what else can i do with BSN? to say goodbye to profession or keep trying?

[sunshine539]

My whole life i wanted to become a nurse. I love caring for people and i loved being a nurses aide. But now...being in the RN profession for about 4-5 years now..I am starting to have second thoughts about this career choice. I just wanted to reach out and see if any of you lovely nurses have suggestions on a second career ot perhaps other specialties? Or should give nursing another chance?

Ok now here is long story about me: young nurse. wentstraight into college got bsn and into the profession. I was an aidefor 3 years prior and loved it. I loved the time i got to spend withmy patients. And during all of this I thought id want to be an ICUnurse, I was always a straight A student and smart. (which ivelearned now means nothing). Liked the idea of only having 2-3patients.buttt I never quite go there.

---So i worked a year and a half on the same floor that I was an aide- RN night shift, tele floor. oh goodness. I was a good nurse but this was terrible. i am NOT a night person. and then i was bullied by a day nurse and i just sort of hit my wall. I was overwhelmed and stressed.. crying everyday on the way home. scared to come back to work for fear of being bullied by the nurse. And scared of shift report.

---So then,i found my out. found an office position and they told me after a few months id become an outpatient procedure nurse in that office.So so fast forward-finally after waiting and working in office for 1.5 years (NOT a few months) finally started the training for procedure nurse..Because i was in the office for almost a year my clinical skills were sort of rusty and i had a really hard time learning. I made a stupid mistakes and just the flow there was different and they were not that good at training. We had a new office manager and she just did not like me everything I did was wrong in her eyes and I questioned too much...so then then they told me that the position would be a "float" position (meaning id be in the office again) and eventually left because i was losing all of my clinical skills

----Next, Found myself at an long term acute care hospital (patients are very similar in acuity to a step down unit- many vented and PEGs) but i was able to go straight into days!! ok so now ive been here a little less than 2 years. Being on day shift is lovely. The doctors are there. More staff is there. The nurses are fabulous and nice. But the first few months were hard. i was overwhelmed all the time felt like a new grad all over(this place is crazy and we don't have the support staff you have in a regular hospital) and I cried a lot (my emotions always get the best of me) slowly now i don't get as overwhelmed and I was doing OK but lately my anxiety has been so bad. i.e. waking up in thr middle of the night "did i do that??" or did i give that medication right?? or should i have handled that differently? (we still do paper charting and paper MARs FYI) Im constantly running and feeling like I cant even think while im working. I always feel like im running around like a chicken with its head cut off and im just an emotional person my emotions get the best of me...

and idk more and more im just wondering...maybe this isnt for me? maybe this whole dream i had isnt for me? so what else can i do with my BSN?! or do i give hospital nursing one more shot? i always wanted to do ICU feeling organized chaos is more my style. but idk i feel so dumb and overwhlemed on a LTACH unit...but thats a higher patient ratio? And I know ill have to go back to nights. I should just say the hell to the profession or what. Help!!

[llg, PhD, RN]

Maybe you should deal with your anxiety had on before you make any big decisions. Once you get your anxiety managed/treated/whatever ... then give hospital nursing one more shot. The reasons you left there don't seem all that insurmountable to me. But don't go back to the hospital until you have successfully dealt with your anxiety. The stress of making a big work change of any kind will be magnified if your anxiety is not being managed well.

[OldDude]

Maybe you should deal with your anxiety had on before you make any big decisions. Once you get your anxiety managed/treated/whatever ... then give hospital nursing one more shot. The reasons you left there don't seem all that insurmountable to me. But don't go back to the hospital until you have successfully dealt with your anxiety. The stress of making a big work change of any kind will be magnified if your anxiety is not being managed well.

AYE! Changing professions will only bring new stuff to worry about...get help for yourself, follow the plan, and try it again when you can start renewed and ready. Good Luck

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

Step 1 - manage anxiety

Step 2 - Evaluate after anxiety is well in hand whether you want to work a different specialty

Step 3 - Investigate other specialties/career paths. Not all of them involve patient care. You could do case management. You could become an educator. You could do medical sales. You could go into informatics. You could go into quality assurance. Or infection control. Or wound care. Or a hundred other things.

Step 4 - Make an informed choice, knowing there are no guarantees you will like any of these more than where you are now and that all will come with a learning curve

Unfortunately beyond positions that actually NEED a licensed RN in them, a BSN isn't a very useful degree.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

You have many options available. Market yourself, starting with scouring the job boards.

I have an ASN , made 100 K working from home.

[sunshine539]

what is it exactly you do?

and yes. i think i need to get a handle on the anxiety. trying to figure out a way to get over it. but i think its I think i mean more to say im overwhelmed and stressed at this particular facility. but scared to leave because it is day shift. yes there are days that i feel like a do a good job but i just always feel like a chicken with my head cut off due to staffing ratios and patient acuity and management issues. And i realize all of a sudden maybe this isn't what i want to do. yeah i always thought it was but i am young. and its not too late for a second career. lke thinking of a second career makes my anxiety go away. Like i dont have to be this stressed out all the time because i feel overwhelmed that i cannot do the best job i want to do because i have too many critical patients, families that are over the top, and too many tasks on my plate. idk. maybe im making excuses. i havent decided what to quite do. Maybe ill investigate where i can work with nurses but not bedside? ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS ON OTHER CAREER PATHS OR CAREER PATHS IN NURSING?

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

Don't be too hard on yourself. You are not "making excuses" and your emotions and concerns are valid. This job is TOUGH. It doesn't mean you are lacking or a wimp or weak or anything else if you aren't able to make this your career. You may do well in another specialty. You may do better if you get out of nursing. Whatever you decide to do, keep remembering that it is never too late to change the ending of your story. You aren't locked in and it doesn't mean you are "less than" if you decide this isn't for you.

[Crystal-Wings, LVN]

You could try private duty nursing. That's what I do. It's usually pretty low key (as long as the family is decent and the patient is relatively stable) and you only have 1 patient to look after. It works for me and my anxiety issues. Only downside is it doesn't pay that great.