Burned out from floor nursing, need advice, please..

dudette10, MSN, RN · Apr 10, 2012

Just curious....based on some of the ideas expressed here, what is the fate of nurses who don't believe in God? I am very spiritual, and I respect other people's choices, but I don't believe in God. I think we need to respect the beliefs of our patients and our coworkers, yet try to suspend our own values. Not easy to do, but necessary.

I think it is possible to talk about patients about God, even if you don't believe in God. Many of my patients will bring a Rosary to the hospital, and it is on the bedside table. If they are having a rough go of it--or even having trouble sleeping--I will suggest they try saying the Rosary to get some emotional comfort. (Plus, doing the Rosary is so repetitive, it can often make someone sleepy.) I will ask if they want Communion in the am. I will ask if they'd like to talk to a chaplain. I don't fear their beliefs.

When you speak of the "fate" of unbelieving nurses, Christians will say one thing (actually many things because all Christians don't believe exactly the same, regardless of their church's doctrine), but my own homemade belief system states that the death experience is exactly what one believed it to be in life. So, for me, dying means falling into a deep, peaceful sleep and just never waking up.

Bloodredwine · Apr 10, 2012

Have you ever considered dialysis nursing? Where I live you only need a year of nursing experience to apply for a dialysis position. You have somewhat normal hours and you are usually only dealing with one patient at a time if you work as a dialysis nurse who visits hospitalized patients. Many dialysis facilities have popped up as well and hire nurses to work. It can be very hard emotionally to see patients in end stage renal disease miserably receiving dialysis, but it is necessary without it they would die so you still get the satisfaction of providing care and necessary treatment for a patient. Just and idea if you are looking to lower your stress level. A colleague of mine tried it and loves it now. Hope this helps.

Merlyn · Apr 10, 2012

Now, you have both expressed your opinions.
The Athiest doesn't want anyone to talk about God.
The Christian wants to tell everyone of God.
Why do we do what the Athiest wants, just because he is an Athiest? And, aren't they both valid belief systems? I think TOLERANCEis the word. I think both never mind expressing their views, but I never see a Christian telling an Athiest to shut-up, and just do your job.
Always Vice-Versa.
Word. TOLERATE.

What have you been drinking? I don't care what you talk about. I am against people forcing their beliefs on other people. That's it.

pockunit, ADN, RN · Apr 10, 2012

Probably because the atheist isn't trying to convert anyone.

LynnLRN · Apr 10, 2012

Have you ever considered OR nursing? Does your hospital have WOCN positions? Endoscopy? What about management/supervisor positions? Have you considered different units in your hospital? Maybe other units have less sick patients so even though you are busy you atleast wont be stressed about the acuity at the same time. There are tons of other options besides leaving nursing all together. Some churches have paid nurses also.

anotherone, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2012

I have been an RN since 2009 so I'm going on three years and I feel as though I might want out of healthcare altogether.. My initial desire when I went into nursing was to be able to be a servant to others and to show Christ to all those that I was to come in contact with. I made it through a BSN program and I feel as though clinicals did not give me a good picture of what nursing was all about. For example, the max amount of patients I was given was one and the patients were relatively all 'easy' looking back in hindsight.
There were definitely some red flags as I went through nursing school however, so I can't completely blame the lack of experience from clinicals.
To give some background, I have worked on a surgical unit and then for the past year I have worked on a medical unit that also cares for stroke and cancer patients, both of these being in a busy hospital setting. I have only worked the night shift to this point, as I would not be able to handle the stress of working days with all the many discharges, admissions, doctors and families running around as well. I have come to the conclusion that I may just not be cut out for nursing. I get incredibly stressed before each shift, and the unpredictability I fear may send me to an early grave. I have learned alot about myself from nursing, and I dream of a job/career that is predictable where I don't have to fear what kind of assignment I will be given as I'm driving to the job site.
Working nights has also taken a toll on me and my relationship with my wife. All my friends and family members keep asking when I plan on moving to the day shift and I feel my ego is keeping me from telling them I will never be able to do the day shift working as a nurse because I just can't handle the stress... Thankfully my wife supports me and she agrees that I need to look for a different job. On the floor I work now we take 6-7 patients a night which I feel is completely unsafe as some of them are so incredibly sick and needy. Some friends have recommended doing critical care or working in a clinic. I know I would not be able to handle the stress of doing ICU nursing with those type of patients. Also, I have never seen male nurses working in any clinic that I have been to.
I need some ideas, please. It's gotten so bad that I'm to the point of driving home from work and I see some guy mowing for a lawn service and I am envious of his job.

