Just Thinking About Leaving Nursing...

Nurses Career Support

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Specializes in Ortho and Tele med/surg.

I've been a nurse for 2 years and I'm at cross road. I have to decide whether to continue to further my education or leave nursing all together. I've worked in a few hospitals it's all the same. We have become jaded or accustomed to unsafe working conditions. A part of me is questioning the direction of where healthcare is heading and I'm not sure if I want to do it anymore. Trust me, I know that this is not an original question. I have seen many nurses come on here and asking about leaving the profession. I've heard them say over and over how they have invest and sacrificed so much that it's hard for them to walk away. I don't see any NP's around me ask about the job satisfaction so that's why I'm asking everyone here. The thing is I've never really thought about doing anything else. If I leave, I feel lost because I'm not really good at doing anything else, but yet conditions of being a nurse is sometimes too overwhelming. Has anyone on here ever successfully pursued something else?

P.S. My former co-workers encouraged me to travel. I resisted for a while and finally took the plunge and boy, I'm paying for it. I went from a fixed nurse to pt ratio of 1:6 to 1:11. (I'm relieved it's only 13 weeks). I've lost my confidence in traveling. The fear of never knowing what to expect. But I guess it's the nature of nursing. I've started to develop depression because I feel as if I can't change the situation our pt's and nurses.

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Its a toughie, all i can say is follow your heart and I know that is rather cliche.....

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Specializes in Oncology, Psych, Corrections.

Although I have never felt the way you do, I understand what you're saying. I think I was born to be a nurse. I say further your education and maybe get into a management position. I did bedside for 4 years and now I work in a prison. I'm in a BSN program now and am looking forward to the doors it will open. I don't think I could EVER go back to bedside, expecially in a state with no ratio.

I traveled for a while in California and had a WONDERFUL experience!!! They do have ratios so you will not get 11 patients. That is crazy!!!

Hang in there!!! Good luck to ya :)

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How about, why not try working in a home health pediatric? You only take care of one pt in 8hr or 12hr shift, its very slow pace.

:)

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Travel nursing is utilized for places that have high turnover and who can't seem to keep their nurses. Gee I wonder why! So therein you can be working in difficult situations because there is a reason for such high turnover, usually poor working conditions and high patient ratio's.

They are counting on money being enough of a lure for travel nurses to put up with the poor working conditions their own nurses won't! Keep looking and ask about staffing ratios before you take another travel job.

When you are ready to settle down in a place work agency and check out all the hospitals that way and then if you find a good one you will have an in to get hired. It is hard to find a good one, but they do exist. Union places and the VA would be good places to start. The VA probably has the best pay and benefits in nursing anywhere in the country! They actually reimburse your tuition and even pay for your BSN if you get it and then you actually get a sizeable pay increase for having a BSN, most places give you a dollar if they even give you any more for it. I know coworkers who have gone to the VA, it generally is a long process, sometimes months and lots of background checking, heard they even get in touch with your neighbors. But if you get in your home free. They were involved in computerized charting and med administration from the beginning and they have made the hospitals no lift environments with state of the art equipment! Check it out!

Can anyone working at a VA hospital give feedback on their experience, working conditions, and hiring process, etc?

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Specializes in neuro/ortho med surge 4.

I have ben a nurse for 3 years and feel like I want to get out of nursing at times also. It is not the patients but the constant anxiety of finishing on time and feeling overwhelmed a lot of the time. I love the hands on care of patients and feel like there is never enough time to devote to patient care. I stay because I really enjoy patient care and I have put in too much blood, sweat and tears into becoming an RN.

I would not get out of the profession until you have explored other opportunities with in nursing. I do understand your frustration though.

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If you are considering education for a different field already, then why not look at a field that would build on your nursing experience? As a LPN I thought I wanted out of nursing and I went on to get a degree in Health Information Management. While going through the HIM program I discovered that I was drawn to all the positions that were close to nursing! :-) So now, I am back in school to get RN credentials and hope to combine that with RHIA to make the best of both worlds.

