Finally decided to quit nursing

[jennjen512]

Hi everyone. I have been a nurse for over 7 years and for the past year I have debated getting out of the profession for good. I had just finished the week long hospital orientation for a new job and was to start clinical orientation Sunday. Between Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon I was having big doubts about the job, then I realized that it wasn't the job itself that I didn't like. I hate hate hate being a nurse. I called the unit manager on her cell phone Saturday afternoon and told her my decision and that I would not be coming back. I am scared to death because I have no income at this point but at the same time I have a sense of relief and peace about the whole situation.

[ANurseDivided]

Hi JennJen512Finally someone who feels the same way that I do. I am almost embarrassed to tell anyone that I really do not like being a nurse. I don't even like to tell people that I am a nurse.I do feel that nursing is not for everyone. I truly feel that nursing is engineered for a nurse to work at the bedside, be a nurse manager, CRNA, or NP. If one does not want to do either one of those jobs then you are stuck.I so badly just want get away from the bedside but it is so hard. The nursing profession makes it seem like there are so many opportunities available for nurse but I would have to disagree. If you don't have the experience then guess what you are not leaving the bedside. I feel so trapped.I go to work everyday dreading going there. I try not to have a bad attitude but I'm fading fast. I don't want to take another bp or push someone in a wheelchair or help someone to the bathroom.But it is unrealistic for me to try to change mid course now as I have been a nurse for 12 years and I'm 37 years old. Let's face it, healthcare = job security. But don't think for one minute that I have not thought about doing exactly what you have done.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

I can feel the relief from here.

However.. if you need to support yourself... that decision was based on an emotional, not a rational decision.

You need to bite the bullet long enough to search for employment in one of the many areas of nursing outside of the hospital.

Good luck.

[chicarn, BSN, RN]

To the OP. I admire you for your courage that many of us lack. many of us feel stuck in that profession that is supposed to noble but it become the crappiest profession by its administration. understaffed, unappreciated,and underpaid for the job we do, we cannot leave because we are afraid of loosing that paycheck. And to get of bedside nursing is not easy, every position is already filled and they need experience.

Good luck JennJen512, just remember when one door is close so many windows will open up.

[caliotter3]

I wonder what the unit manager's gut level reaction was to this turn of events.

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

I understand how you feel.

After 15 years, I hated being an engineer and I'm so glad I quit.

Congratulations on your decision, I hope you find a career or job that you love!

[bigsick_littlesick]

Yikes, this is a really depressing topic to read I guess I have always been one of those people who have to see it to believe it and since, by the end of nursing school, I will have put in eight years (including pre-reqs, waiting to get accepted and length of program) so far, I feel I have a lot riding on my nursing career. I kind of hope I never feel like quitting because I already love it so much now. My biggest fear is becoming jaded and weary and having to walk away from a profession and career I think I will love. I really cannot see myself doing anything else, maybe microbiologist or virologist.

My biggest inspiration to become a nurse is my mom who stands in stark contrast to what I've been noticing across the board doing my clinicals. All of my nurses I've worked with are great; they're smart, quick on their feet, experienced, helpful... But they all generally sound like they hate their job which their reasons are not without merit. I know my mother is not the end-all-be-all of nurses but she's been one for 36 years now and she admits she LOVES coming in to work. The only thing she ever gripes about is trying to call in nurses to work (she is usually shift coordinator on our tele unit).

I know I am rationalizing to you all but I hope I am not alone in feeling this way while reading all these replies. Some people have great suggestions as far as recognizing that nursing is so multifaceted and you can go in a lot of different directions. I suppose if I ever find myself in this predicament, I would still stay in the general area of nursing but possibly go onto become an advanced practitioner such as an NP.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

If you have a few years of experience, consider clinics, case management, home health, psych, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, occupational health...to name a few. Many nurses don't work at the bedside for various reasons beyond a couple of years. If you can afford to, work less hours even.

[BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN]

Its strange how you pegged year 7, that was my last clinical year. YOUR GOOD!

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Good for you. I can't think of much I find more depressing than people who hate their jobs but feel resigned to be stuck there. Why give up on having a career that is fulfilling, or at the very least, not soul-crushing?

