Successfully left the hospital .......

[luckydaisy84]

Hi there!

So.... I am very pleased to say that I have successfully left the hospital. Do I feel strange? Of course!! I mean, nurses MUST work in hospitals, right (well, that is where the stigma lies)? Not true. Was I lucky? Maybe. Was it my background? Absolutely. Was it the way I marketed myself? Yes! Here is some background.....

I became a licensed RN in April of this year, with a BSN degree. I went out there thinking I was going to be a super nurse....I was going to be the best and give my patients the utmost care and attention that they should have! BOY WAS I WRONG! Talk about a rude awakening. School had never prepared me for this crazy, backstabbing, ruthless world. It should be called tip toeing so you don't tick off the administrators!

I am a sensitive individual and always have been. I am very empathetic and have a mind for science and an interest in learning everyday. So... naturally I fell in love with the idea of nursing (after being a medical assistant). I graduated with a 3.78/4.0, on all kinds of lists, Sigma Theta Tau.. you name it!

So, that being said, my career in a hospital lasted for 2 months. It was 2 months of HELL! I loved my patients....my patients were amazing! (I love geriatrics.... love hearing their histories and stories). I started in a program for new nurses. I was so excited.... I was finally going to be working as a nurse, YAY (riiiiight!). The first 4 weeks I spent with one preceptor who was amazing! I started to gain some confidence.... and then they placed me on a floor in which I was not hired for. Okay.... no biggie, I gave it a shot. I was SO unhappy. I was getting, literally, sick before work. As in... sick, I could not eat something because it was going to be hurled up in several undigested chunks! My preceptor on this new floor was horrid. She made my life hell, but on my part, I never spoke up (big mistake). I kept telling them that I was very unhappy and this is not what I expected nursing to be. I had a charge nurse that would not even say hello, after I would say hello and ask how she was....guess I wasn't part of the click. This environment started to take a toll on my health... so, luckily, I was able to get out of my work contract (as they could not place in me on the floor I was originally hired for.....YES!).

It took me 2 1/2 weeks to find work, OUTSIDE of the hospital. I applied for a position as a medical assistant (my plan was a long shot, but it was worth a try). I met with the doctor because he was interested in my nursing education. He was the most charming, sweethearted doc I have ever met! I talked to him and he really loved my personality and professionalism. I told him about how I want to be an RN with his practice, and told him the contributions I can make as an RN and how much it will help him and aid him in seeing patients. He loved the idea! (especially because I have been a medical asst. prior)

Happy to say I am RN in a medical office. I work M-F, 9-5 and holidays off. I have never been happier. I did take a slight pay cut, but I was also driving 45 min each way to the hospital and my new job is literally 5 min away from my house, so the difference is not really that significant when gas expenses came into play.

I see many posts regarding leaving the profession. I thought of it, but I love nursing... just not nursing at a hospital, per say. I get to spend at least 15 minutes with each patient and really feel like a made a difference in their lives. I feel fulfilled being outside of the hospital. Where there is a will, there is a way. You just have to get creative.

Just thought I would share something that has had a positive outcome! :)

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

good for you! Congratulations!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Yes, congrats. The pace & responsibility of acute care nursing is not for everyone.

[Forest2]

Good for you! Hospital work can suck sometimes. Nurses are human after all, so why don't they get treated as such, even sometimes by other nurses. It's just rough working in a hospital. I think maybe they ask for more than nurses can do, we can't work those hours at that pace at that level of perfection!!!!!!