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Specializes in Ortho and Tele med/surg.

brandy1017,

I did a phone interview with manager prior to taking the job. I specially asked her what the ratio was and she said 1:7. So can you imagine how much anger I felt after the first week? She should have told me the truth. I was so livid, I wanted to call the agency and get out of the contract. The contract will be completed in January and believe me, I will NEVER work for that facility again. Thank you for all your advice.

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Specializes in MedSurg, OR, Cardiac step down.

what agancy is that?

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Did you ask the manager why she lied to you. Why you have 11 patients and not 7 that you had agreed to. Could you just back out of the contract?

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Specializes in TELE, CVU, ICU.

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i don't know what to tell you.

i have been a nurse for eight long years an clicked on this because i feel the same. after graduation, i worked the same low paying position as a staff nurse on a tele unit for five years. the only reason i stayed there that long was because of a terrifying incident that occurred when i took a second job about two years in. i had been in a rut and thought a new job with new challenges might rejuvenate me. instead, i realized just how evil and vindictive nurses could be.

i was so devastated that i was afraid to look at any other opportunities until after four years i gathered the courage to take another job that paid more closer to home. i kept the first job as per diem just in case. the move renewed my passion briefly, but after awhile the working conditions just wore me down. i was in a rut again. i decided to go back to school for my bsn, found out how challenging full time school was with two jobs. i quit my "home" job (that i had worked since graduation) and stayed in the new place. although i could have begged my old manager for my full time job back, i chose not to because, quite frankly i couldn't stand dealing with her and my immediate supervisor at the new place was tolerable. in addition, as stated previously the new place paid more and was closer to home.

keep in mind this new place is the most bizarre, kafkaesque environment i have ever encountered. the hospital is old, but was purchased by a large for profit healthcare corporation some years back. every few years the higher ups in corporate get rid of everyone in middle management, and i mean everyone-they fire the ceo, cfo, cno, coo,directors, managers and anyone else they can get their hands on. they radically reorganize everything, have employees written up for anything, and generally cause chaos. when this happened i thought it so strange i asked old-timers *** was going on, they said, "oh this happens every couple of years." i did research (on allnurses) and found out that this occurs in other facilities they own. i believe the poster said it was to "shake everyone up."

after this i started looking for work elsewhere. of course, that was just about the peak of the recession, and hiring stopped. i was trapped at this job, felt like i was working in the twilight zone. then he $#!% hit the fan, and i figured out why they "shake things up" every few years. this place is a union shop, and contract negotiations are coincidentally due about the same time they fire everybody (my previous employer was non-profit and non union). after a year of tense negotiations, the union voted to go on strike, which i originally supported, until i found out what they were striking over. needless to say, it was total bs on both sides. i crossed the line, figuring i was scheduled anyway so i might as well work as promised.

after graduation i transferred to the icu to escape yet another rut and have discovered that it's the same old $#!%. i am done. i want out. i got an offer to sell vad's went on an interview, but didn't get the job. i've been applying to the state prison system, gotten several offers i haven't really pursued because they are in bfe. i am done. i want out. i am sick of the bedside not because of the patients, whom i love caring for but because of the bs that prevents me from caring for them. i am only going to that hellhole so that i can pay my bills. i have a chant i use before work to get me in the mood "assessment charting communication customer service focus i love my job it's going to be a great night positive attitude teamwork time management" these are the favorite things of my employer. it's not working anymore.

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Specializes in A myriad of specialties.
brandy1017,

I did a phone interview with manager prior to taking the job. I specially asked her what the ratio was and she said 1:7. So can you imagine how much anger I felt after the first week? She should have told me the truth. I was so livid, I wanted to call the agency and get out of the contract. The contract will be completed in January and believe me, I will NEVER work for that facility again. Thank you for all your advice.

I'd be furious too. Seems to me the agency violated the contract when you were lied to. You were misled after honestly asking about the ratios. Therefore, the agency should let you out of the contract.

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