Am I cut out to be a nurse?

[NurseRunner13]

I have recently made a switch from chemical dependency for 3 years to med-surg. It is quite the change for me and I'm wondering if I'm even cut out to be a nurse. Everyday I go into work, I dread it, I'm terrified and in such a bad mood. I've only been here for 3 months. It's no secret that my dream was never to be a med-surg nurse, I would love to work in labor & delivery, but I'm scared that am not a good nurse and maybe I made the wrong career choice. I don't know what to do. Any advice?

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

I would urge you to engage in some self-reflection and try to figure out exactly what aspects of your work are producing so much anxiety. If it is related to a reluctance to assume responsibility for patient care, L&D would be a nightmare for you as that is arguably the most litigious clinical specialty..... it's usually not a question of 'if' you'll be involved in a clinical lawsuit, but 'when' you'll be involved.

If your anxiety is due to feeling 'overwhelmed' by the sheer volume of stuff (information, tasks, demands, etc) you have to cope with - maybe moving to a more homogeneous clinical area such as L&D would be a good thing because there would be less variety to deal with.

Wishing you all the best.