Finally decided to quit nursing

Nurses Professionalism

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Hi everyone. I have been a nurse for over 7 years and for the past year I have debated getting out of the profession for good. I had just finished the week long hospital orientation for a new job and was to start clinical orientation Sunday. Between Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon I was having big doubts about the job, then I realized that it wasn't the job itself that I didn't like. I hate hate hate being a nurse. I called the unit manager on her cell phone Saturday afternoon and told her my decision and that I would not be coming back. I am scared to death because I have no income at this point but at the same time I have a sense of relief and peace about the whole situation.

Specializes in Author/Business Coach.

I am so happy for you! You walked away from a situation that you were not happy with. Shame on others who have scorned you for your decision.

I am also an ICU nurse who is tired and stressed out all of the time. It's gotten to the point that I cry at work because of the stress and snap at my loved ones. I too am ready to walk away from my current situation. I'm working on getting away from the bedside. I'll be starting my own business soon and entering my 2nd semester of FNP school as well.

I can't wait for the day that I can at least go per diem at my job...and then finally quit!

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I've been in nursing for seven years and plan to leave for good in three months. I cannot wait to hang up my stethoscope forever. I work in a great hospital -- never been mandated, almost always well staffed -- and my co-workers are all wonderful. It's the job itself that got to me. I'm so tired of pretending I care about people who don't care about themselves enough to manage their own medical conditions. I'm sick of putting on the false "nurse face" and coming into work with a phony smile for everyone.

Nursing really is not for everyone.

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I've been in nursing for seven years and plan to leave for good in three months. I cannot wait to hang up my stethoscope forever. I work in a great hospital -- never been mandated, almost always well staffed -- and my co-workers are all wonderful. It's the job itself that got to me. I'm so tired of pretending I care about people who don't care about themselves enough to manage their own medical conditions. I'm sick of putting on the false "nurse face" and coming into work with a phony smile for everyone.

Nursing really is not for everyone.

Being a fitness fan, myself- I have to admit I can't stand to be around people that let themselves go to hell, and expect to be waited on. I get flat out disgusted to see an obsese person, and smoking with one hand and shoving food into mouth with the other, etc. And the cruder and nastier and more unhealthy some of those types are, they are the ones that try to start the most trouble with people that have to take 'care' of them. Makes ME sick!

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I completely agree. I am quitting nursing because I feel so stressed out and I feel like crying before my shift, during my shift, and after my shift. The other day I cried for a straight 45 minutes (the whole ride home)! I can never seem to find the right position, but have felt obligated to work as a nurse because now I am in enormous debt as a result of nursing school (private nursing school at a big university). I am so mad at myself because I thought this profession would be something it is not. I am worked to the bone, underpaid, stressed, and the patients just keep on coming with no end in sight! I have also had it with patients who are unappreciative and who have a sense of entitlement... who treat me like a servant and not a nurse! pull up your own damn blanket.. your arms are not broken!! ugh.. so sick of it. Anyway, I am glad that there are others out there who can feel my pain and are sympathetic because you get it. Life is too short to hate your job and be miserable. I am close to finishing up a MBA... I hope and pray that God will lead me to where he wants me to be.

God Bless all of you.

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The other day I was told by management that some nurses felt that I was upset when they were giving me report.. that they felt my tension/anger... I couldn't believe it!? Are you serious?! I got a crappy @$$ team and I'm supposed to be happy about it and not show any emotion?? That was so ridiculous. The funny thing is that the oncoming nurse taking report from me got all huffy and puffy when she took over my assignment! lol I just had to laugh.. I'm not one to tattle on people, but it sucks to work with backstabbing nurses who will turn you in in a hot minute.

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In my case, it was IT I bailed on - ironically enough, the last place I worked is looking for a programmer as we speak! Needless to say, even being financially back up against the wall I'm not interested in sticking my head back into that particular meatgrinder - get the shakes just thinking about it.

I totally hear you on this Dave. I'm an ex-Software Engineer who began his career during the dot-com era and the heady rush of working for names like Intel and Netscape. I left IT and Software Development for nursing, and the thought of going back into the IT industry makes me want to go play in traffic. I'll clean bedpans with a smile on my face and a twinkle in my eye before I go back to that hell. :up:

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Specializes in LTAC, ICU, ER, Informatics.
I totally hear you on this Dave. I'm an ex-Software Engineer who began his career during the dot-com era and the heady rush of working for names like Intel and Netscape. I left IT and Software Development for nursing, and the thought of going back into the IT industry makes me want to go play in traffic. I'll clean bedpans with a smile on my face and a twinkle in my eye before I go back to that hell. :up:

Count me in that group. I left IT in March after I passed my NCLEX and found a job in an LTAC ICU. My days are long and I'm physically exhausted when I get off, but I feel more fulfilled and happy doing this than I did for almost 20 years as a Data Warehouse Analyst. Yeah, I made good money in IT, but I worked 60 hour weeks for the same money I signed on for 40 hour weeks for. Deadlines were imposed by people who had no clue what effort was needed, and being on call meant sleep was disrupted more nights than not because of server problems. Having to take the work laptop and an aircard on every vacation because the work wouldn't wait or they needed access to you for "emergencies".

