Feeling lost in my nursing career

[youngNurse722]

I started my first nursing job on a med surg floor and worked there for 2 years, I absolutely loved it and enjoyed learning and wanted more experience so I moved to critical care. Now that I have been in critical care for 6 months, I don't think I enjoy it, it's not what I thought it would be and I felt more challenged on the floor. But I am having a hard time admitting to myself that I don't like it because I wanted it so bad....now I am lost at where to go in nursing and where my next job should be. Should I go back to med-surg? Maybe ER because it has the constant business of medsurg but also the critical care aspect, without all the grueling tedious stuff.

Any advice is appreciated. I just don't know where to go from here.

Also anyone leave a job after only 6 months? does it look bad or did you have a hard time finding a new job because of it?

[angelsigns]

With my experience and having gone through the same thing, I think 6 months isn't fully enough to appreciate what the job has to offer. Sometimes particular ICU's are better to work in than others depending on what specific ICU you work in. If your hospital has more than one ICU maybe consider transferring to the other one and seeing how that goes.

I would advise give it a year. After a year you should definitely have a clear understanding if you truly like it or hate it. You'll also have a clear understanding of what factors are involved that make you dislike it. Those answers will be clear down the road.

I have moved 6 months after being in a job I thought I didn't like. After I left I wish I had gave it another chance. I wish I had waited it out a little longer.

Plus, 1 year is really not that long. One year of solid ICU experience is also super valuable if you want to transition into other nursing career paths such as working in the Cath lab which is DEFINITELY exciting.

I think you're better off waiting it out.

[TU RN, DNP, CRNA]

Good advice from angelsigns. You state you wanted to be in critical care so bad. Why? What are your goals?

[youngNurse722]

26 minutes ago, TU RN said:

Good advice from angelsigns. You state you wanted to be in critical care so bad. Why? What are your goals?

Honestly I am unsure of my career goals, but definitely want to go back to school. I enjoy research or maybe management. I wanted ICU because I truly have an interest and passion for nursing and wanted to learn more. I always enjoyed having sick patients on the floor. Also, once you have ICU experience you can get a job almost anywhere.

I'm also not sure if it's just the ICU I work at that is making me hate it. The constant competitive personalities and everyone thinks they know everything. The floor I used to work on was like a family and a very close fun group to work around. So maybe that is more so what I am missing. But all are ICU's full of people with the serious, competitive personalities?

[RNperdiem, RN]

You are right about ICU experience being useful in opening doors to other nursing opportunities. Cath lab, PACU, interventional radiology, and all kinds of procedural nursing require ICU skills.

I do know what you mean by the competitive personalities. When I was new, I found they sapped my limited morale. My newness made me feel insecure and being around people who seemed so comfortable and almost overconfident made the insecurity worse. These days, I am not the least bothered. ICUs most likely aren't as full of serious, competitive personalities as it appears. People like that just grab more than their share of attention.

Give the ICU at least a year. This is an opportunity to gain some skills that can make all kinds of nursing jobs available.

["nursy", RN]

The first ICU I worked for had some real issues with competitiveness. The last one I worked for was so busy, if the nurses didn't work together, they would have just drowned. Of course that kind of busy-ness creates it's own issues with stress and burn out. ICU is tough, no matter what. In my last job just about all the nurses were in NP school, or planning on it. Most of the med-surg units are very stressful areas to work in as well. You say that you want to go back to school, in maybe research or management. Could it be that the real problem is you're burning out on patient care? That can be a hard thing for a nurse to admit, but research and management are just as important!

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

I transferred from med-surg to ICU, I can understand your feelings. My ideal job would be split between the two units, because they are different but each has drawbacks and advantages. As for the personalities, I think that many ICUs attract some pretty strong ones, and that can make or break someone's experience there. You shouldn't be disappointed to realize that something you thought you wanted didn't turn out as planned. You couldn't really know what ICU was like before you got there. If you can give it some more time, maybe some of your disappointment is related to still feeling pretty new. But if you decide to leave, I think that there's nothing wrong with realizing after six months that something isn't a good fit. I hope you can find something that works best for you. No real advice, since I wouldn't be the one to tell you what your next steps should be, just wishing you the best.

[LemonDrop26]

I have experienced the same situation you are in and I left just after 6 months. I don't regret it at all. I was honest and up front with my interviews following my previous job and I explained how I was looking for a different working environment that allowed me to highlight my skills. If it is having an effect on your mind and body, is it worth putting your personal health at risk?

[ivyleaf]

stick it out a year, it will open doors. not all unit culture are the same, although i think ICU does attract competitive personalities