Going back to comfort level

[elomi18]

So I had just finished my 7 months in a medicine unit and always still felt anxious and just didn't like working there even with supportive coworkers. I thought to myself that maybe medicine is really not for me as I realized I don't really perform well in a faster paced environment and a lot of things going on at the same time. I recently went back to working in my old unit (Complex continuing care with palliative care, I believe its like LTAC) before I went to medicine because its where I felt comfortable in and I felt like I always have a set routine and eases my anxiety d/t less changes. Pt's in this unit stay for a long time so I always know how my day will go and how to organize myself. Also, it's more physically tiring than it is mentally tiring which at this time think that I'd rather prefer. I've only really been working as a nurse for a little over a year. Sometimes I wish that I'd just held on a little longer in medicine because I'm still so young and have lots to learn as everyone else would say but I've been so unhappy and almost always have so much anxiety the day before, during and even after work.

[elomi18]

Has anybody ever went back to what they are comfortable in even in a non acute place?

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

I stayed where I was, and it took two years to feel comfortable on my first unit. Once that initial new grad period was over each orientation was easier.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Please - don't fall into the trap of thinking that acute care is the only place for 'real' nursing. Our health care model is changing rapidly. In the modern, population health model of care, Acute care is moving from the end-all, be-all to a place to be avoided if everything else is working well. Acute care jobs are shrinking while jobs in other settings are increasing. There are going to be nursing jobs in the future that we can't even imagine yet. ... Homebound patient telemedicine coordinator? Mobile post-op Care analyst? Biomedical transporter specialist? Who knows?

Bottom line. If you like your setting - go for it & don't feel that you have to apologize to anyone.