Yep, the thought of that makes me want to go play in traffic too.

The reality I've come to accept is that every job has parts of it that suck rotten eggs. When you don't love (or at least like) the good parts of your job enough to put up with the bad parts, it's time to find something else to do.

I don't blame someone for leaving nursing because I figure they feel about nursing the way I do about IT. I just don't like being called naive or stupid for leaving a "cushy" job in IT for the "slavery" of nursing. We each have to be true to ourselves and find our place to be happy in. At least until we win the lottery. ;)

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I would love to never have to be a bedside nurse again. I have an ASN only and have worked as a Staff RN on a med/sug/tele floor for 2.5 years. I quit this job a year ago because I had to move to another state because of my husbands work. I didn't get a job there because once I wasn't working in a hospital, I couldn't bring myself to go back to one. I didn't enjoy the job for several reasons, many have already been explained in this thread.

I want to use my nursing degree because I am still in debt with student loans and feel like I shouldn't increase this debt to get a BSN. I know there are many positions for RNs away from the bedside, some of which have been mentioned in this thread. Many of them require a BSN, as well as, prior experience. I have applied to many positions that state prior experience or BSN preferred instead of required, but I've had no luck. It's time for me to do some type of work, I just can't figure out what that should be.

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My thoughts exactly. And people complaining about this post are obviously not nurses.

False. I disagree with this post and I've been a nurse for several years now.

First of all I hate people who work with under served populations anyways. Do you think you're doing someone in these areas a favor? Blessing them with your expertise?! As a person who grew up in a under served area, we don't see ourselves that way and can't understand why all these people who don't live in the area want to work in the area? Dumbfounds me, why don't you work where you live? I'm sure they won't miss you. (if that sounds harsh I understand you won't miss them either, so no harm done.)

Also I don't think nursing salaries will take a nosedive, I just think they will stop going up. I don't think the nursing bubble is close to ending yet, the baby boomer population will have to die first.

You have no idea about the quality of schooling. We have gone from certificate programs to needing a bachelor to some cases a masters DEGREE just for entry level positions. Do you understand the average person entering into a MSN program has taken an SAT, NCLEX, GR,E and graduate standardized test just to finish school. ALL THOSE TESTS, and those have nothing to do with the schoolwork that was completed. When I was in undergrad they didn't even accept transfers and the average nursing GPA of applicants was a 3.9. Really a 3.9! Most nurses have to complete tons and tons of prereq's just in order to BEGIN nursing school!! I think you are experiencing some difficulty in dealing with a different brand of nurses. Ones who are used to calculators, spell check and grammar checkers. So they are lax on those mundane parts of the learning process. It is sad to see that many students have lost the basics, but that's the price to pay for technology. Well, we don't HAVE to pay for it, but we are.

But it's judgmental people like you that has caused nurses like me to HATE nursing. I DESPISE nursing. Not because of entitled patients, or other newer nurses who are all dumber than me :no: . I hate nursing because of nurse bullies and stupid, condescending, backbiting nurses who are all struggling against each other for their next pay raise. I hate that having a job has become reduced to a sad undignified version of the hunger games.

I wish I could quit as well, and if God is willing, the opportunity will present itself.

Sorry if I sound angry, it's really not directed towards anyone specific, but a general attitude that you have expressed that is pervasive throughout nursing.

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Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.

I seem to recall some study back in the nineties that found the average professional life of an RN to be six to seven years.

Indeed, it seems the hardest years are the first two, and then again about year seven.

Sounds like marriage doesn't it!

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Good for the OP... It takes a lot of balls to do what they had to do. I have been a nurse for two years and was a CNA for two before that. Thing is, I really like nursing but I hate all the crap you have to deal with. I choose to avoid the mega hospitals and work for a small rural acute facility. The doctors are nice (amazing actually... a lot of us are on a first name basis), most of the staff is cool and nurses are very hard to staff in are facility so we are really needed and are by no means disposable. However, there is still the class stress to deal with, the back stabbing, the insane requirments to get a thosand things done and chart on them when their is only time for 500.

However, my job is not what defines me. Ultimately, it is just what pays the bills and allows me to follow my passions of travel (which I am able to do pretty often with my job). I don't always want to be a floor nurse... f*** that! Yet, I could see myself doing something a little more low key like home health care (not hot about heavy lifting though), IV nursing, school nursing ect. There are many options out there it seems and, sure, nursing is tough but you really can't beat working a few days and then geting 4-5 off like I do! It's pretty sweet.

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I wish you the best. Everyone deserves to do a job they enjoy.

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