I don't know if I want to be a nurse anymore

Nurses General Nursing

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When I finished nursing school I was so unbelievably excited. For the past 3-4 years I have had a new job every 6 months trying to find my "niche". I felt like I didn't get enough pt interaction in outpt. For the past three months I have been working 7p-7a on a med surg floor and I am MISERABLE. I cry before going to work and also most nights during when I find out I'm picking up a patient and getting an admission when I haven't even assessed all the ones I have yet. I do nothing but catch up on sleep on my days off and cannot sleep at night no matter what I take. My fiancé said he's been doing everything, he feels unappreciated , & he hasn't seen me smile in months. I need to find a new job but it isn't easy with my resume and also I'm an ADN nurse that recently started working on BSN. I just want to find a career in nursing that makes me happy, I'm starting to think it isn't possible. Has anyone been in a similar situation and found something pt oriented but less physically/mentally/emotionally draining?

Take a cruise through the "Specialties" forums to get an idea of some of the other nursing options out there. You can also read through some posts to see what the insiders discuss related to their specialties (challenges, gripes, pros, etc).

I lucked out and got right in to the specialty I wanted right out of nursing school, so I didn't have the same challenges in terms of finding my niche. However, I have worked in jobs where I was absolutely miserable for a variety of reasons (toxic environment, no respect, horrible commute, etc.) so I can relate to how much of a toll it can take on your life and happiness. I hope you can find a solution and some peace soon.

Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

What other areas have you tried? What do you mean by mentally demanding? You mentioned outpatient but can you be more specific?

I would think that an outpatient setting would fit the criteria.

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

My advice is to reflect upon the presupposed qualities that drew you to a career in nursing in the first place. What type of job did you invision having while you were in nursing school? Does the reality match the idealism?

For instance, I entered nursing because I wanted a middle-income job that offered some flexibility in scheduling, career mobility, and opportunities for educational advancement. Since my personal requirements are rather lax, I can fit into most nursing positions out there.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

It's possible you haven't been staying at each job long enough (1 year) to really get comfortable with the flow. Also, night shift can mess up your sleep schedule and make you feel miserable. Have you learned the art of delegating? I would say switch to days ASAP if possible and stick it out for another 6 months while finishing your BSN and then try to transfer within the same facility (if politics are ok) to another unit. How many hours into your shift are you being sent an admission? Usually the floors (other than ICU) won't take patients until 1 hour after shift change. Is the trouble not doing your assessments or is it documentation? I usually can put a stethoscope to lungs within the first 3 hours of the shift and I've definitely eyeballed my patients at the beginning and done most of my assessment that way.

The setting about your shift hits home with me. I too, have those same thoughts while on the floor. I'm constantly behind and feel as though I'm drowning. The shift flies by and by the end of it I almost don't know what I've don,e as if I'm on autopilot. Getting those admits, while you're trying to take care of the ones you're already assigned, simply adds to the stress. Keep wondering if it's worth it.

I'll be interested to find out if you figure out what helps you through it all. Good luck.

I agree with Lev

Nights sucks for a lot of people. I hated it. I did it for 4 years, and my husband had to suck it up as far as "doing everything" for awhile.

Give it time. Do not quit another job before a year's time. You need to build a reputation so when you DO want that job, people will want to hire you.

Good luck.

Good advice from the previous posters. Now here's the reality of the matter. You would serve yourself well to figure out what area you want to work in rather quickly. If I were interviewing you and I saw that you had a number of previous nursing jobs that lasted ~6 months each, your odds of getting a job on my unit would be slim to none. As you continue to search out what area you want to work in, you are accruing these short term jobs which makes you look like a job hopper. Well, actually you are a job hopper. You've got to look at the big picture here.

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