Did I choose the wrong career?

[RNyb]

I recently got my license in may, and thankfully got hired in an acute care hospital setting shortly after in June. I've only been a nurse for the past four months, but everyday I question myself, did I choose the wrong career path?

There are so many ups and downs in one day that I'm getting exhausted at myself and the workload. I feel so inexperienced and inadequate to all my peers and coworkers. School prepared me for literally nothing. The sense of overwhelming stress that comes with caring for the sick is unreal. I'm constantly worried that something is going to go wrong or take a turn for the worse. The lack of support for more experienced nurses is daunting, not to mention the lack of support from the other departments. The respiratory therapists walk the grounds like they are gods, as if we're not all working toward the same goal of patient safety and care. I come home from work everyday upset, overwhelmed, and depressed. I feel like I did nothing in an eight hour day. When I give report to the incoming nurses, they roll their eyes as if I didn't struggle to get everything done in 8 hours. Everyday I wiestion my choice of nursing. Is it worth it? I feel like I will never be as experienced as my coworkers, even though the experience comes with time. I get that. But I'm starting to get extremely impatient and progressively more and more stressed each day. These feelings not only shadow me during the eight hour workday but follow me home into my personal life. I'm getting to my wits end. Does anyone have any advice for new nurses? Am I exaggerating or is this normal? Please help.

[Libby1987]

You see what the job looks like for an experienced nurse, do want to do that?

Or is there an aspect of patient care, quality mgmt, etc that you are drawn to if you had the and knowledge and experience to do it well?

[NevadaFighter, BSN, RN]

It will get better. Since you have only been a nurse for 4 months, I'm going to assume that you have only been off of orientation for about 2. At about 6 months you will start feeling much more confident. It is by no means easy, but you will get there. It gets even harder once you switch floors/facilities, because all the same policies do not apply everywhere. I have just 2 years under my belt, and still question things every day. It doesn't make you inadequate...it makes you a good nurse. Many people don't rethink any of their actions and can just continue about their day with no worries. I'm not saying that the stress should consume you, but it is definitely not a bad quality to think about work after you have gone home. Don't give up! Good luck!

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

It took me about a year to get to the point where I didn't feel sick to my stomach on the way to work each day.

It will get better. Try not to be so hard on yourself.

[NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN]

The first six months seemed to be my hardest and I felt confident after about a year. I would get home around 4pm and literally think that I was going to just close my eyes for a few minutes and the next thing I knew it was dark outside and around 8pm. Amazingly I still slept those nights too.

Being the nurse is so much harder than nursing school because you are actually doing everything that a staff nurse does. These are all the things that may not have been noticed earlier because the nurse that was assigned to your patient was handling them. Now you are. It takes time to get a routine that works for you. As time goes on you will be more comfortable with your clinical judgement. It's horrible that your co-workers aren't more supportive but unfortunately this is the environment in some facilities towards the 'new nurse'. Don't let them get you down and think of the bright side, you don't have to take them home with you, so don't think about them after you leave. You'll get there. Good luck.

[RNyb]

I guess so. Sometimes it is hard to see the real purpose of nursing -- the patients. Its so frustrating to feel unsupported at work but your guys' support has really lifted me. I appreciate all the input and words of encouragement.