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Discussion

Feeling Lost

I have been a nurse for about 2 years now doing cardiac/telemetry nursing. I went into nursing because I love helping people and thought nursing would be such a rewarding career for me. I absolutely love my patients and being there for them but I feel so miserable at work. I get so anxious before work that it ruins my time at home with my family. I have never felt so stressed in my life. Always short staffed, no charge nurse, administration could care less. I'm so tired of working for big corporations that don't care about its patients or nurses. I have recently relocated and am considering not even continuing nursing but I don't know what else I could do that could support my family. I am so ashamed to even say that because it makes me feel like a quitter but I don't know what else to do. Has anyone ever felt this way? If so how did you overcome it?

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    It sounds like you need a different work environment. I'd try to stick it out until I got another job. If you like the specialty, pick a better employer, ask questions in the interview about staffing. Check the hospitals reviews. That usually gives you an idea of what you might be getting into. I've been in work environments like yours, and I've held out until I got a new job which wasn't usually too long. I told myself, "you can stick it out just a little longer, it's not permanent, etc." Nursing has given me a really nice income and job stability. I don't think I could give that up but if I was really sick of working in hospitals I would aim toward PACU or cath lab. GI lab would be nice too.

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    • Experts
    I went into nursing because I love helping people and thought nursing would be such a rewarding career for me. I absolutely love my patients and being there for them but I feel so miserable at work. I get so anxious before work... never felt so stressed in my life. Always short staffed, no charge nurse, administration could care less.Has anyone ever felt this way? If so how did you overcome it?

    Twice in my career, kkemble, I put nursing on the back burner and did the free lance art thing for a while. That helped me gain a new perspective and taught me being my own boss isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

    Last shift was a bad one: Psychotic patients having the run of the unit. The shift was "bad" because I didn't handle myself as well as I could have. I reminded myself that "My happiness does not depend on what others do or say or what happens around me. My happiness is a result of being at peace with myself". I gave myself a pep talk and came back to Wrongway Regional Medical Center where we are regularly short staffed, have no charge nurse, and administration could care less, and did my job.

    It's difficult to answer your question of how do I overcome the stress in a short post. I tend to call it "working a Program" and remind myself every day why I do what I do. I read affirmation literature. I meditate. I utilize my great co-workers. I talk with my wife, Belinda, who's a medical nurse. I try to live a healthy lifestyle.

    Last night, I wanted to quit my job. What a difference a day makes.

    Good luck to you, kkemble.

    Oh and BTW: Welcome to AN.com!

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    • Columnist

    Your post really touches my heart because so many good nurses are lost due to unhealthy working conditions. And it affects the soul. Once I was called in to work a shift on Tele and given 9 patients. To top it off, a cardiovascular surgeon criticized me for not doing a dressing on time. The only way I could reframe it was to think the patients were better off because I was there than if I hadn't come in.

    There are organizations and units that do better than others and have less turnover to prove it. I agree with the previous posters; change your thinking to survive, and change your setting to thrive. Best wishes.

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