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.

[Davey Do]

12 hours ago, Emergent said:

Ok, so in answer to your question, yes I think you are.

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

13 hours ago, Seeing Myself Out said:

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.

One of my nursing school friends started in psych, and five years in successfully transitioned to the ED. It turns out that there's a lot of psych in the ED and her coworkers value her. It did not happen overnight and I think she got herself ready for the transition by doing ACLS and some other ED-beneficial training.

I feel for you. But you are not a tree. Can you move? Can you look at the VA or other government places for a transition? In North Texas, we're not a medical shortage area, and we have the same scenario you describe. But if I really wanted to change jobs, I could go to south, east, or west Texas and do just fine. Good luck!

[JadedCPN, BSN, RN]

14 hours 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.

Well that escalated quickly!

Yea the most interesting part of your post isn't that you don't love your job or that psych nursing isn't your passion, it is the fact that you feel the need to lie about your profession. I would be curious to know more about the reason why.

[Golden_RN, MSN]

I'm confused at to what you are actually looking for. Are you looking for advice on how to get out of psych and into another specialty? Are you looking for other nurses to agree that nursing or their specialty in nursing is not their passion?

Being a nurse does not have to define us or be our identity. It is what I do all day but it is not my identity. I don't see how lying about being a nurse would benefit you. It's a career that most people respect and it's a good conversation starter. Being a psych nurse is incredibly important work.

I'm confused.

[Kallie3006, ADN]

Is working in psych the reason you are not able to get a job in what you are considering a traditional setting, or could the way you are marketing yourself be a deterrent? Have you tried something like Linkedin to establish contacts that could possibly turn into a stepping stone for a more "traditional" job?

You seem to be setting yourself up for failure by the way you are thinking. What would make you a better employment prospect? What can you offer that is appealing for the employer? Why should they take a risk on you with their time and money? If you want to change specialties then you need to find a way to make yourself standout over the rest of the applicants. I would also figure out a way to make the reason you are leaving psych have a positive spin, I would not lie or mislead others as to your profession ( that person you lied to could be best friends with the Director of the unit you just applied to etc). There is no shame in wanting to switch directions with your career, in fact, it is done quite often. The choice is yours on which foot you want to lead with.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

19 hours 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.

I would think that someone who has been a psych nurse for years would be aware that just because someone could benefit from counseling doesn't mean that they have a mental illness; likewise, the fact that a person recommends counseling to another in no way means that they have diagnosed that person as mentally ill.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

21 hours ago, Seeing Myself Out said:

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.

Not true. I went from cardiac critical care to endo to OR. I have run into many nurses who have switched specialties.

[Seeing Myself Out]

Sorry if I offended many people who work in psych or look up to it. I have no resentment against the specialty itself but I am unsatisfied that having worked in psych is preventing me from given a chance to do anything else. I am happy for people who consider their careers in psych to be meaningful achievements.

[Seeing Myself Out]

1 hour ago, Kallie3006 said:

Is working in psych the reason you are not able to get a job in what you are considering a traditional setting, or could the way you are marketing yourself be a deterrent? Have you tried something like Linkedin to establish contacts that could possibly turn into a stepping stone for a more "traditional" job?

You seem to be setting yourself up for failure by the way you are thinking. What would make you a better employment prospect? What can you offer that is appealing for the employer? Why should they take a risk on you with their time and money? If you want to change specialties then you need to find a way to make yourself standout over the rest of the applicants. I would also figure out a way to make the reason you are leaving psych have a positive spin, I would not lie or mislead others as to your profession ( that person you lied to could be best friends with the Director of the unit you just applied to etc). There is no shame in wanting to switch directions with your career, in fact, it is done quite often. The choice is yours on which foot you want to lead with.

Yet there is nothing I can do about the concerns of potential employers. By simply trying to leave psych and apply for other specialties, it is already a red flag that they picture me doing the same thing in several years.

[cleback]

I successfully went from inpatient psych to medsurg... during a recession, no less. It's not impossible. You may need to 1) relocate to a more favorable market or 2) change your resume or refresh your interview skills.

Whatever your path, I would knock off the "am I an ahole" bit. In my lifetime, whenever someone asked me that question, yes, their attitude could be adjusted. It definitely is negative and won't help you land a new job.

[Ani Talla, MSN, RN]

Gotta keep exploring any potential career paths you have interest in. Clearly, you are very unhappy with your current job. Why do you end up going back to nursing? Why lie about it? Do you dread doing other things more than switching away from this current "hell" of a job: like going back to school, train in another specialty (even if it mean relocating), training in another field all together, starting your own business, etc? What do you have to lose? If you stay the course, you will stay in a very toxic and unhappy situation for the rest of your life. Only you can change your life. If it's the money that's keeping you, these are the golden shackles... Worth it?

[thoughtful21, BSN, RN]

After reading all of the different posts, no, I don't think you're a complete ***. But your job situation may be only part of the problem. I mean that kindly. Are there some other areas of your life that could use change or improvement?

What do you do for a hobby? Do you like art? If you begin to do art on the side, you will no longer be lying when you tell people you're an artist. And it might be therapeutic for you! (Or any hobby could give you an outlet for your brain, help you explore the world, and give you something to talk about with strangers.)

How is your family life? Do you have many close friends that you can really be honest with, and talk about how you feel? Lying to strangers about your job suggests a lack of good solid relationships, and it is not a great decision. It is often through networking with strangers that you learn about a good job opportunity and get your foot in the door.

Do you like living in California, or would you like to move elsewhere?

Switching jobs may not provide the solution you are looking for, unless some of these other areas of your life are addressed as well.

You don't have to answer these questions! Just some food for thought. I hope things work out well for you. ?