2nd thoughts about being a nurse

Nurses New Nurse

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I was so excited that after 4 grueling years of school, I got my BSN. I really thought life would be better, but it stinks. I have been working about 4 months on med/tele. I am so sick of having too many patients, including some unstable ones. I am sick of catty coworkers, rude mDs, demanding families, no respect, overtime, the mone isnt worth the stress, anxiety, depression, grouchiness, no life, I hate this job. I am so mad.........I worked so hard. Nursing isnt what I thought it was, it isnt about caring for patients, its about how hard can u work one person, there is too much work to do, I feel like I am risking my license every day.......I dont want to go to work and when I am at work, I just wannna go home.

:yeahthat:

Good luck to you....it took me eleven years to finally hit on a job that I liked in the medical field. Too much politics, stress, ungratefulness. I love the "Nurses Creed" I found the other day: "We the willing, led by the unknowing, are often doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much with so little for so long, we are now qualified to do anyting with nothing." Ya gotta love it !!!

Like so many others have already posted, I too could have written this post. I am so unhappy with my career choice and I wish that I would have taken more time to research the nursing profession. I went into nursing with the goal of becoming an NP. I got accepted to a few NP programs right out of my BSN program, but I decided to get some experience first. Now, I am thinking that nursing is not for me at all.

I appreciate what more experienced nurses are trying to share with us new nurses. It makes sense that a new nurse would feel more comfortable and confident with time and experience. However, I'm not really sure that the job ever truly becomes easier. I look around at my coworkers and they seem just as stressed and unhappy as I am at times. I am on my second job already, at two different facilities and two different specialities (med-surg and ER), and the things I dislike about the job are essentially the same. Nurses are expected to care for far too many patients, with too little resources, and too little help. We are expected to sacrifice our own needs (having lunch, being able to take a bathroom break when needed, etc.) to save a couple of bucks for the hospital. No matter what part of the country you are in, what hospital you work at, or in which speciality you work, I'm sure that these are universial problems for the staff nurse. It doesn't get easier, you just get used to it. You learn not to expect to get a bathroom or lunch break, or if you do, one that is not nearly long enough. I am jealous of my friends who have normal jobs and are able to schedule appointments during their lunch break or can actually go out and grab a bite at a restaurant. You learn to expect to come home with your feet and back aching and barely able to get out of bed in the morning (I'm 22 and in excellent shape, by the way).

I did work in a clinic during nursing school, so I know that things can be much better outside of the hospital. These jobs are few and far between though and the competition is stiff. Why? Because there are so many other nurses who want to get out of the hospital! There is a reason that there are 500,000 licensed RNs in the US that are not working in the profession. I am very angry at myself for not researching this career before jumping into it. I am also angry at the nursing school that I attended for not providing a realistic look at the profession. I'm just thankful that I'm young enough to move on and learn from my mistakes.

You have said everything that I wanted to say. I'm browsing this thread after I woke up in the middle of the night after a crappy day at work plus being written off by a stupid nurse who also exerted "horizontal violence" to me. I can't even consider nursing is a profession. A nurse is basically a coordinator. When things go wrong, we take all blames. Break time is a joke. They told us we can have two 15 mins breaks per shift but I can only take my break q month. You just can't get off the floor, period.

How about hospice nsg?

Specializes in ed, icu, detox, ccu.

When nurses trained in hospitals they saw immediately what they were up against.

Plus the theory and philosphy of a nursing degree does not prepare you to be a handmaiden to everyone.

We help everyone - from medical to ward clerks to cleaners and kitchen staff and back again via physio, pathology, social workers et al. No-one helps us - except wardsmen. And we often dont help each other either. How do police and doctors become so "clubby" and supportive of each other but nurses take such glee in pointing out how dangerous/useless/lazy their colleagues are. The prevailing theme seems to be one of "I am the sole voice of professionalism. knowledge and reason on my ward and the place would fall apart if I werent there."

I have had my first read of some of the posts in the forum and the things nurses are saying about each other are damaging to all of us.

Specializes in medical, geri-psych.

I am so glad I found this thread. Lately I have been feeling like the only person in nursing who is unhappy & constantly doubting their career choice. I have been out three years & worked in 3 different jobs. I am 31 & I feel like it is too late to do anything else, especially when I look at the debts my fiance & I have that need to be paid off. I am about to start a new job where I will essentially be like a brand new grad. I wish I could turn back time & not do nursing. :(

I was so frustrated when I began working in a hospital 29 yrs. ago because of the very same things you described. I lasted 10 months and then decided to work for one of the drs. He turned out to be a jerk and so I ended up working at a local LTC facility. I didn't know if I would like it but after a few months I found that I loved it! I worked about 15 yrs. in LTC and then worked 8 yrs. in clinical research at a local university and loved that too. My niece graduated a few years ago from a 4 yr. school of nursing and began working on the med/surg floor in a local hospital. She worked 3 months and quit. She said she hated it. She took off about a year and returned to work in the OR and loves it. You do have to find your niche. Good luck. Keep us informed.

