For all INFP personality types only

loriangel14, RN · Apr 24, 2011

I am an INFP nurse.I work mostly on a Complex Continuing Care unit. We deal with physical rehab, palliative, stable medical and seniors waiting for nursing home placement. I also pick up shifts on a cardic unit and surgery. I love the CCC unit ( I love working with seniors).Hang in there. You will find a place to fit in.Why not try rehab? Best of luck.

ijuanabhappy, ASN, RN · Apr 24, 2011

I am an INFP nurse.I work mostly on a Complex Continuing Care unit. We deal with physical rehab, palliative, stable medical and seniors waiting for nursing home placement. I also pick up shifts on a cardic unit and surgery. I love the CCC unit ( I love working with seniors).Hang in there. You will find a place to fit in.Why not try rehab? Best of luck.

Hi Lori, I think we have communicated on here before :)

What do you do in surgery? Circulate? Right now I have a couple options available to me but rehab is not one of them. I didn't think about rehab.

flyingchange · Apr 24, 2011

Student here - I'm INFP. I am strongly leaning towards inpatient oncology. I agree with both PP on being drawn to seniors. It is my hope to pursue MSN-NP majoring in gerontology.

ijuanabhappy, ASN, RN · Apr 25, 2011

Student here - I'm INFP. I am strongly leaning towards inpatient oncology. I agree with both PP on being drawn to seniors. It is my hope to pursue MSN-NP majoring in gerontology.

Me too... I love seniors. I also like oncology, but I have failed working on floors where time-management and juggling multiple patients at a time was part of the job. Not that I'm above it by any means, just not good at it

loriangel14, RN · Apr 25, 2011

Hi Lori, I think we have communicated on here before :)
What do you do in surgery? Circulate? Right now I have a couple options available to me but rehab is not one of them. I didn't think about rehab.

Oh god no, sorry.I meant the surgery unit. Patients are sent there right from the recovery room.

elkpark · Apr 25, 2011

I used to be an INFP, but I changed into an INFJ as time passed. I've spent my entire career in psych nursing (and some teaching).

hgorrondona · Apr 25, 2011

Sorry to sound stupid; but what does INFP and INFJ mean? I still don't get all the abbreviations people use on the internet

lelafin · Apr 25, 2011

I'm an INFP nursing student. I am hoping to get into public health or maybe go on to do clinical research. I'm curious... what is your opinion on what it is about our type of personality that seems to have such a problem with certain aspects of nursing. It's funny because when I first started nursing school, I was seeing a therapist who is also an INFP, and she was sort of discouraging me from going into nursing because she said it can be a difficult career for INFPs.

The caring part, intuition and the comprehension of the intellectual aspects of nursing come pretty naturally to me, but I seem to have such a problem with time management; also it seems that any time I'm under pressure in a timed-constrained situation in the clinical setting I completely freeze up.

CFitzRN, ADN · Apr 25, 2011

I posted something similar several years ago when I was in nursing school, but I am still stumped and trying to find my niche. Started off in med-surg/cardiac floor and completely hated it.. it was too much for me. I then took a clinic position doing just phone triage but realized that 1) I wasn't going anywhere with this, and 2) I felt that I didn't have the knowledge base and experience yet for answering patient questions over the phone. Most recently I tried NICU and failed. Too slow at learning the technical stuff and got extremely stressed over the time management of four patients from day one. Not only could not absorb and learn, but I felt like too much was thrown at me too soon, and I am one who has to see the whole picture and not just "jump right in" before I know exactly what I'm doing. I have come to the realization that floor nursing is not for me. Maybe not even nursing. Psych or community health is probably my best bet with this personality type, however, it is difficult to land a job like this without a year of hospital experience-which I don't have. I'm considering the O.R. Any thoughts? (Please be kind :)
I would like to know if you are an INFP what area you work in.

Wow, you REALLY remind me of me. I am also INFP. I have gone from an ENFP to INFP in the past 5 years or so.

After being hired on L&D even before graduation & NCLEX I thought I had it made. But I had similar issues as you describe, and then I had to go on nights and crashed and burned. I was forced to leave before my probationary period was up. Then I started working PRN at a free-standing Endo clinic doing post-op (loved it - it was a little too easy though), and also a physician's office (loved it too). Did those for 2 years, then I got the job I have now - Clinical Supervisor at a Home Health Care agency. I supervise all CNA cases that we staff. It is mostly office work (I thrive on it) and being in the field 1-2 days a week doing supervisory visits to our clients while they have our CNA in the home. It was a year March 10. Although there's been a learning curve, I have done pretty well. I don't know that this is what I want to for the rest of my career, but it was a saving grace for me. Bedside nursing just does not seem to be where I belong, but I constantly feel pulled to do it. I don't have the clinical skills I would like to have at this stage of the game. But then again, I truly enjoy the job I have now; I am in my element. I orient CNAs upon hire, I supervise them at their work sites, I do evaluations on them, competencies, open new cases, write the clients' plans of care, audit my CNAs time sheets every week, be sure we are being compliant with state and fed regs, etc. This sort of thing might be for you too. It's not easy to get a position like this but if you feel it could be a job you would thrive in, you should at least try to pursue it. I wish you the best!

ijuanabhappy, ASN, RN · Apr 25, 2011

I'm an INFP nursing student. I am hoping to get into public health or maybe go on to do clinical research. I'm curious... what is your opinion on what it is about our type of personality that seems to have such a problem with certain aspects of nursing. It's funny because when I first started nursing school, I was seeing a therapist who is also an INFP, and she was sort of discouraging me from going into nursing because she said it can be a difficult career for INFPs.
The caring part, intuition and the comprehension of the intellectual aspects of nursing come pretty naturally to me, but I seem to have such a problem with time management; also it seems that any time I'm under pressure in a timed-constrained situation in the clinical setting I completely freeze up.

I don't know what it is about being an INFP that makes us like this, but I am exactly the way you described. I have a problem with time management and feel disorganized. Maybe our "thinking" about it gets in the way. It's ten times worse when I am in a stressful time-constrained situation as you described, and I too, freeze up and feel paralyzed with fear. There are some things I feel really good at. One of them is having intuition on the feelings and needs of others. I think I would have made an excellent counselor or social worker, but instead I went to nursing school. So now I have to find that little groove that I fit in. I also have an interest in public health or psych. I'm really afraid to take this OR job because I feel it is going to be totally out of the INFP realm! Plagued with indecisiveness :confused:

CFitzRN, ADN · Apr 25, 2011

To the poster who asked what INFP is - it is a personality type from the Myers-Briggs personality test. Check it out on the 'net - it's very interesting!!