Advice, please?

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Okay..I have been a RN for 4.5 years now. I am 26 years old. I have worked on a trauma step down unit 2 separate times , I worked in home health, and I now work in intensive care at a small hospital. I find, that after a year, I get burnt out with the job I am in, which is the case now. Don't get me wrong, i love nursing, however, I just get tired of being treated badly by patients and managers. Icu at our hospital is a dumping ground for all psychiatric patients and people who are considered "too hard to handle" for med Surg nurses. I constantly get cussed, hit, and coughed on by patients. I get ordered around like a waitress. The doctors are overpaid divas. I feel like i am going to explode one day. I'm tired, 80 pounds heavier than I was a few years ago, I cuss more than I ever have, and i find myself wanting to drink more when I am off work.

There are positives though.. The good patients I have compliment me and I often get my name mentioned in surveys. Holding the hand of a dying patient, easing the pain of a patient, assisting with comforting a patient, providing reassurance to a scared patient or family member...now that's nursing! Seeing patient reach those milestones, going from septic shock on deaths doorstep to ambulating independently..seeing those milestones accomplished.. And I love the girls I work with on night shift. They are truly the best team I have worked with.

Management recently came to the nurses, saying we are too "negative,"based on a survey we take yearly. Mind you, this hospital Hasn't had raises in 8 years and is involved in legal issues. I told my manager the reason our unit is negative because we get the same frequent flyer psych patients and drug overdoses. I also brought up wages. She basically said "that's Nursing." Since she said those words, I have been actively seeking new employment.

Does anyone have any advice? Maybe night shift is making it all worse??I thought about changing careers until I find the right one. Currently, there are case manager positions, private duty, and LTC positions open in my area. I thought about going back for my NP next year. I am just unsure.

I don't want to be this way. I have tried to find the best in all my jobs but when that one year mark hits, that's it...

I also refuse to give up on the nursing profession. I truly believe I was meant to be a nurse!

For me, night shift made everything worse, sounds like it may also be part of your issue.

Imagine yourself in the LTC, private duty, and case management roles. What is the best fit?

I don't see you going from trauma/ ICU to LTC or private duty , for job satisfaction. Case management may give you the autonomy and opportunity to use your critical thinking skills.

Best of luck whatever you decide, let us know how it's going.

For me, night shift made everything worse, sounds like it may also be part of your issue.

Imagine yourself in the LTC, private duty, and case management roles. What is the best fit?

I don't see you going from trauma/ ICU to LTC or private duty , for job satisfaction. Case management may give you the autonomy and opportunity to use your critical thinking skills.

Best of luck whatever you decide, let us know how it's going.

You're right.. I would most likely get bored in those types of roles. I am just grasping at straws.

I done a little research and I thought about maybe doing travel nursing. Has anyone else reading this thread done travel nursing and enjoyed it? I thought maybe having a change every 8 to 12 weeks would help me to get away from all the politics and B.S. of staying at a job permanently. I can take care of my patients and be done. My friend highly encouraged me to travel. She has done it before and would do it now if she didn't have a child. She says I adapt to change quickly...

Thanks for the reply.