burned out

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2014

I never felt burnt out so I am not sure what you mean. I am a believer in just getting stuff done. A lot has to do with what you want in the future and are you willing to take the pain. It is ok if you don't want it...many people "want" things but are not going to actually do it. I would ask..who is "everyone"?? If "everyone" is the people who hire you at the hospital who require a BSN then I would say those are the "everyone" I would listen to. Otherwise you must decide what you want from life. Do you want to be a head nurse? Do you want to be a staff nurse for life? It is totally up to you. I think of things this way..when I am old and laying in bed will I look back and regret working hard to accomplish my goals? Probably not. If you have a place to live, clean water, food..then really being "burnt out" is a hard thing to for me to justify to myself.

nursejoed · Mar 29, 2014

If you are lucky enough to get a job right away, that will be it's own form of "school" until you get your sea legs. You may want to look at taking a non-nursing elective that's needed for the BSN just to keep study habits going, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to focus on nursing (not nursing studies) for a bit.

toomuchbaloney · Mar 29, 2014

There is no right way or wrong way to approach your career.

Nursing is a very demanding profession, so you need to do what will be best for you!

Good luck!

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Mar 29, 2014

I just posted to you on another thread, where you asked for "new grad" advice. I'm going to continue it here.

Whether or not you decide to continue your academic education is a different question, really, than whether you feel so burned out you want to take a "year off". I do hope you're only referring to academics, NOT taking a year off before taking NCLEX and getting a job. That's got to be Priority One for you! The market is tight for new grads, and you simply will not be competitive if you have been "recuperating" for a year while your classmates have gotten licenses and employment.

Truthfully, learning to become a nurse doesn't really take on full meaning until you get a job as a new grad: your first year will be very stressful, frustrating, and probably full of anxiety and tears. That's expected, honestly. Some find that focusing just on work at first is enough, and go back to more schooling once they feel a bit more confident at nursing itself. Others roll it all in together (heaven bless them, that would have been too much for me! But everyone is different).

Best of luck in whatever you decide :)

TU RN, DNP, CRNA · Mar 29, 2014

I thought I was burned out when I finished school, but rushed into my first job because I couldn't let the opportunity pass me by (SDU in an urban teaching hospital). Not even 2 months had passed since I graduated before I started, and it didn't take long to hit me that I really wish I was back in school or had taken a break in between! The new grad learning curve sucked (still does to some degree) and I'm exhausted by my job daily, but I have learned and grown so much. It's nice being able to use my financial compensation towards helping at home (living with the 'rents) while covering serious ground on my student loans.

Would I be afforded this opportunity if I had taken a few months off after passing boards? Would I be at this place in my career? Where would my life's path have led me if, hypothetically, that break meant a lesser career opportunity? Looking around AN, it seems like those with such approaches towards their career are in worse-off situations than my current one.

As far as getting your Bachelors... there's no difference between ADN/ASN/BSN-prepared nurses. I actually don't know if the Bachelor's degree should even be required for a nursing job and actually feel pretty stupid for spending the time and money on achieving it. As a BSN I don't make any more money, I don't provide any better care than my ADN and ASN counterparts, and I don't think I'm granted any special treatment or career opportunities with it. I believe in the past you used to be required to have a BSN to be a nurse manager or CNS of some kind, with Master's being reserved for the advanced practice roles of CRNA and NP. Well now it appears that educational requirements have been increased by a tier, and now MSNs are required for NM or CNS, and DNP is becoming the standard for CRNA and NP. If BSN is just going to land me in the same place as ADN- or ASN-prepared nurses then it's a meaningless degree to me. Besides, hospitals will pay for their nurses to get their BSN (sometimes through watered down online programs) while those of us entering the job right from BSN programs are the real dummies for spending our own money.

Please somebody disagree with my anti-BSN rant so I can feel like my degree has value lol

cardiacfreak, ADN · Mar 29, 2014

TU RN, I do disagree. I have an ASN and will have to go back to get my BSN. I don't know where you live, but even here in the Midwest hospitals are requiring a BSN for employment. My facility just increased it's education reimbursement, it was $500/year and is now $1000/year.

I agree with you, that my colleagues who have a BSN are not clinically any better than those of us who have our ASN, but times are

a-changin' and hospitals want nurses to have a BSN. Oh, and by the way, the BSN makes a quarter more than me .

You would get a job before me because of your BSN.

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2014

I don't regret getting a BSN. I may not be clinically better than an experienced ADN on the floor, but it got me a job faster and I have more opportunities ahead for me in terms of leadership. Hospitals prefer the BSN, simple as that. The marketplace demands it, and there are plenty of others ahead of you if you dont have one.

Sent from my iPad using allnurses

TU RN, DNP, CRNA · Mar 29, 2014

"Well it'll get me a job quicker." That's the exact kind of mentality that perpetrates the BS "quid pro quo" culture in healthcare, where now you have to spend an extra 30-40 grand for a degree for the same job with the same roles and responsibilities as someone who is 30-40 grand wealthier than you. Although my ID badge says BSN on it, oftentimes I realize it has flipped itself around and patients and doctors don't seem to worry themselves about my credentials... or name for that matter.

BSNbeauty, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2014

OP I know exactly how you feel. I'm all about taking breaks to avoid mental and financial burnout. After I got my ADN I waited a year until I started a BSN program. Thankfully, I got hired at a hospital after getting my ADN and now they are paying for my BSN program. I also still take breaks every now and again. I'm in no race to get my BSN. I definitely want it within the next 2 year (only have a year left) and my job is putting no pressure on me ( it is even a magnet hospital). Do what is best for you.

applewhitern, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2014

Don't assume your employer will pay for your BSN; mine doesn't. (Mine will only pay part of the LPN to RN tuition~ nothing for the ASN to BSN or MSN). Personally, I would work for a few months, since there is so much for a new RN to learn, then take some classes online. There is precious little difference between an ADN and a BSN as far as schooling is concerned. Most of the credits you will need have nothing to do with nursing. The biggest factor to me would be whether I could afford it right now, or not. Do you already have student loan debt? Maybe take this year to save up some tuition money. I really feel sorry for the nurses who have to pay the outrageous tuition these days!

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2014

In my case it was also cheaper and more cost effective to get a BSN. I attended an accelerated program at a state university and was in the workforce a year sooner than I would have doing an ADN.