which is a good thing) or I might just be really, really miserable 1-2 years down the line. I guess I just need some advice on this.

Another thing is that I am interested in is public health and would love to do this one day. I live in CA, have an ASN, have a BS in a non-nursing area, and plan on getting a PHN certificate from one of the CSUs that offer just the certificate. Any public health nurses out there who can give me tips/advice on how to get into this field one day? Thank you all so much.