Completely regret becoming a nurse

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Dear Nurse Beth,

I have been a med-surg nurse for two years and although I really enjoy my teammates, managers, schedule, and vacation approvals, the actual work itself I find boring, overwhelmingly busy with unimportant tasks, I feel underappreciated and overworked.

A lot of my coworkers say they like med-surg because the patient's are medically stable and it is not as emotionally taxing as the ICU or ED. I am in therapy because I suffer from anxiety. My counselor said I should go into a more strenuous and "exciting" nursing environment because I find my current job tedious. But I am worried that my anxiety will be greatly triggered and that I should aim for a more calm environment.

BUT I love working three 12's per week. I don't want four 10's. I don't have kids and I love the schedule because of the freedom I have. I am completely regretting becoming an RN. I followed and listened to what people told me to do instead of listening to my own heart.

I am not passionate about medicine or taking care of people, although it is rewarding I do not find the stress I experience worth it. Nor is the pay worth it. I have thought about pursuing higher education such as a DNP or PHD but I am hesitant since I dislike the bedside so much.

I don't want to get into informatics because of the M-F 8-5PM. I don't want to get into education because of the pay and schedule. I want to use my creative outlets more in my life. If I could go back I would go to school for something like website design, writing, photography... I am writing in hopes you have some insight to share where I could possibly incorporate my creative side with nursing. Or maybe there is a field of nursing you think I should try before I give up on the career. Please let me know, thank you for your time.

Dear Dislikes Bedside,

Basically all 12 hour jobs are clinical, direct-care jobs. You may have to change your expectations. In other words, consider giving up 12 hour shifts to pursue something you'd find rewarding. Don't limit your opportunities by insisting on 12 hour shifts.

You could adjust to a Mon-Fri 8-5 schedule if you had to. The majority of the work force works Mon-Fri 8-5 and you learn to make it work.

If you are open to a Mon-Fri schedule, then that opens up a lot of opportunity. We all want satisfaction in our careers or it's just not sustainable. I find room for a great deal of creative expression as an educator in acute care. Content development and delivery call for skills in writing and finding ways to engage adult learners.

Others find their passion in supervising others, problem-solving, and managing resources. Still others love the challenge of their work in Risk Management, Quality, Infection Preventions, Revenue Integrity, Documentation Specialist. There are almost countless career paths for an RN.

I wouldn't give up on nursing altogether until you've pursued something away from the bedside. Register with Indeed.com and start looking at all the different postings. See what catches your interest.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

[tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN]

You can also search for jobs on allnurses.Job.

[NurseBlaq]

Travel nursing? Specialized nursing like telemetry, ED, etc? There are many other things you can do besides med-surg.

It sounds like you're bored and over the unit you're on, not nursing. Maybe give something else a try. But, as Nurse Beth said, you have to compromise, depending on what you're doing. Hours, location, schedule, shift, something. Nursing has one of the best flexible schedules in terms of career.

Try connecting with nurses on other units and ask them about their typical day to see if it sounds like something you'd be interested in doing. Don't give up yet!