New ER Nurse.. not the right job for me

Nurses General Nursing

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Hey guys, I'm a new Nurse (2.5 months off orientation) who is struggling PERSONALLY in the ER. My manager and co-workers like me, my work ethic, and say I'm transitioning just as I should be. However, the ER is hard. Emotionally, physically, etc. I can't stand the feeling of consistently running just to keep up. The night shifts are a lot to adjust too, especially with my family. I know I'm a good nurse, simply because I care and I ask questions when I don't know something. But this environment is killing me. I dread going to work, and it's almost created anhedonia in my life. CAN YOU GUYS GIVE ME ADVICE ON WHICH UNIT I COULD TAKE MY SKILLS TO AND BE HAPPY? I work in a level 2 trauma center just for more info.. I've thought of going to a smaller Er, but in hindsight, I realize they have less staff and less resources, so it may be just as bad.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Hey guys, I'm a new Nurse (2.5 months off orientation) who is struggling PERSONALLY in the ER. My manager and co-workers like me, my work ethic, and say I'm transitioning just as I should be. However, the ER is hard. Emotionally, physically, etc. I can't stand the feeling of consistently running just to keep up. The night shifts are a lot to adjust too, especially with my family. I know I'm a good nurse, simply because I care and I ask questions when I don't know something. But this environment is killing me. I dread going to work, and it's almost created anhedonia in my life. CAN YOU GUYS GIVE ME ADVICE ON WHICH UNIT I COULD TAKE MY SKILLS TO AND BE HAPPY? I work in a level 2 trauma center just for more info.. I've thought of going to a smaller Er, but in hindsight, I realize they have less staff and less resources, so it may be just as bad.

First of all, this is pretty common for new grads. Take some time to work through that transition from student to "the nurse." It generally takes about a year. Starting over somewhere else is just going to slow down the transition.

At this point in your career, you don't really have any skills that are transferrable. A nursing degree and a license are just a learner's permit. You have SO MUCH to learn, of course it's overwhelming! But you haven't even scratched the surface yet.

If your former preceptors and managers think you're doing well, you probably are. Just keep it up. If they don't think you're doing well, they may aid you in transferring to a less acute unit.

Lastly, the statement that you know you're a good nurse simply because you care and ask questions scares me a bit. At your point in your career, you're not a good nurse. It takes about two years to become competent, and "good" requires even more experience. You may be a stellar employee, but that's not the same thing. Caring is a wonderful quality in a nurse, but it can be faked. It really isn't all that important to being a nurse. Nursing requires astute assessment, critical thinking, time management and myriad other qualities that you have yet to master. If I were your evaluator, I'd might rate you as "Satisfactory in progress" but not as "good."

ER is very hard to break in as a new nurse, and once you're there, try to stick it out for at least a year. If you can do ER nursing, you can do anything. I just started ER half a year ago and I'm still learning, and this is with 1.5 years in med surg. With that said, you shouldn't constantly feel like you're catching up. A good ER is one where the charge evaluates your patient load, rather than your patient ratio, and decides whether or not you're getting that code MI that's coming in from the street. If it's not that case, get your experience and get out because it's not a safe environment.

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