First and Last Year in Nursing

Nurses New Nurse

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I've been an RN for six months. I had a half-a**ed orientation to the SICU that I work in, and have been off orientation for about 2 months. The work load can be ridiculous, the pay stinks, and it gets really tiring working 12-hours shift with a 30min. break (some days, no break). Now, I get to work 12 hour shifts on all of the holidays (actually, did 16 on Thanksgiving so that one of my co-workers wouldn't be mandated). I won't see my family on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I expected all of this, but now that I'm up to my neck in it, I ask myself, why? I'm going to try another position after the first of the year, but I'm most likely headed out of nursing much quicker than I headed in. I can find other positions that pay more, afford me more time with my loved ones, and take much less of a physical and emotional toll on me. Make no mistake, there is good reason for the nursing "shortage".

All I have to say is: What exactly did all of you expect? Flowers and balloons at the beginning of each shift and a foot massage at the end?

I wish my fellow students would shut up and quit saying things like this to new grads and veteran RN's alike. It's totally disrespectful to belittle the real problems that are happening out there. As students we will find this out for ourselves soon enough.

I've been externing in addition to clinicals and, while it's still a far cry from having to do the real job, I can already see how tough it's going to be. As students, we have no clue what it's really like. It's nothing like doing the entire job yourself with your license on the line.

These kinds of remarks give students a bad name.

:typing

Specializes in MedSurg Tele.

I am a mess at this moment. One second I think I'm doing fine and flying through the shift with everything done, the next I get phone calls at home with questions from other nurses about my patients. I forgot to sign a med on the MAR, a patient complained to the nurse that they've received a certain drug already or I read the insulin scale wrong and gave too much insulin. Being a new nurse stinks. I have so many patients to run around and complete tasks for. It's just not fair.

I have all these loans to pay back from attending nursing school! Somehow it needs to be paid off!

What do I do? What is a safe nursing job that I could get into without killing a patient? I want that job. I just can't do this...!

Yah, I agree, Nursing is hard work and i feel my health is going down. I have always been a tired person but now I feel I am much more tired than ever. All I ever care about when I get home is sleeping.

I have 8 more months on my surgical unit and if I was to remain on the unit, I will be going parttime. However I am hoping to be back in Canada next year working parttime anyways.

Its hard to stick with the job but when good moments happen, its all worthwhile and when its not, yah you want to quit asap.

Good luck to us all in our endeavours;)

Specializes in OR.

I'm sorry that you are going through this. I, too, think it would be a shame if you didn't try some other area of nursing. Around here(New England) many of the hospitals will train a new grad in ER, OR, ICU etc. I think it is terrible how M/S nurses get treated and I started nursing school knowing that I would not be doing med/surg when I was done. I have my bad days too, but I love my job. I think a big part of this is I only have 1 patient at a time and I get my breaks and lunch 98% of the time. My ultimate goal is to do travel nursing. Have you considered that option? There are travel agencies that will set you up with a assignment close to home, so if you have a family. it won't affect them. We as nurses are needed. If you had to, you could find another job inside of a week. Make the shortage work for you. I posted my resume on Monster just to keep my options open, and each day, I have 3-5 people calling me regarding jobs. Your niche is out there. Best of luck to you.:biere:

Specializes in MedSurg Tele.
All I have to say is: What exactly did all of you expect? Flowers and balloons at the beginning of each shift and a foot massage at the end?

Just wait until you start your orientation... Nursing school is all grades and papers, totally not the real world of becoming a nurse. You're way out of touch.

