Don't know what to do

[dlane]

Hello,

i am a fairly new nurse (graduated 2 years ago). The state i lived in only had one hospital in the area and all of us were required to pretty much do med/surg upon graduation. I did, and only lasted 6 months before my anxiety level got so bad that I was not able to sleep, had lots of nausea, et. I left that job and took joined a very busy pediatric practice and loved it.

We recently moved to a new state and noone would hire me without my 1 year in med surg and doctors offices down here really only hire LPNs, so I took a job with the local hospital on med/sug again. This time i am working nights and it is better but I am starting to have that same problem again. Unable to sleep, lots of upset stomachs, anxiety, and am now taking anxiety meds. I don't know what to do. I don't knwo why I feels this way, its not my skills as i feel confident in those. My dilemma is that I am the primary breadwinner in my family now as the wages here hare half for my husband than what they were before we moved. I think for me its dealign with the patients themselves and the families. I don;t know how to deal with the patient who is on the call bell every 5 minutes or those people who are such drama queens. I think I would do great in the OR or even out patient surgery, just not the floor, but it seems that hospitals fill those jobs from within when they open up. I just don't know if i can make it another 3 months like this. I feel trapped and helpless which is so unlike me. I am considering home health but is 9 months med/surg and 12 months peds doc office experience enough?

I could cry........

[oramar]

It is not you it is the job. Look into home care. I can't imagine what it would be like to be trapped like that. I always had the option of walking because my income was only supplemental. Walking is what I frequently did sometimes leaving a job before I even had another.

[ktwlpn, LPN]

Hello,

i am a fairly new nurse (graduated 2 years ago). The state i lived in only had one hospital in the area and all of us were required to pretty much do med/surg upon graduation. I did, and only lasted 6 months before my anxiety level got so bad that I was not able to sleep, had lots of nausea, et. I left that job and took joined a very busy pediatric practice and loved it.

We recently moved to a new state and noone would hire me without my 1 year in med surg and doctors offices down here really only hire LPNs, so I took a job with the local hospital on med/sug again. This time i am working nights and it is better but I am starting to have that same problem again. Unable to sleep, lots of upset stomachs, anxiety, and am now taking anxiety meds. I don't know what to do. I don't knwo why I feels this way, its not my skills as i feel confident in those. My dilemma is that I am the primary breadwinner in my family now as the wages here hare half for my husband than what they were before we moved. I think for me its dealign with the patients themselves and the families. I don;t know how to deal with the patient who is on the call bell every 5 minutes or those people who are such drama queens. I think I would do great in the OR or even out patient surgery, just not the floor, but it seems that hospitals fill those jobs from within when they open up. I just don't know if i can make it another 3 months like this. I feel trapped and helpless which is so unlike me. I am considering home health but is 9 months med/surg and 12 months peds doc office experience enough?

I could cry........

You have been through several major life changes in the past 2 years on top of the stress of nursing school...This type of stress can easily trigger depression.I am a big believer in "better living through chemistry" Get to your PCP=talk about your feelings and what you have been going through in your life .A little counseling (most employers will pay for this) and maybe an anti-depressant may be indicated.Believe me when you get the chemical imbalance in your brain adjusted your outlook changes and you can handle it all...Make sure you are getting enough excercise,rest and time to relax...Good Luck

[sleepyndopey]

You left a job you loved, your husband makes half what he did---makes me wonder why you moved. Anyway, try to stick it out where you are. If you feel you would like another area of the hospital better, it might be worth it to put up with your situation now and in the near future you can transfer. However, you cannot ignore your mental health. Only you know if you can continue in your current situation.

I hope everything works out for you.

[caliotter3]

Stick with the job as long as you can tolerate it so that you can learn as much as possible and get experience. Then, go to a home health agency and ask to do patient care cases where you only work with one patient for an entire shift. The stress level is much less, because you only have one patient and often they are very stable long term and routine. Inquire with your local home health agencies ahead of time to make certain that you have enough experience to get hired. For most of them, you do. Some will hire new grads. Good luck.