Specializes in 2nd Year RN Student.
12 weeks orientation......I was taken out because some other nurses had quit and they needed staff. I figured a year was enough time to decide what I wanted to do for masters.....

Sounds to me like you need to work for a better hospital that understands the value of a good preceptorship and what it means down the road... not to mention what it means for the safety of their patients!! This has nothing to do with nursing... just bad business.

Specializes in Med-Surg, LTC, Rehabiliation Nursing.

Truly, if you are that miserable there, why not switch? I know you have stated you dont have children, so perhaps, (perhaps, Please dont lump me in with the persons who gave you the attitude of, "I did it with children, so what are you crying about." perhaps you could afford to take a little less money. I went through what you did, and after almost 3 months I changed to a LTC facility. I am still incredibly busy, but I have more control, I am a charge nurse. I took a cut in pay to make the move, and have had to deal with some of the attitude of "oh you poor thing, youre in Ltc." But, I am getting to know my patients, so I know what they need, I am getting respect, some days are harder than others. I am learning so much, and I dont feel like my license is a risk on a daily basis. The pay cut has been made up for by the fact that I am now 10min from work instead of 30, saving on gas and time, I dont have to park in a lot and take a shuttle to work, (another 1/2 of my precious time),and I dont have to pay for sitters cuz of my schedule. I also put in for the Baylor position, which is 3 12's, fri sat sun, with th;e rest ofthe week off, and I get paid an extra 8 plus shift differential and night (after 3) differential. So, there are other options out there! I say quit, you will find something else. You probably need a couple of weeks to get you sanity back. Dont give up, it can be so much more rewarding!

KristyBrN

I too have 2nd thoguhts about becoming a nurse. I hated school i thought the teachers were not supoortive and ignorant to us students and i thought "oh when i'm workng it won't be this way" Then I studied my behind off and i got my license last week. I've been working for a month and a half it wasn't what i thought. I'm a pediatric nurse and i feel like i'm not responsible or smart enough to take care of these kids. And my preceptorship is a joke. i'm not being taught, I'm being told what to do and not being told the reasons/rationales... And if i asks questions my preceptor gets fustrated and does it herself. I think i move too slow (which i do, to not make mistakes) for her b/c she roles her eyes,etc. I feel like i want out of nursing. I feel like i'm disorganized and i don't have a clue whats going on and that i made a huge mistake. I love nursing but right now i feel so helpless with it.

Specializes in ER,ICU and Progressive Care Unit,Peds.

I'm sorry for your frustrations, but it sounds like you should consider another area of nursing. However, no matter what are of nursing you work in you always have difficult people to deal with and some days that you feel like you could pull your hair out. But those days when you get smile out of a pt or a thank you from a pt's family so out weigh those crappy days.

Keep your head up and don't give up on it so easily! I know its a shock just getting out of nursing school and working in the real world, but its sooooooo worth it!

I would also suggest more than a yr in nursing before going into a master's program, esp with all of the issues you are having right now.

I love nursing; however, if I had to work in Ob or women's health I would quit! Some people are just fit better in different areas of nursing, and maybe you should seek another setting before giving it up!

Hang in there!

Specializes in peds, OB/L&D, ER and peds ER.

Hi There---If you haven't heard of this do look into the programs out there fornursing internships. Medical Colleges of VA, Johns Hopkins, LOTS of teaching institutions offer them for a year. They pair you w/ a preceptor RN and you plan out your learning experiences together. You progress at your own rate and there is much flexibility as far as assignments, trying work on other floors to see what you think without committing to them long-term. Any search engine can list them for you to look at and you can probably find one in your area. Assuming you do well you will have a position after you finish the internship. You are paid while you do this as you arehired by the facility teaching you. It speaks well for you on resume and can save your sanity and your altruism in the end. Don't allow joy robbers to ruin your calling. I found in some of the NICUs an ERs I worked in there was this clicque-like mentality and freezing the new guy out. Kind of like marking one's territory. You are better off leaving those places because they won't change. It's abusive and immature and noone needs it. Let me know if you try out the internship idea. You can't lose if you do it and the transition to "the real world" of nursing will be much less painful

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