To those who want to leave nursing

Nurses Professionalism

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  • Specializes in LTC, Medical, Telemetry.

You are reading page 5 of To those who want to leave nursing

IMO I think the OP and most of the repliers had really great thought provoking ideas (especially Leslie). I get kind of offended when ppl start bringing age into it. I'm 26 with a husband, a mortgage, and 2 small kids. I've had cancer (nothing too bad but cancer none the less) and have seen things in nursing I wish I could forget. None of this seems easy to me but some posters would dsagree and say that at 25 life is easy. I'm pretty sure it has to do with circumstances. I know 30, 40, and a few 50 somethings that live a very carefree life (no kids, sig. other, no major bills), but does their opinion mean more bc of age. The OP was just venting...no harm no foul. The one thing I will say is even f I wanted to leave nursing tomorrow I couldn't. Too many ppl depend on me for food,clothing, and shelter... ya know the easy stuff :)

Blackheartednurse

1,216 Posts

oh my god you are kidding right? Dont you see that we are the harderst working, least respected health care provider, I cant not believe this...

Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN

1 Article; 1,978 Posts

Specializes in School Nursing.

The OP had some valid points that I agree wholeheartedly with, such as the grass not always being greener and all career path have their pros and cons. But he lost me with the whole "welcome to nursing" thing. Someone relatively new to the profession giving a reality check to seasoned nurses who have had enough of it? That does not sit well with me. Like others have said, check back with us in 20 or so years. Hopefully when the OP gets to this point there will still be an AN around for him to vent and seek advice on changing paths. It is not an age thing, it is an experience thing. The OP could be 50 with 3 years experience and the responses would likely have been the same.

Editorial Team / Moderator

Lunah, MSN, RN

14 Articles; 13,766 Posts

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

I've been where the grass is greener .... I came over to this grass here, this nursing grass. Why? Because I said "I'm sick of my soul-sucking corporate job, I can't take it anymore." Has anyone seen the movie "Horrible Bosses"? The guy who was president and promotes himself to the slot Jason Bateman was promised? Yeah, I worked for about 10 of those guys. Every day I was miserable, hateful. My commute was AWFUL, the hours were long (and I was salaried, so unfairly compensated for my 60+ hour weeks), and I thought I might lose my mind. Miserable, miserable. So what did I do? I became an EMT-B for the heck of it, because I'd always wanted to, and went back to school to become a paramedic. And one day I decided to chuck it all -- my office, my title, my decade-plus of seniority at my company, my annual $5K holiday bonus, my staff, the work I'd been doing for years and years -- to take a 50% paycut to work as an ER tech. Bottom of the food chain, baby. And guess what? I was HAPPY! OMG, I loved my work. Loved it so much I did a paramedic-to-RN program, and here I am. (Well, now with a BSN and CEN and CPEN, and a 1LT commission in the Army Nurse Corps.) I didn't like my grass. I found it to be greener here ... Army green, even. Hahaha.

So I can appreciate the point the OP made, even if it did ignite some ire in the delivery. I really, really, REALLY feel badly for people when I see them in a career they hate. But truly, I've maybe only met a couple of nurses that really hate nursing enough to want to leave, but they've been nurses forever and had no clue what else they'd do ... so they bide their time, bitter and pretty hateful toward everyone, staff and patients alike.

I'm the kind of person that believes that change -- positive change -- is always possible. (Naive? Optimistic? Whatever.) There are so many avenues in nursing, and I hope that if someone who is miserable in their lane read the OP's post, or the rest of this thread, that maybe they'll be inspired to change lanes, even if it is just going from one area in nursing to another.

PunkBenRN

92 Posts

Specializes in LTC, Medical, Telemetry.

You guys are right. I am a prosperous 25 year old male nurse who knows nothing. How could I? My ego needs a check as well, because on top of knowing nothing I think I know everything. Omit this post, its not worth reading.

I'll stay positive and keep myself moving forward.

You guys are right. I am a prosperous 25 year old male nurse who knows nothing. How could I? My ego needs a check as well, because on top of knowing nothing I think I know everything. Omit this post, its not worth reading.

I'll stay positive and keep myself moving forward.

Communication is at least as much about delivery as it is about message. Honestly, I could have overlooked much of your delivery but you lost me at the "grow up" comment.

Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.
Communication is at least as much about delivery as it is about message. Honestly, I could have overlooked much of your delivery but you lost me at the "grow up" comment.

Me too...

Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.
You guys are right. I am a prosperous 25 year old male nurse who knows nothing. How could I? My ego needs a check as well, because on top of knowing nothing I think I know everything. Omit this post, its not worth reading.

I'll stay positive and keep myself moving forward.

:smackingf Not trying to sound overly insensitive, but want a little cheese with that whine??

Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.
IMO I think the OP and most of the repliers had really great thought provoking ideas (especially Leslie). I get kind of offended when ppl start bringing age into it. I'm 26 with a husband, a mortgage, and 2 small kids. I've had cancer (nothing too bad but cancer none the less) and have seen things in nursing I wish I could forget. None of this seems easy to me but some posters would dsagree and say that at 25 life is easy. I'm pretty sure it has to do with circumstances. I know 30, 40, and a few 50 somethings that live a very carefree life (no kids, sig. other, no major bills), but does their opinion mean more bc of age. The OP was just venting...no harm no foul. The one thing I will say is even f I wanted to leave nursing tomorrow I couldn't. Too many ppl depend on me for food,clothing, and shelter... ya know the easy stuff :)

I haven't seen any posts on here putting down young people at all as you are elluding to.

We are just making the point that as u get older, you can't bounce back as quickly - life IS easier in that regard. And I didn't know any 25 year olds when I was younger who were married with 2 kids - everyone I knew either had a bf, or was travelling/working.

I don't think anyone here is putting down 25 year olds.

Healing Soul

20 Posts

Hello,

I am a former nursing assistant and all I wish for you is that you find happiness your job should not make you unhappy. I also think venting and sharing is theraputic and interesting to read.

Dixielee, BSN, RN

1,222 Posts

Specializes in ER.
You guys are right. I am a prosperous 25 year old male nurse who knows nothing. How could I? My ego needs a check as well, because on top of knowing nothing I think I know everything. Omit this post, its not worth reading.

I'll stay positive and keep myself moving forward.

I thought you made a lot of valid observations and age and insight are completely different animals. I have been a nurse almost 40 years and have had a wide variety of nursing positions. I have been back to school 3 different times, have done management, education and staff nursing. They all have their positives and negatives.

I only had 3 jobs before I became a nurse. I worked at a gift shop in a state park, Spencer Gifts at the mall (great job for $1.90/hr), and I folded baby clothes at Target before I began my work as a student nurse at the hospital (yes we could work independently while in school way back when). None of the non nursing jobs carried any degree of responsibility.

Patience in all things is the key. I agree about not allowing yourself to become a victim. The only person responsible for Dixielee is Dixielee! I am the one responsible for keeping myself safe, warm, dry, employed and happy. I am my own best advocate, sometimes my only advocate!

So, if this is harsh, then I accept that criticism, but if we are not happy, satisfied, complete, etc., who do we have to blame? It is not my managers responsibility, the governments responsibility, my family's responsibility to make me happy. It is up to me, and only me. So if something needs changing...make it happen.

OCNRN63, RN

5,978 Posts

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
I thought you made a lot of valid observations and age and insight are completely different animals. I have been a nurse almost 40 years and have had a wide variety of nursing positions. I have been back to school 3 different times, have done management, education and staff nursing. They all have their positives and negatives.

I only had 3 jobs before I became a nurse. I worked at a gift shop in a state park, Spencer Gifts at the mall (great job for $1.90/hr), and I folded baby clothes at Target before I began my work as a student nurse at the hospital (yes we could work independently while in school way back when). None of the non nursing jobs carried any degree of responsibility.

Patience in all things is the key. I agree about not allowing yourself to become a victim. The only person responsible for Dixielee is Dixielee! I am the one responsible for keeping myself safe, warm, dry, employed and happy. I am my own best advocate, sometimes my only advocate!

So, if this is harsh, then I accept that criticism, but if we are not happy, satisfied, complete, etc., who do we have to blame? It is not my managers responsibility, the governments responsibility, my family's responsibility to make me happy. It is up to me, and only me. So if something needs changing...make it happen.

The difference between you and the OP, Dixielee, is tact. Your post is tactful and there's not an ounce of braggadocio in it.

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