Im So Sad To Hear So Many Going Through A Rough Time And Thinking Of Quitting Nursing All Together.....there Has To Be Some Reason You Did All That Work You Just Need To Find It......i To Gradauted May Pf 05 And Took The Best Job I Could Get With The Most Money A Sign On And It Is In One Of The Toughest Neighborhoods Where I Was Sure To See And Learn So Much In This "teaching Facility".........i Worked Night Shift And 5 Months In I Was Miserable I Never Saw My Family, I Was Tired, On Holidays Forget It I Slept All Day To Rest Up For Work And Then Worked All Night To Sleep The Whole Next Day.......i Was Given Large Pt Assignments Made Charge Nurse My First Nite Off Orientation And Got No Help From Staff Cause Most Were Busy Themselves Or They Were Travelers Who Didnt Care About Me The Staff Unionized Nurse........after 6 Months I Practically Had A Nervous Breakdown I Was Making Myself Sick Physically And Emotionally........i Got Went To My Docotor And Was Put On Antianxiety Meds And She Said You Cant Do This Your Making Yourself Sick To The Point Were Its Dangerous.......i Was Going To Quit But But Said No I Asked To Be Moved To A Less Stressful Floor Than The Oncology And Was Fired When I Told Them I Couldn't Work On That Floor They Had To Move Me In Reccomendation Of My Doctor........after That I Seriously Thought Of Quitting Nursing .........i Contemplated Longterm Care, Dr's Offices.....but I Knew I Could Do This I Was Happy In School......finnaly I Found It......a Local Community Hospital On Infectious Disease.....ive Been There A Year Next Month And I Couldnt Be Happier.....the Staff, Everyone Is Like A Family To Me And We Work Together.....i Never Feel Alone Or Too Stupid To Ask A Question Or Just For Help.........i Work Day Shift And That In Itself Has Made A Difference Im Home By 8pm Everynite I Eat Dnner With My Husband.....i See My Family......im Still Tired...we'll My Feet Are But I Dont Feel Drunk Like When I Worked Nights......i Felt Before Like I Was Living To Work It Was All I Did And Now I Feel Like I Work To Live And I Can Actually Live.......hospitals Pay So Much Better Than An M.d's Office So I Wouldnt Right It Off For A Bad Experience Keep Looking.......thats The Great Thing About R.n. There Is So Much Out There......when I Was Fired I Though Omg I'll Never Get A Job ....less Than 2 Weeks And Iwas Hired By More Than One Facility And I Chose The Right One.......once Your Happy And In A Place You Like You'll Consider All Things You Normally Wouldnt Have Including Going Back To Skool......now That I Love Where I Work Im Bored With My Free Time And Going Back For My Bsn Hopefully By Fall.....i Wish You All The Luck

God Bless

Specializes in Emergency Room.

You do not have to stay a floor hospital nurse, look at all the different nursing professions listed in the forums, which is a good place to start asking about working somewhere else. There are many opportunities for nurses, some that are not so clear.

Specializes in MedSurg Tele.

Nicole,

I realize too that there are many positions in the hospital out there to fit any unique life of a nurse. Many do not realize that if they switch units, they may have finally found the sunshine over the hills that they have been so earnestly looking for. I hope that this unit that I am currently on is the right fit for me as I progress through the last three weeks of orientation.

If I get through the next few months to a year then I would react as this smiley over here -->

Specializes in critical care; community health; psych.

Switching units is a great idea. Get just enough experience to get transfer eligible. When I looked, I found a lot of great opportunities to get off the floor/unit. There was the cath lab, the EP lab, gastro lab, outpatient surgery. All sounded like the lifeboat I was looking for. What I wasn't expecting was to hear that NONE of those desirable positions would fulfill the terms of my sign on tuition assistance contract. Only bedside nursing on the floor or units is acceptable. Combat pay is what I call it. For one more year, I can do it.

All sounded like the lifeboat I was looking for. What I wasn't expecting was to hear that NONE of those desirable positions would fulfill the terms of my sign on tuition assistance contract. Only bedside nursing on the floor or units is acceptable. Combat pay is what I call it. For one more year, I can do it.

This is why I keep telling students not to sign tuition deals, because these deals are only getting worse. Some of the hospitals in my area are demanding five year contracts or, the students have to pay back $167 a week for the remainder of that five years if they quit.

Could you imagine being stuck in a job that you hate for five years and/or having to pay back that kind of money if you quit? It's especially bad when it's the lowest paying hospital in the area, and they don't even pay market wages.

:typing

A friend of mine left hospital nursing and is now working in an outpatient surgery clinic. She loves it! Her hours are 7am-3:30 M-F with all holidays off. The only bad thing (or maybe good thing to some) is that if there aren't any surgeries scheduled she can go home early. It usually depends on the surgeons. This may be something to consider.

This is why I keep telling students not to sign tuition deals, because these deals are only getting worse. Some of the hospitals in my area are demanding five year contracts or, the students have to pay back $167 a week for the remainder of that five years if they quit.

Could you imagine being stuck in a job that you hate for five years and/or having to pay back that kind of money if you quit? It's especially bad when it's the lowest paying hospital in the area, and they don't even pay market wages.

I planned to take advantage of my employer's BSN/MSN plan (whereby they pay EVERYTHING: books, tuition, fees, the works) when I started a few months ago. Needed to wait the first few months until the benefits kicked in (this was one of them), and now that I qualify, I'm not so sure I want to do it. Not the studying, but taking on the obligation to the hospital: every dollar spent on my education translates into one hour's work once I receive the degree. Meaning that I'd owe them somewhere between five and ten years' service AFTER the time it'd take to get the BSN or on to the MSN! And after only three months on the job, I'm not so sure I want to indenture myself.

I never signed one of those tuition assistance contracts while in school for that very reason; some of my classmates are now feeling the pinch of that agreement. Me, I'm still a free agent :)

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