I've Been A Nurse For 5 Years & Still.....

Nurses General Nursing

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Don't know what to do...

So a good friend of mine who went to nursing school with me recently told me this. She is frustrated at her current job because she doesn't feel like she is learning anything and is reduced to task work like vital signs and phlebotomy. She said she left her last job (1st job out of nursing school) in ambulatory surgery hoping to find Cushier employment (no stress, no weekends, little responsibility) but now feels like she wants a challenge.

She has always commented on and applauded the fact that i have such a wide variety of skills and experience and can work in any specialty. I recently suggested she give acute care a try at least, even basic med-surg just to build her confidence and broaden her job opportunities. She said no way she will ever work in the hospital and that ever sine nursing school she didn't want to do bedside or deal with sick people. She even said she didn't want to go back to ambulatory surg and was thinking of L&D but when I explained how hectic and intense L&D could be she never mentioned wanting to do it again.

In ambulatory surg she mainly did plastic surgery type procedures but now she is hoping to get into the OR and move up. The problem is as we all know the job market is really tight, and I've tried to explain to her that merely having a few years of experience working here and there and a masters degree won't necessarily get you your dream job when you're going up against nurses with many years of varied and combined experience and education levels, employers are really being quite picky in what they want and want people with leadership skills and 5+ years experience for any masters level job which she admits she lacks. She has been looking to go back to amb surg which she didn't love but isn't finding many openings and was already not qualified enough for a job in her current line of work that someone she knew was going to set her with.

She's asked for advice but doesn't seem to want to consider anything that will require too much responsibility or stress and wants a simple 9-5 with good salary $80k+. She loves the idea of working in cath lab, L&D but does not immediately qualify. My suggestion to her was to get even a Few months of some type of acute care experience and then apply to what piques her interest so at least she's marketable. She young and still a relatively new nurse and there are nurses with 6mo-1 yr of experience who can function more independently. I don't know what other advice I can give, what do you guys think?

I think it's her life and she has to make her own decisions. You've given her some good advice now it's up to her to decide what she wants to do with her career. You can't make that decision for her.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

She really doesn't want to hear what you and others of similar wisdom have to say. So you might as well as save your breath.

She's looking for that 'perfect' job and very, very, very few ever find what she's seeking. Just nod your head and 'mmm hmm' her.

Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

If she's a new nurse she will not get that schedule & pay. After awhile of job hopping employers will look down on that. Why did she become a nurse if she doesn't want to work at the bedside with sick people?

She was hoping her current position in research would look good on her resume but now she's realizing that she not learning anything and is losing the small skill set she obtained in amb surg.

Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

So she wants minimal work and maximum pay? I wish her best of luck!

Some people just need to figure things out for themselves. She might ask your opinion, but it seems that she believes what she wants to believe. Advise her to marry a man with lots of money and work in a non-nursing and low-stress job; I'd be curious how she reacts.

Specializes in Pedi.

Honestly I wouldn't concern myself with this. You have your own life and career to worry about. Your friend seems slightly disillusioned- she doesn't want to pay her dues but she wants the same benefits as someone who did. Oh well. She needs to learn this lesson the hard way.

Some people just need to figure things out for themselves. She might ask your opinion, but it seems that she believes what she wants to believe. Advise her to marry a man with lots of money and work in a non-nursing and low-stress job; I'd be curious how she reacts.

Funny you say that she always says she wished her husband made more money so that she didn't have to work. Seriousy. Now she's coming into the reality that she has to work and make something of her degrees. I love being a nurse and try to motivate her but I guess it is her issue.

Funny you say that she always says she wished her husband made more money so that she didn't have to work. Seriousy. Now she's coming into the reality that she has to work and make something of her degrees. I love being a nurse and try to motivate her but I guess it is her issue.

You've motivated her enough. Let her live her life. She's doing what she wants. You worry about you! Good luck to her. And if she finds a job like that let me know too.

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Specializes in Gerontology.

You might want to point out that OR is Not 9 -5.

There are often after hours emergency surgeries, and even on weekends and holidays there she may be required to be in-call for emergency ORs

Specializes in Med Surg.

I wouldn't waste any more time on her than you already have.

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