afraid of change

[Ms.RN]

i'm in a situation where i'm not happy with my current job but i'm afraid of changing my job. i'm working in nursing home now because i couldnt find any job in the hospital after i graduated and second because i have experience and comfort level working in nursing home when i was lpn. our facility provides a basic nursing care to our residents, lot of them are on comfort care. many days when i'm working i feel like i'm not using any nursing skills at all. i feel like i dont know what i'm doing or feel like i have no ability to take care of sick people. so i keep having this thought that i need to work in the med/surg for at least a year but i have this fear of coming out of my comfort zone and change to something different.

my other problem is that i'm a very shy person and english is my second language and i do have little bit of problem with communication. i thought that nursing home might be a good environment for me. i have this fear of leaving a job where i'm comfortable and good working environment where staff gets along pretty well and work together to fear of who know where i'll be jumping into. any advice?

[Nurse_Hagatha]

I think you would definitely benefit from working on a med/surg or med/tele floor for awhile. You sound like you have a sweet spirit, and you need to get out there and share it with others! I tend to be shy/quiet myself, but I'm also brave and just push myself to go into those situations I know will be uncomfortable, but where I will grow the most.

If you made it through nursing school, you can make it through orientation on a med/surg floor. You will be glad you did it, and I think you'll always regret it if you don't. You did not get your nursing degree by playing it safe and staying in your comfort zone, so do the same for advancing you career and skills. Best wishes to you!

[lunden]

hi, i am the same way.although i'm not a nurse(waiting on acceptance letter for spring 09) i have been in a comfort zone for a while where i work as a dialysis tech, not even wanting to transfer to another clinic becuz i'm tired of dealing with the bs at my job. but i know eventually i will have to leave my job because i want to work in med-surg. it takes one day at a time. just think back to when u first started at your current job. were u uncomfortable? i know i was. but it got better with each day.i'm also shy but i try to keep an open mind about things. hope this helps.

[heaverboo]

I'm in the same situation myself. I've done orthopedics bascially my whole nursing career, of almost 2 years, and ready for a change. But, i'm comfortable in my job now but know orthopedics is not my future or where I want to stay. It's physically demanding and plus just ready to move on. That's the good thing about being a nurse, you have so many options when you get bored. I know the doctors, staff, routine and what to expect from day to day. I've been applying to critical care floors/ICU jobs but scared to leave my comfort zone as well. I'm asuming this is a normal feeling.

[chenoaspirit, ASN, RN]

Ive posted on here about the exact same thing. Ive worked at my job since graduation and now Im scared to change. I know the doctors, routines, etc. But if you LIKE what you do, why are you wanting to change? There is such a need for nurses in LTC and you sound like you are a very caring person, which is what those patients need. If you get along with your coworkers and everyone works well together, thats something most of us dont have at our jobs. Maybe you can part-time somewhere on a med-surg to get your skills up to date?

[Jules A, MSN]

Please don't let your life pass making decisions by default because you are afraid to make changes. Embrace the excitement of trying something different.

[MiaLyse, APRN]

Same here. I am currently working on a psychiatric unit but I am limiting myself so much (in my area) by not keeping up my medical skills/adding to them. I previously worked in LTC. I am also not good with change but know I need it. In my area, not much is offered in behavioral health with decent pay.

[phoebebrat, ASN]

I too am in the same situation. I have never been comfortable with change. I usually fight against it instead of trying to go with the flow, which only causes me more problems. I currently work in LTC and hate it. I'm not learning anything, and feel I am losing what I have learned. I worked in med/surg for two years before the LTC and I was terminated. I want to go back to med/surg but really fear getting fired again. My self-esteem has really suffered, I didn't have much in the first place. I miss actually feeling like I know something, and actually helping/seeing a pt. get better. I also really dread that interview question of.....why did you leave your last job?, or have you ever been terminated?

The LTC I work at now fires nurses constantly. I would think they would be happy to have them on staff. They don't seem to care about the bind they put nursing in with being short staffed and what about the residents? Lack of nursing affects them too. Good luck whatever you decided and let us know!

Phoebe

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

Maybe you are comfortable there because you haven't tried something new. However, I try and give people the benefit of the doubt by saying that we each know our personalities well. I would probably benefit from a more predictable daily situation with a few oddball events rather than to work under constant pressure with people that are going to make my life miserable. Therefore, I would probably not fare well in the ER or ICU (if I were an RN). If possible, try and see if you can obtain a per diem position in some of the areas you are interested in to test the waters. This way, you can build your confidence and see if these are the places that will be of more interest. Some people love to live on adrenaline highs...and the only way you'll know is to sample it for yourself.

I work per diem on Med-Surg sometimes in order to keep up with bedside experiences and fast pace nursing. But I wouldn't want to work there permanently unless I had no choice; but that is because I know myself.

[caliotter3]

I worked with several nurses at a nursing facility who had been at the same job for 20 or more years. They were more than comfortable and satisfied with their jobs. Nothing wrong with staying in this environment as long as it suits your needs for employment. But you are aware that you will have to endure change in order to broaden your horizons. Look for ways to do this a little at a time while maintaining your present position. The sooner you venture out of your comfort zone, the better. The longer you put off any action, the harder it will be to make a change due to inertia. Better to stay where you are if it is a conscious choice than to get "stuck" and feel uncomfortable.

[AussieKylie]

i wish you well ms rn. i too have a shy nature and afraid of change. i moved from australia to canada and i am finding it hard to push myself to consider working as a nurse in canada because i find something of nursing care different and much broader scope. i am nervous and really would like to experience it so i can say one day yeh i tried it. i dont want regrets

i wish you well and hope you find a new positive change

all the best :)

[amy0123, BSN, RN]

Wherever you work, hopefully you'll get a fruitful orientation. Personally, when I started, I chose a large teaching hospital. I wanted to learn how to be the best. There were more variety of sick patients with multiple comorbidities. More equipment/supplies to learn and doctors to interact with. You could learn everything in a large teaching hospital and the experience is golden.