Maybe you can try finding a night position in a med/surg or tele unit where you get less patients, they do exist, look around. Or maybe same day surgery, dialysis (more predictable with what you will be dealing with )? A step down unit perhaps? Not as intense as ICU but you have less patients, although they are more unstable. I hate day shift for the same reason and have met nurses of 30 years who do to and haven't worked days in over 20 years but it is a BIG trade off with your personal life. I do not think most jobs in nursing are extremily predictable. I wouldn't be too concerened with being the only male nurse in a clinic( easy for me to say I am female) wasn't too long ago where there would be no or 1-2 male nurses in the whole hospital.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2012

What happen to healing the patient physically,mentally,emotionally and Spiritually? I'd rather have a nurse try to bring God into my life then someone there just for the paycheck.

If people have spiritual needs that need to be addressed, they should be addressed. I have listened to parents talk about specific stories from the Bible as their evidence that God wouldn't take their child from them, I have helped facilitate participation in a healing ceremony to bring comfort to the family of a dying child, I have cared for children actively dying without DNRs whose parents insisted we do everything because God was going to swoop in at the last minute and saved them. I have called around to various churches in my city and other hospitals trying to find ANY chaplain who could come in to comfort the family of a child who possibly wouldn't make it through the night.

I agree that nurses should address patients' spiritual needs but I maintain that I'd be offended if I were a patient and a nurse came in trying to bring Christ to me. I don't even like when people tell me they're "praying" for me, but I leave that alone because I know they're doing it more to help themselves feel better/like they are doing something than they are for me.

interceptinglight, CNA · Apr 10, 2012

Just curious....based on some of the ideas expressed here, what is the fate of nurses who don't believe in God? I am very spiritual, and I respect other people's choices, but I don't believe in God. I think we need to respect the beliefs of our patients and our coworkers, yet try to suspend our own values. Not easy to do, but necessary.

Christ was the ultimate example of self-sacrificing love, nursing is most certainly a career in which one could express such values every day without even being religious.

betterlatethennever · Apr 11, 2012

Now, you have both expressed your opinions.The Athiest doesn't want anyone to talk about God.The Christian wants to tell everyone of God.Why do we do what the Athiest wants, just because he is an Athiest? And, aren't they both valid belief systems? I think TOLERANCEis the word. I think both never mind expressing their views, but I never see a Christian telling an Athiest to shut-up, and just do your job.Always Vice-Versa.Word. TOLERATE.

Exactly!

Editorial Team / Admin · Apr 11, 2012

This thread is going off-topic. Please stick to the topic: helping the OP find ways to continue his nursing career.

Future off-topic posts will be removed.

Thank you.

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · Apr 11, 2012

OP, I could have written your post (except for the religious part). I found myself really burnt out after two years on an inpatient unit, so I went to the ED, and now I'm burnt out on that, too.

The ED isn't any less stressful than the floor simply because you "only" have 4 patients. For one thing, it's not the same group of patients for the whole shift. It's a fast paced assembly line model, and for someone who wishes for more time to connect with their patients, the ED is NOT it. Not that the ED isn't an amazing experience; it is, and I will never regret my time there.

You might consider something outside of the hospital, such as a clinic, a doctor's office, or even Home Health/Hospice. Home Health and Hospice are not for the inexperienced nurse for sure; you need to have strong assessment skills and the ability to make clinically sound decisions with little to no resources available to you. But, your work will be with one patient at a time, and because you're on their turf (in their home), establishing a rapport/connection is an integral part of your practice. There are time constraints; you will have so many visits to complete in a day, including all of the case management parts of the job, but it might be less stressful for you than the hospital environment.

Good luck!

Norma_Saline · Apr 11, 2012

Some ideas:
Would it be possible to work in the education dept?
Admit nurse (not sure if they have those in your area)
Hospice (ministering really comes into play here)
Home health
Diabetes educator
case manager
QA
Sounds like you just need to find your niche.
~millie

LOT of good ideas here. I like the idea of possibly you taking some PTO if you have any, but forgive me for not giving credit to whomever suggested it. Hospice might really be your calling. There is also private duty to give thought to. I choose to do it because of my Arthritis making it very, very difficult for me to stand in a facility for 8-12 hours. As with anything though, it can have its' disadvantages. If your patient is hospitalized you can miss hours and who can afford to do that, I know.

Best of luck to you, I *SO* know that burned-out feeling. I hope something changes for the better soon.