Career Choices....

NurseLatteDNP, MSN, DNP, RN · Aug 24, 2006

Maybe you would also like Mother-Baby unit. You would be caring for mom during delivery and then the care will contine with her baby and the post partum client. Or did you see if you transfer to peds in your hospital?

slu_rn · Aug 24, 2006

I work in a Pediatric hospital. No adults at all other than the workers. (we do have a red box for adults with BP cuff, stethescope etc, but everyone prays we don't have to use it). I don't know if it's that I don't like the NICU. I feel like I'm just not a huge fan of bedside nursing. I really can't put my finger on what it is though.

natsfanrn · Aug 25, 2006

Reality shock is setting in. Give yourself time to feel more comfortable with what you're doing and see if you can get over this "hump." As a new grad, I was miserable with my job until the 5th or 6th month mark, then I finally started enjoying what I was doing. Meanwhile, I saw a lot of my friends quit jobs and start over in other departments, only to find they were facing the same feeling. I really think it takes half a year, at the very least, to get over that "dread going to work" feeling.

Good luck

tkhayman · Aug 26, 2006

hello all,

i wish they were follow up programs for new RN's for the whole first year they are nurses. Many times hospitals are so into a long training period 3mths etc. don;t get me wrong i think that is great, but when a new RN is on her own and feeling what you are they should be able to talk to someone about it. Take care.

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Aug 26, 2006

Try a search of this site. There is a very recent thread where we were talking about a nurse's alternatives to bedside nursing. If you have trouble using the Search function, send me a PM and I'll see if I can't dig up the thread.

Trauma Columnist · Aug 26, 2006

I think you need to give yourself a few more months. You are probably recently off of orientation, right? This (as another stated) is the "hump" time. You are really responsible for patients on your own...first time ever, right?

Give yourself a break. I think it is still too early to considering changing jobs unless there are extenuating circumstances. Hang in there:

1. Contact your preceptor and let them know you are having doubts and ask for suggestions.

2. If there is a new grad mentoring program, take advantage of that.

3. Contact other new grads in other units and you will probably find similar sentiments.

slu_rn · Aug 27, 2006

I have talked to others in my orientation group and 2 of them are debating about applying for another job somewhere else in the next couple of weeks. We don't get off of orientation until Sept 9th. (We started June 4).

Today was one of my roughest days yet. My 1:1 pt died from NEC, mom and dad were ?high? and we couldn't find them for 3 hours to get consent to withdrawl support. When we finally did find them and tell them they were shocked at the diagnosis. /sigh I did get to sit down for 5 min and eat my sandwich at 1700.

I had a really bad feeling as I was driving to work this morning. Some little voice told me to run away and call in sick.

Edit: I forgot to add that then I had to stay and take yet another new admission...

augigi, CNS · Aug 28, 2006

I would really suggest that you speak to your manager and let him/her know how you are feeling. Many workplaces have counseling services for staff, and these really are common feelings in the first few months of practice. It is a hard transition to go from school to life-and-death work! Be kind to yourself. You have worked a long time to get here, so think very carefully before you change careers. Nursing may not be for you, but I tend to think you would have known before now if you really didnt enjoy it.

In summary, speak to someone, or talk to a counselor and give it some time. Hope it gets better- I do remember the initial culture shock, but now I can't imagine being anything other than a nurse.

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Aug 28, 2006

Edit: I forgot to add that then I had to stay and take yet another new admission...

Gee whiz... a new admit after a NEC death. Even without the parental/social issues, that does sound like a terrible shift. I'm really sorry.

Humbled_Nurse · Sep 6, 2006

Yea that does sound like a very bad shift! I also went into NICU as a new grad and that first year was rough. I had lots of anxiety and dreaded most of my shifts. I had many thoughts of leaving and doing something less stressful, but something kept me there. I ended up staying two and a half years then left for 5 years and did have a much lower stress job, but always felt a pull back to the NICU so I worked PRN for several years and about a year ago I went back full time and don't regret it one bit. I have such a intense passion for sick and premature babies althought it can be very stressful at times. There just really isn't anything in nursing/medicine that interests me like the NICU. So if NICU is really something you want to excel in then you just need to hang in there. It will take at least a year to get somewhat comfortable with your abilities and confidence. What you are experiencing is very normal. It is just human nature to want to run from what is not comfortable and to run to what is easy. Please just hang in there and if at the end of the first year you are still having these same feelings then maybe it is time to move on.

Keep us updated!