Don't like nursing at all, what can I do with my BSN?

[lostrnugh]

I've been an RN for 6 months working in acute care. After working for 6 months I'm dreadfully burnt out. Nursing is not what I thought it was. Nursing school just prepared us to do nursing tasks but it didn't show us the real world behind the scenes of nursing. Dealing with admits and discharges and orders upon orders and providers losing temper always stressed running from room to room having IV bags passing meds on time cleaning up a bed fast patient and falling behind providers yelling because they orders Stat labs an hour ago but I didn't see them because I was busy with another patient. I can't deal with that type of situation anymore and I'm just burnt. My family has seen a drastic change in my demeanor and have noticed I've been depressed and quiet and not who I used to be any more and frankly it's because of this job.

Not just that but I'm really just tired of the whole bedside / direct patient care. Techs never doing their part so I'm picking up all their tasks at the same time while they text on their phones in the utilities room.

I'm not really sure where to go now or what to do. I've had multiple panic attacks prior and during work due to the stress and responsibilities bestowed upon me. Nursing school never prepared us for this and I had no clue this is what nursing was so now I am regretting entering the field.

I'm in debt nearly 35k for school and Idk what else I can do with my BSN. I really want to go back to school and go into telecom or computer engineering where the level of responsibility is not as high and the stress level is at a minimum.

Any advice at all? I really been thinking about this for a few months now and I just don't like bed side/ direct patient care at all. Idk if I should try and find an outpatient position or something that doesn't involve doing bedside nursing care. Or if there is something else I can do with my BSN.

Thanks guys

[alluneedislove]

Apply for a job in psych. You might love it. If you don't, you'll have extended your clinical experience by at least a few more months...

[vikirn]

Try specialties away from adults, peds, nice, labor and delivery. After only 6 months I would definitely look for other options. One of my friends just started at a plasma center. So many options for you.

[lauhu3]

I'm a new nurse too and agree that it is overwhelming. I really enjoy the pace and atmosphere of LTC, I work NOC and it's laid back. I don't have to worry about orders and working with providers is next to never.

[KellyRRN]

Hey. I've been a nurse for 6 years. I've done mental health, ortho-neuro, IMCU, and most recently case management. Case management especially in a SNF is low liability and low stress. When you get some years of CM experience, you can even work from home as a utilization management nurse making good money. There are also per diem jobs doing assessments as an independently contracted RN. there are so many options, you just haven't found your niche yet..don't give up!

[vigoriki]

I work in a cardiopulmonary rehab. It was a very nice change from the bedside and a avenue of nursing that I would not have thought to try if I did not fall into it. I love it because I still get to be a nurse and deal with patient every day but they are primarily outpatient's. We exercise patients (cardio- after a cardiac event such as MI, Stents, CABG, heart transplant, CHF/ pulmonary- long term pulmonary disease such as COPD, pulm fibrosis, ect) on treadmills, nu-steps, bicycles, arm bikes, weights, ect and monitor them to make sure they are tolerating the exercise well and staying within the parameters prescribed by the patient's physician. We also incorporate patient education into the program to teach them lifestyle changes, how to manage disease, about medications. This is just a brief explanation of cardiopulmonary rehab but its just to give you an idea of a different aspect of nursing that is out there. Hope this helps and you find a specialty in nursing that you can be happy with.

[sharonihum, MSN, RN]

So very sorry you are miserable in this current role. Direct care nursing is not for everyone. It can feel like a thankless job, but it can also be the most extraordinary profession in the world! The best advice I can share with you after 60 years of life is this .... Do some investigation into who you are & what your passions & dreams are. There are many personality tests, books on the subject that will help shed light into this area of your soul that it sounds like you truly need right now.

Nursing is not about having a job with a great paycheck & life-time security ... No ... It is a self-sacrificing servant position. We are about meeting people right where they are at their felt point of need. Nursing is about validating that person who comes to us broken & hurting in their soul, just needing a compassionate touch from someone who really cares. To stay in a position just to keep a job & collect a paycheck is almost cruel. We all deserve someone to touch us who truly cares if we are alive or not. So... If that is what you are seeking ... A way to do that for someone else & not feel like you are going to pieces doing it, then yes, there is a position in nursing for you!

You might want to consider a position in home care - whether private duty or home health or hospice... There are many varied & interesting positions opening up all the time. Just remember & keep close to your heart why you sought out nursing in the first place & what your personal dreams & goals are. You have everything you need inside you for joy and peace and fulfillment. Look inside & then reach out. Be blessed in everything you do sweetie! I believe in you!!

sharoni

[nononsense]

I feel the same way, many acute care positions I have been dismissed from.

