Does the thought of going to your job make you sick?

[Lucky724]

6:29 pm by Lucky724

I have been struggling for awhile but I have never reached the point that I am at now...I am literally feeling sick to my stomach, having headaches and other physical symptoms because I am scheduled to go back to work tomorrow. I work PRN on a unit that is fairly new and specialized. I absolutely hate it - and that is not how I am. Though the unit is new, the hospital is not and the hospital has struggled w/its reputation in the community...I thought (and did not listen to others!) that because of some changes this would be a good place to work..wrong. The promises of FT work, how the unit would be run etc. have not materialzed since the unit changed last fall. PRN consists of a few days/month. We have been struggling because of this - I, along w/others, keep getting told once the census goes up FT will be available. The census is up, but nothing. The manager, though nice, is unresponsive and to be honest, seems to leave early a lot of time..The person who runs HR is a beast - to everyone so it's not personal but it's a stress nonetheless. We are not allowed to leave the unit during our shift - period. So if we don't bring something to eat - too bad. There is no microwave so hot meals are out. I think the manager is uncomfortable in her new role and w/the hospital overall as well (she has been there about 8-9 months). I have been applying other places and am not in a position to just not work but the closer my next shift gets the more stressed/anxious and physically ill I am getting. I've not been thrilled w/other jobs in the past, but that is part of nursing sometimes...but this place is different for me. I just wondered if anyone else had ever had such a strong reaction to a job...to the point you really aren't sure you can even make yourself go to work.

[PintheD]

Even convicted felons get a hot meal in their prison! The injustices of the workplace never cease to amaze me.

This sounds horrible. I empathize with the way you are feeling. I have had a job affect me in a similar way, my last job in fact. Just couldn't do it anymore.

I'm sorry Lucky, what you need is a good old fashioned pep talk and I'm not the girl to give it! I do, however, wish you the strength to do what you have to do. Be kind to yourself and keep reminding yourself that this situation is not permanent.

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

6:29 pm by Lucky724

I have been struggling for awhile but I have never reached the point that I am at now...I am literally feeling sick to my stomach, having headaches and other physical symptoms because I am scheduled to go back to work tomorrow. .

This seems to be a common denominator among not just nurses, but most all in the health care profession. We've all been there, especially during the first few years.

Might I suggest the following:

1.) first evaluate your overall life satisfaction, and if and how this job is taking away your sense of control. If so, why?

2.) what personality type are you, what learning type are you and how does it fit/ not fit in with this position?

3.) where do you want to be both personally and professionally in five years? Will this position get you there, and at what cost?

4.) are you willing to make big changes if this postition is simply not suited to your strengths? This may mean moving...yes moving.

I encourage you to "know yourself." Nurses are NOT made from cookie cutters. The "find your niche" thing we all hear about is not without merit...

...there are lots of engineers out there, but throw an aeronautics engineer into highway design engineering and he or she may likely want to throw up before going to work as well.

.

This study has helped me understand how my brain works, and under what conditions I am most apt to learn and thrive in a work environment:

Links on Abstract/Random/Concrete/Sequential

Oh and I'm an "Abstract/Sequential" thinker. Which explains why I'm at, where I'm at in the nursing profession today. I really LIKE what I do now, as opposed to sleepless nights, fear, and nausea. But, it took me a while to whittle away to get there. IMHO, nursing schools do not spend enough time with students preparing them for where their true strengths lie. There'd be a whole lot less of the "RN-shuffle" going on if they did. That is key, and should be a priority in nursing programs, rather than churning out drones.

[Lucky724]

Thank you both for replying...I don't feel like such a "freak" now...am going to the web site you have listed above now Guttercat...and the questions you posed are helpful too..

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

The short answer to your question is yes... but only prior to working a weekday day shift. I don't sleep the night before. I get off the bus and tend to think "if I got hit by a car crossing the street, I wouldn't have to go in." I am just trying to make it to the end of the summer and hoping to move on by fall.

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

Thank you both for replying...I don't feel like such a "freak" now...am going to the web site you have listed above now Guttercat...and the questions you posed are helpful too..

Good. I hope you find that site helpful in getting to know how "you" work and think and thrive best, and give you some insight as to why we react and respond the way any of us do within a given environment.

A thoracic surgeon would flop as a GP, and vice versa. Why should it be different for RN's? We're not automatons.

Take charge!

[Mandi3020]

When I was a new nurse (30 years ago) my first position was on an Oncology unit; it had the reputation of being a "hell hole." Anyway, I got to the point that I would have nausea and stomach cramps on the drive to work. The smell of the hospital would hit me like a ton of bricks and by the time I arrived on the fifth floor, the dread I felt was incredible. I stayed on the unit for 5 years; I must be a glutton for punishment! It just wasn't were I needed to be. I transferred to Maternal/Child and LOVED it. I didn't mind going to work at all!