Am I supposed to hate my first nursing job??

[StevietheRN]

I am a new nurse currently about 4 months into my first RN hospital job in an ICU step down unit and I HATE it. I get sick to my stomach going in and honestly would rather work in another unit. I am tied to my unit by my RN residency and the idea of a year or longer in the unit is killing me slowly. I reread my contract and it looks like I could be stuck in my unit until I obtain my BSN which is going to be a little over 2 years from now....and I dont think I can make it. My mom who is a nurse told me eveyone HATES their first nursing job and its just part of it....I have an interview at a different network doing something I think I will like better but if I leave I will have to pay back $4000....I dont know what to do. I know there is a learning curve and its something all new nurse have to adjust to but I just dont know if it is normal to hate what you do and not want to do it?? HELP!

[Jusween]

I feel ya. It sounds like your job is a set up. Too much stimulation and not enough opportunities to just practice your skills. Nurses need to stop acting like martyrs. If you have given it a few months and you still hate it I would suggest you look into transferring to a lower acuity unit. A straight Med surg or telemetry unit will offer a chance to learn in a more predictable environment. You deserve a chance to learn without trauma. Another option is a rehab floor where you can focus on concrete skills until you are ready for more challenge. Geriatrics is a rapidly growing field and a perfectly legitimate career choice. Don't let people shame you into being miserable or putting your license at risk. If you have to , walk. Nursing is not indentured servitude and we have the right to discern between the perfectly natural adjustment insecurities of new nurses and a situation that is just untenable.

[BeenThere2012, ASN, RN]

Here is my perspective I haven't seen yet in the responses....

I think a lot of nurses are unhappy with their first positions because often there are very few who are willing to hire a new grad for any number of reasons...financial number 1. They don't want to "pay for" training. Then other hospitals, in particular, have new grad training programs to fill the hard to fill positions. It can be crazy making....And so you end up taking what you can get to have "experience". It's mind boggling as for example, I had a former preceptee follow up later and tell me they were told to take a " school nurse" position which will give them experience. Really? What does a school nurse do which will prepare a new grad specifically for an ICU position or ER or OR ? Sorry, I regressed.

My experience was the opposite....No jobs available, took one I thought was going to be the most boring and waste of my time as anything I could think of. Wrong! It was to work in a private practice Dermatology office. I wanted bedside, high acuity, multi-procedures type of experience. Turns out, I learned more in that practice that served me and my patients well many times over and continues to this day, 34 years later.

List:

Everyone has skin issues of one kind or another, and when it to comes to "rashes" especially, most are in the dark. I was able to diagnose some conditions even the doctors were not aware of.

Surgical techniques (although minor..) assisting with, wound care, instruments, sterile technique.

Disease processes that are associated with certain skin conditions.

Didn't mean to drone on, but want to give an example of how you can pull the positive out of the negative. There is ALLWAYS something to learn. OP, not sure if this is helpful to you, but maybe will help other new grads.

[StevietheRN]

So update I talked with my educator and moved units. Love love love my new unit. I am working inpatient medical rehab and I am way happier.

[BeenThere2012, ASN, RN]

So update I talked with my educator and moved units. Love love love my new unit. I am working inpatient medical rehab and I am way happier.

Awesome! Congratulations.