I stayed in a job that I hated for nearly two years prior to going in to nursing because I felt stuck there. It just made me feel old, worn out, defeated, and like there was nothing left to look forward to. It was awful and I am grateful I got fired because otherwise I don't think I would have found the motivation to go back to school for nursing, the job was that sapping.

I hope you don't struggle too much financially while finding your new path.

[Good Morning, Gil]

I'm sorry you are so burnt out with nursing. However, you do have 7 years of experience. That should land you a job with an insurance company pushing paper or answering phone calls from patients or something of the like (though those jobs are not easy to come by). Or you could go back to school for nursing research or nursing informatics if you want to advance your career, but don't want the bedside aspect of nursing anymore. I hear nursing informatics is a growing area, but I've never looked into it since it doesn't interest me in the least lol. Maybe read around here on AN and other websites. If you like kids, summer's coming up, and camp nursing would be a change of pace for you possibly.

Or, if you really want nothing to do with nursing, you could go back to school for something else entirely (just be sure it's marketable in this economy or be willing to move). Best of luck to you! You can find fulfillment in your career even if it requires you to make some changes, big or small. You just need to ask yourself honestly: are you burnt out because nursing just isn't for you? Are you burnt out because you've had crappy nursing jobs? Or are you burnt out because you just haven't found the right area for you? You can find an appropriate/good solution if you can answer those questions. (before I decided on nursing, I almost pursued my master's in school counseling, so I can't help but try to be the "fixer", so hence all of the questions lol).

[Healing Soul]

I finally left nursing after working for several years as a CNA. I came to a point where I could no longer subject myself to a toxic

and soul crushing work environment. I quit taking care of myself and was sinking into a deep depression. In my case, I took a job as a grill cook at McDonalds while I looked for work. Two years later, I was hired by a county to work as an Education and Training Case Manager and I love my job. I had to jump off a cliff and take a chance into the unknown to find happiness and peace.

[Ted]

I seem to recall some study back in the nineties that found the average professional life of an RN to be six to seven years.

Indeed, it seems the hardest years are the first two, and then again about year seven.

I remember reading a similar study, too, a long time ago. I wonder if it could have been the same study.

Heck. . . I left nursing during my seventh year into the nursing profession. I was going through a personal crisis, back then, unrelated to nursing. Took a position as an "investigator" working for a state over-sight agency investigating negligence and such for a specific population of people. I did NOT do well with that job; just could not see the forest through the trees while I attempted to investigate the cases assigned to me. In the meanwhile, I took care of my personal business through counseling (grief counseling, actually) and started exploring other career options. Well, it ended me with the job that I currently have for 13 years now. I quit that state job after 6 agonizing months and have been an ICU nurse ever since.

I consider myself lucky. I work for an unusual hospital which provides me a wonderful opportunity to give the type of nursing care that I would wish any of my family members to receive. This hospital and the working environment associated with it is not without its challenges. But, DANG! I generally take care of one, maybe two patients, during my shift. So, I really can't complain about my current status as a night-shift ICU/CCU staff nurse (for a small, small hospital).

I know that other nurses working for other hospitals in other states aren't so lucky. This is going into my 20th year of nursing and, during that relatively short time-frame, I've seen a lot of changes both in nursing and the medical field as a whole. In many ways, these changes seem to burden the health-care professionals, not help them. To be honest, I don't have the answer for those health-care professionals working in potentially dangerous working conditions and wishing to leave their positions. The only thing that I could suggest is some kind of career counseling. Seek support from a trained and trusted professional outside of work and family. At the very least, such support could help better plan for significant changes in one's career in a more orderly fashion. Even with no job at present, such support might be helpful. Although more rarer now-a-days, there still remains lots of choices in careers outside of bedside nursing for the person being an RN. Effective counseling might clear one's head while wading through the choices and making final decisions.

I wish you well as you go down your path in seeking some other career. I wish this for anyone seeking career changes and other changes in life. No one needs to be alone during this process. Seeking professional counseling is an option well worth exploring.