Getting bored. Recommedations?

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Hi, all---I read a number of threads addressing my question that I want to ask here, but I thought just asking in the general forum would still yield a good result. I've been a working RN or three years now. My first year was in physical rehab and frm then up to now has been in med-surg/neuro-tele, both nights. Both the jobs were super exiting to me when I started, but I'm starting to become bored with my current job. I was really bummed, then my BSN buddy (i'm an ASNer) told me that according to nursing research, and from talking to other nurses, this is where most folks start to get bored. I felt a little better knowing that. Professionally, only time-management is a challenge, and that's not really all that hard. I take care of very few patients I really have to think about. And the stuff that tedious, like pain-med seekers or high-anxiety patients that monopolize nurses' time, but don't try not to, are starting to get to me. I don't really feel bad about this attitude anymore; it naturally happens to a lot of nurses, but I've realized always being around that kind of thing doesn't go toward me engaging my empathy, hahaha.

I've been talking to all the old nurses I can about specializing. Here is a list and my thoughts.

ICU--I think I would like the fast-paced stuff. Being super detail-oriented has been problem for me, but I can adjust. Learning in-depth pathology and therapies sounds interesting It was my favorite clinical in school.

ED--Again, the fast-paced stuff has that allure to me. I want to get beer at working codes too. I work about 2-5 a year and never get enough practice to feel confident. I think there's also less documentation than med-surg too. Sometimes when go down to the ED, nothing is going on. That seems boring to me. I know that's not case with all EDs.

OB/L&D--no thanks.

Cath Lab--maybe doing the procedures would be fun, but watching waveforms on a monitor all day is a one-way ticket to Boresville for me.

Peds--I love kids. They're so fun and silly. I have a real soft spot for them and want to help them. Lots of coworkers have told me I'd be good at it. I'm good at interacting with kids. Something I've recently thought about was that peds don't necessarily intrigue me physiologically. I'm ok with the fact they're different from adults. I just wonder if me wanting to move to that specialty based largely on just thinking it would be fun is misplaced enthusiasm.

And finally, med-surg--what I like about it is that I stay moving all the time, I've learned a lot from it, but am getting bored. I like some of my coworkers very much that are med-surg nurses at heart.

This is getting very long, so I'll sin off for now. I'm not really looking for answers, just ideas from other folks who've been in my shoes before. Any input is very appreciated.

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Just so you know - ICU is not necessarily fast-paced. There are plenty of boring days with ventilated patients where all you do is turn, oral care, clean ups, minimal pressor titration etc.

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Ah, yes. I thought of this right after I posted. Thanks for your input.

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You shouldn't bring beer to codes.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, NICU.

I just want to touch on the peds idea. Liking kids and being good with them doesn't always translate well to being a pediatric nurse. You will be taking care of kids who are sick, in pain, over-tired, dying, disabled, abused, neglected, unresponsive, poorly behaved, and so on. I have seen a number of students and new grads become quickly disillusioned because peds was not nearly as fun as they thought it would. You will still be dealing with needy families and attention-seeking behavior, plus the general nursing issues, such as short-staffing.

Peds can definitely be enjoyable at times (I've had a few dance offs and sour candy competitions in my career ;) ) and if you really want to take care of children, go for it! Just make sure that you have a realistic view of what pediatrics really is.

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This"old nurse" must have been doing something wrong. 3 years in , I was still scared I did not know my stuff. You must be amazingly talented to already know every disease process and surgical procedure.. and the best nursing practice for each.

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Bored 3 years in? My immediate thought is that you're only scratching the surface in your practice.

If you've got time and mental energy to spare, have you maxed out patient/caregiver education, participation in discharge planning, committee involvement, precepting new nurses..

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I just want to touch on the peds idea. Liking kids and being good with them doesn't always translate well to being a pediatric nurse. You will be taking care of kids who are sick, in pain, over-tired, dying, disabled, abused, neglected, unresponsive, poorly behaved, and so on. I have seen a number of students and new grads become quickly disillusioned because peds was not nearly as fun as they thought it would. You will still be dealing with needy families and attention-seeking behavior, plus the general nursing issues, such as short-staffing.

Peds can definitely be enjoyable at times (I've had a few dance offs and sour candy competitions in my career ;) ) and if you really want to take care of children, go for it! Just make sure that you have a realistic view of what pediatrics really is.

This was my thought, as well. My specialty is child psych, and I cringe every time I hear a student (or newer nurse) say s/he wants to work in peds (or child psych) because s/he "really likes kids." In my experience, it's v. easy for those people to get burned out because of how many gut-wrenching and heartbreaking situations you encounter working with kids in acute healthcare settings. IMO, "really liking kids" is practically a disadvantage. Working with kids effectively is tough.

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Specializes in Palliative, Onc, Med-Surg, Home Hospice.

You do, of course, realize that even UTI's, COPD and CHF are not "routine". You should't look at these seemingly routine patients as routine and realize that you can still learn a lot from them. If you aren't having to think, you're doing it wrong.

I had a recent "routine" UTI with AMS who tanked on me. He went into flash pulmonary edema, due to a PE. The fact that he had AMS, he wasn't reporting SOB or chest pain. It was because he was simply more restless that made me think something was off. It was a subtle change, but there. I have learned that there is very little "routine" about the routine patients.

BTW: I get my share of difficult patients, who want their pain meds every 4 hours on the dot, who are constantly calling out for things. Heck, we have a long termer with NPD (diagnoses) on our unit. We've had him for over a year now because no facility with take him. I sympathize with you but you can't let them prevent you from learning all you can about your routine patients.

I learn a lot of pathophysiology on med-surg.

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Hahaha....I meant better

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Thanks, CG. I agree that those patients aren't just 'stick 'em in bed and give them their multivitamin' simple. I think it's the fact I've had a lot of med-seekers lately combined with the fact that the initial excitement of when the job was new has worn off. That's not a reason to just let it all go, but I think it's a good indicator that I'm getting tired of all that. I have learned a lot from med-surg, and I honestly try to tailor my nursing care around how I would like my or my parents' nurse to be. And I hit the bullseye very much of the time. I wanted to start out with med-surg because I believe that to be the cornerstone of nursing. I just don't think it's my home forever.

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I would try to get away from the expectation that any particular nursing specialty will be "fun." It's called "work" for a reason. Your job may be fulfilling, challenging, sometimes exciting, etc., but "fun" is probably not going to be the primary descriptor of many nursing jobs.

If you are expecting constant excitement, that may explain why you are dissatisfied. There are few areas of nursing which are constantly exciting.

That said, you may just need to make a change to something which you find more satisfying.

As for peds: a lot of nurses go into peds because they "really like children," only to find that though they still really like children, they DON'T like the parents of very sick children!

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