Need serious advice...

Nurses New Nurse

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Specializes in School Nurse-ran away from med-surg fast.

I am a new grad who is doing my internship at a busy university hospital. Days were chaos, I felt like a chicken with their head cut off. Then I switched to nights still under a preceptor. Things were calmer. However, I just don't like this job at all. After a couple of nights, I started having spotting with my pregnancy which I had just found out about. I have been off work for almost 2 weeks because of threatened miscarriage. The spotting has stopped and I will have another sono this week to check because the last sono showed some bradycardia with the baby. I am worried about the pregnancy, plus my insurance benefits are through my job. However, I feel so happy not to have to go to work. I read in a book about new nurses the other day that you should get an hour for lunch and at least 2-3 15 minute breaks during a 12 hour shift. Whoever wrote that must be on crack or not know anything about nursing. I might get 10 minutes for lunch with my phone ringing the entire time. No breaks, no time to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water. I feel dehydrated at the end of every shift. Now, even if things turn out ok with the pregnancy, I can't see going back to this floor knowing I cannot take care of myself the way I want to for the sake of my unborn child. However, if I don't go back, I lose my insurance. I am only a few weeks short of finishing my internship. Could I get another job while pregnant and with only 2 months of supervised experience? Most internships here in Dallas start in the summer and January (by then I will be 6 months pregnant). I hate med-surg. I was willing to hang on a year to get experience and move on. But being pregnant changes everything. I am so torn, confused, and disullisioned with the nursing profession right now.

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Hi texas nurse, first let me give you a hug!!! I'm right there with you about being torned, disillusioned etc, with nursing right now. And I had to laugh about that book tht you said stated new nurses should get an 1 lunch and breaks as well that's hysterical. Like you the most I get is a 10 minute lunch where I inhale my food and gulp down some quick hydration usually I'm so parched I don't have to pee either that or the nerves keep it inside me all day. :mad: SURE, I could take a longer lunch but then I'm that much further behind.

I don't have any great advice to offer since I'm new myself but just wanted to say I think that your thinking is right that you have to keep you and your baby as the priority. I know it's so hard though because I realize as you said you need your benefits etc.. IN any case my prayers are with you and I'm sending you lots of positive energy.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I'm sorry your work is this way. Sometimes when I have to go to the bathroom, I stay in there a while to take a breather. Do you have an area where you can keep snacks and water at like at the nurses station?

Also, has your doctor checked your progesterone levels?

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Specializes in School Nurse-ran away from med-surg fast.
I'm sorry your work is this way. Sometimes when I have to go to the bathroom, I stay in there a while to take a breather. Do you have an area where you can keep snacks and water at like at the nurses station?

Also, has your doctor checked your progesterone levels?

Thanks for your post. Yes, my progesterone levels were low but have improved. I actually started taking progesterone before i started spotting. As for work, The only place we can eat/drink is the break room. If we are found with food/drink in the nurses station we could be written up. The break room is not close at all, on the other side of the unit.

I guess what inflames me the most is that we are taught in nursing school to take care of our patients dietary, physical, emotional, medical, etc. needs. But as nurses working a 12 hour shift we are not entitled to those same basic necessities? I would probably lose my license if I denied my patient food/hydration without an NPO order. However, that is what employers do to nurses on a daily basis.

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Thanks for your post. Yes, my progesterone levels were low but have improved. I actually started taking progesterone before i started spotting. As for work, The only place we can eat/drink is the break room. If we are found with food/drink in the nurses station we could be written up. The break room is not close at all, on the other side of the unit.

I guess what inflames me the most is that we are taught in nursing school to take care of our patients dietary, physical, emotional, medical, etc. needs. But as nurses working a 12 hour shift we are not entitled to those same basic necessities? I would probably lose my license if I denied my patient food/hydration without an NPO order. However, that is what employers do to nurses on a daily basis.

OMG, I totally didn't think of that in those terms!!! You are ABSOLUTELY correct about that!!!

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dearest nurse-heal thyself.lose the job,there will be others. take good care of you and yours.your health is paramount.

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I'm sorry to hear that you're having such a hard time. I just started at Baylor in Dallas and am feeling very overwhelmed. I've had two separate occasions where I started having chest pain due to major anxiety. I think that your health comes first and the above poster was right: there are other jobs.

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Specializes in ICU.

I too agree, your health is priority. What I have learned is that the floor will still run, however short-staffed they might be, and you will get insurance at another job. Maybe you can get your doc to right a letter about strict rest or something. Your pregnancy may not be that in danger, but it will be if you don't eat and run crazy and stressed all day, explain your work day to him, they really have NO idea. Another thing, why is it that we feel guilty about leaving a job to find happiness? Why do we feel that we have to subject ourselves to that? The employers push us, and we do it, and so they ungratefully continue to push us. I say all this as "we" because I have been going back and forth about whether to leave MY job. I have been a nurse for a year and a half, first job being in ICU on nights. I don't sleep well, its harder than I realized to leave work at home, I get stomach cramps on my way to work, my heart races all the time at work - I had to eliminate caffeine, my heart rate was recorded at 120 when I was just sitting and charting. I know I'm out of the first year, but really, health comes first, and happiness makes a close second...the job, employees, etc. don't really count. By the way, another employer is legally NOT aloud to not hire you just because you are pregnant. I hope I've helped. It helps me to talk about all this.

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Specializes in Palliative Care, NICU/NNP.

Dear TX nurse, I feel for you and your situation. I started my nursing career in the 70's, spent 10 years in NICU and now in Palliative Care which is actually acute medical. Nursing didn't used to be like this! Everyday I go to work fearing getting done on time and dreading all the paperwork. Every few months a new form comes out that records one more item in several places. It doesn't matter to them that a late admit comes and they want you to get all the admission paperwork done but not have OT. Does this hospital you work at have any 8 hour positions? Do they have anything called light duty? I understand about needing the insurance. I'm not sure that if you went to another hospital that they would cover the PG. Is there any senior person you could talk to and get some advice? The hospital has invested it's time and money in hiring you so they may be willing to come up with a solution to retain their "investment". Med-surg is a tuffy. Have you thought about postpartum, well baby nursery for now? Please take care of yourself and your baby and know that there are supportive nurses out there for you.

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