I tried home health, I don't want to drive around the county for free.

Nursing home, would disable me physically from the nature of the work.

Psychiatric hospital isn't bad, except I have to pass meds to all the patients occasionally. I made one mistake, and now I'm looking to jump ship.

I don't know where, or what. Research, informatics, education, prison, legal, administration...

I'm trying for fnp school currently, do I have what it takes?

[APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP]

My sympathies to your plight.

Regardless of what you decide to do, know this: It is easier to get a job when you have a job, than it is to get hired when you're unemployed.

See if you can go down to Per Diem (on call) with your present employer. You'll work less hours, and still be moving towards the Golden Year of Experience.

Additionally, I would suggest investigating the possibility of some form of outpatient nursing.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

In addition to the many positions already listed, after 5+ years of experience there's also educator and clinical nurse specialist roles.

Focus on an end date for bedside nursing and how you plan to transition yourself out. Having an end date made bedside nursing tolerable for me.

[wannabecnl]

Reiterating some of the earlier posts, but I agree!

1. I'm speaking from personal experience: please deal with the anxiety issues, for your sake and for your patients. Anxiety makes your mind less sharp, and the fear of having a panic attack can render you powerless to work for your patient. I've been there. I was on medication for 10 months, which was the only reason I survived the first year in my job. I still get palpitations if a patient goes south, but I can maintain control of my mind now and make good decisions.

2. Get out of med-surg and into something--anything--else. I hate med-surg. Hate. Hate. Hate. I hated it when I shadowed before nursing school, I hated it in clinical, I hated it when I got my first job in a progressive care unit right out of school (which was just med-surg with WAY sicker patients), and I would hate it now after 3 years in PACU. It has its own model of patient care, so not liking it doesn't mean you won't like anything else. Trust me; I adore my PACU patients, but it is a whole different scene when they get to their rooms, when I have to deal with their families and a roommate, getting them up to the bathroom, etc. Med-surg would drive me out of nursing in 3 seconds, but I love what I do now.

3. 6 months is a tough spot regardless of your department. I think the learning curve is steep no matter where you work, but the stakes may be different from one unit to the next. Some units are set up to take new grads, so the real orientation may extend (like the nursing residencies offered by some hospitals, which typically last 9 months!) with lots of support. Remember that if you do change to another department, you will have to start over in some respects, while your experience so far will help you with others.

Something drove you into nursing in the first place; it's not like it's the only way to have a steady, decent paying job. Think about what you like, look at other areas, and get on top of the anxiety.

[nurseredd]

Have you considered working outpatient (ie: clinic). I was a triage nurse for family medicine for a large hospital system. While it paid a bit less than inpatient, I worked mon-fri 8-5, had all holidays off, and didn't deal with patients "one on one" beyond giving injections or a few other tasks medical assistants do not have in their scope. Most of my day was giving advice to our patients over the phone/online, refilling meds, and doing prior-atuhs/pre-auths for meds/diagnostic testing. Triage MUST be done by RN/LPN ONLY (licensed required to give medical advice) so theres always plenty of jobs! Hey, it's worth a shot!

[MidLifeRN2012]

I got my first nursing job 1 1/2 years ago in psych and I would highly recommend it. Our floor is mostly med pass, charting, and pt education along with therapeutic communication. No IVs, catheters, wounds, JPeg tubing, etc. Only PO, IM and Sub Q meds. Very laid back unless you have those few patients that become aggressive and need to be restrained, but we have plenty of staff and security that helps out when that occurs. Night shift is even better because pts are usually all sleeping, but it can get pretty boring. We do have medical psych floors that do that type of skill oriented stuff. When we float there, they don't give us those type of pts. Now, we do have to order labs because of the meds they are on, plus some have HTN or DM2, so you can't escape the medical altogether, but the only medical meds we usually give are insulin, BP meds, and heparin. 95% of our pts are ambulatory and bathe, clothe and feed themselves. Also, on our unit our visiting hours are only from 6 pm to 8 pm, so it leaves out the annoying families that hang out in the rooms on other floors that can quickly become time suckers.

While I am grateful I can learn to be a nurse in a supportive, slower paced (than any medical floor) environment, I am hating the shift work and want to go back to a traditional day M-F schedule, no nights/holiday type of job. My health and social life have suffered since working 2nd and 3rd shifts, so thanks for all the suggestions for non-bedside jobs that at least want a BSN