Am I the *******?

[Seeing Myself Out]

As the title reads I keep on asking myself this question. To save your time from reading all my past posts, I would just sum up my experience briefly. I worked hard throughout my career as an LVN first then an RN under the overall umbrella of psychiatry/mental health, then became burnt out after a year into working as a staff RN on an inpatient psych unit. Tried a few career changes FROM NURSING (yes, you read that correctly) unsuccessfully, only to end up coming back to nursing being more miserable before. Even though I became desensitized to the difficult coworkers and patients I encounter, I am still unhappy with how working in psych is preventing me from working everywhere else including traditionally entry level specialties such as med-surg and non psych nursing homes here in California thanks to its job market. I am beginning to think that the entire nursing profession wants to keep everyone in their current specialties and never give people a chance to transition to specialties that interest them more. Even when I socialize with people I avoid talking about work and lie about being an artist or something if I ever get pressured into telling others what I do for a living. I am tired of playing along at work everyday and saying that mental health is my passion and that's all I want to do when that is not. If I am completely honest with psych nurses I work with, they will call me an ungrateful a**hole for sure. Just looking for other opinions/support about my career long struggle.

[Seeing Myself Out]

2 minutes ago, CalicoKitty said:

Could see if you can try an inpatient medical-psych unit. There was one at my old hospital. It is truly med-surg with some medically ill psych patients. From there, can probably branch out to other med-surg or ER or something. Your psych background could be seen as an asset for de-escalation type of units. Maybe even something like prison nursing where there is medical treatments and skills (I've heard some places take new-grads into that type of position). Dialysis nursing may work, too.

You gotta find a way to take what you've learned and how you can use that to build towards a future you want. I'll assume you need stepping stones or some luck finding what you want. Do you know what kind of nursing you want or are interested in?

One of the nurse managers I had came from dialysis and eventually went back to it. It sounds interesting to me yet I am concerned that it has no experience that is seen as applicable to other specialties just like psych.

[Seeing Myself Out]

16 minutes ago, caliotter3 said:

My experience has been that prospective employers automatically question and place in a negative light attempts to find work out of nursing. I guess that goes with a general public attitude that nursing should be everyone's 'be all and end all'. I still would not expend too much energy trying to pretend at work. Just be civil and as pleasant as you can be in a natural manner. Don't give yourself an ulcer or add your own bent to others' attempts to bring you down.

No kidding, to the general population the only acceptable career changes from nursing are MD or NP. If we try to get our feet wet in anything else we are automatically labelled as insane.

[CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN]

Just now, Seeing Myself Out said:

One of the nurse managers I had came from dialysis and eventually went back to it. It sounds interesting to me yet I am concerned that it has no experience that is seen as applicable to other specialties just like psych. 

It could be a stepping stone. There is some medical in dialysis. Some hospitals have dialysis units, and some dialysis nurses do dialysis in patient rooms. I think the step would be to get into a hospital that will allow you to do an internal bridge program towards something you're more interested in.

Other career routes: legal, office/clinic, research, informatics, education. May require education, so finding a position that can pay for that would work.

But, the main question: what are you interested in?

[guest974915]

Perhaps, (and this just my opinion), but are you letting your job define you? I think that a lot of people fall into this trap-like when making small talk with a stranger, the inevitable question always comes up, "so what do you do"? I so want to say, "well, I hike, bicycle, backpack, read.... Not that I'm not proud to be nurse and my professional achievements, but it's just one facet of my being. Why not just be a caring, competent, and dedicated nurse while at work and if you're not GungHo about the profession, that's alright too! As far as transitioning into another specialty, try networking with others working in that area or jobshadowing with them for a day.

[Seeing Myself Out]

6 minutes ago, CalicoKitty said:

It could be a stepping stone. There is some medical in dialysis. Some hospitals have dialysis units, and some dialysis nurses do dialysis in patient rooms. I think the step would be to get into a hospital that will allow you to do an internal bridge program towards something you're more interested in.

Other career routes: legal, office/clinic, research, informatics, education. May require education, so finding a position that can pay for that would work.

But, the main question: what are you interested in?

Within nursing I always hoped to end up working in ER, ICU, or possibly OR. But it's not likely to happen living in a high paying part of California where nurses from out of state are moving in and even staff nurse positions require an average of 3 years of relevant experience.

[Wuzzie]

1 hour ago, Seeing Myself Out said:

Are you saying that because I'm labelled as a psych nurse or because I am a crappy friend? Either way I am impressed with your ability to diagnose mental illness on a forum. You will do great starting your own practice.

You, of all people, should be aware that not all counseling is psych related. Sometimes people get stuck and need to get another’s objective opinion or proverbial kick in the butt to change their circumstances. Your response to Emergent was rude and a bit “a-holish”. If this is how you are in real life well maybe you are. But since I don’t know you I can’t really say. I will say that I’ve worked with people who really hate where they are. Some make the best of it and are still great to work with. Others are chronic complainers and make the day much longer than it needs to be. I wish you the best as you figure all of this out and hope you find a place that makes you happy.

[AceOfHearts<3]

The fact that you lie about your job to me implies you are ashamed of it, which I consider a slap in the face to other psych nurses. It’s an important, undervalued job.

I was miserable with my job before nursing. I never lied about what I did and I certainly do not think less of my friends that are still doing that job.

If you are that miserable and can’t get into another specialty because of your location then you can a) stay where you are and be miserable or b) move to a location where you can get into your desired specialty. If you pick option b, it doesn’t mean that the move has to be permanent- you could move back to Cali once you have that golden experience.

[GGirll22]

You could be apart of the problem....

[GrumpyRN, NP]

7 hours ago, GGirll22 said:

You could be apart of the problem....

I was reading this thread and I have to agree with GGirll22.

What is the common denominator throughout this? YOU are!

[brownbook]

I have lied my way through every aspect of my personal and professional life. I wouldn't use the term "diagnosed mental illness". However lying at this level is not how a well adjusted adult lives their life.

On the surface I function as normal even happy. I have muddled through, but what my life would have been had I not lied.....I'm to old now to dwell on regrets.

Your response to Emergent was out of proportion.

"Being desensitized to difficult co-workers and patients......being honest with psych nurses I work with they will call me an ungrateful a**hole.....thinking the entire nursing profession wants to keep everyone in their current specialities and never give people a chance". Reminds me of the phrase, if one person I meet is difficult that is their problem, if everyone I meet is difficult that is my problem.

I'm glad you feel comfortable being honest here. I couldn't even do that!

1) You can accept your lot in life, being miserable and desentized, eventually you'll be old and it won't matter anymore.

2) You can go to counseling.

3) You can self medicate to the tune of ...."poor me, poor me, pour me a drink".

?..thankfully some how I didn't lose my sense of humor.

[klone, MSN, RN]

9 hours ago, GGirll22 said:

You could be apart of the problem....

Ironically, your misspelling actually completely changes the meaning of your sentence.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

My confusion comes from your feeling the need/desire to actually lie about what you do for a living. You may not love it. It may not be what you want in terms of a long-term career, but lie about it? As if being an artist or some such is somehow a superior social choice? Can you explain this? It is weird. No, I would not diagnose you with a mental illness over the Internet, but I can tell you it represents a layer of thinking that is so disconnected from what mainstream society would actually think that it makes me scratch my head.