Good Bye to Nursing for me...

[healer27]

Well, the start of a new year and I'm kissing nursing

good bye after only 5 short months. I graduated in may and started at a hospital in august. My very first preceptor was a nightmare, on my 3rd day on the floor she said I was too slow and put me down in front of other

nurses or whoever was in distance of hearing her. At one

point she even said, "well, I have her she know's nothing I have to show her everything." So being enthusiastic I decided NOT to let it get to me and proceeded to take her C*ap for another couple of weeks. At which time I was moved to a different floor with a preceptor who was great and I learned alot from. PRoblem was at this hospital IF

I wanted to stay I'd have to take a evening position. SO I left a found a hosptial closer to home on days. Well, once again I have the preceptor from hell not only that but the managers In my opinion are nitpickers. ON my first day on the floor they wrote up a nurse who was in charge of making sure all the phones were back at the end of the day, for not having a phone returned. (someone took one home accidentally).. I found this ridiculous, it's a busy med/surg floor with an 8:1 patient ratio and they are worried about PHONES???? I could go on and on about the other horrors but it would be to long.

Long story short I've decide to quit. Luckily I don't NEED the job to support myself or I wouldn't be able to leave. my hubby makes a decent salary. I do feel bad placing all the financial burden on him but I'm planning on just picking up a admin position somewhere. I don't care if I'm making half the money I jsut want to be happy. I'm so SICK of being stressed going into work, stressed coming home, worrying about this, being stressed on the floor. To me its just not worth it. My hubby is worried that I'll change my mind and want to come back to nursing but won't be able to after leaving 2 prior positions. bUt seriously I can't imagine feeling this way.

I also just found out I'm expecting my first child and I really can't imagine the stress level as well as not eating/drinking/peeing an entire shift is good. So I'm gone. I give up, I give in, I just feel like I can't do it. I'm thinking I'm just not meant to be in nursing, or i woudn't have just kept inheriting bad circumstances and preceptors from hell.

Well, I'd love to hear if anyone else has left nursing? come back and any other thoughts you all might have.

Hope this is a good new year for all.

[purple1953reading]

My very first job after graduation(however many years ago that was) was n a rural hospital with a total of 1-2 RNS on the night shift,an LPN,and however many aides were needed for the patient count. Naturally, being an RN

I wish everyone luck n what they choose to do, but nursing is not for everyone, but there sure are alot of really great people in it.

[GIRN]

If you're thinking about going into an Administrative job, why not try office nursing. You could work regular hours and the stress would be much less. The money's not that great but you'll be giving that up anyway, in an administrative job. (Or are you saying "an administrative job" meaning "Nursing Administration"? You'll probably need some year's of nursing experience before you'd qualify for that.) Anyway, good luck with your decision and don't let that license expire for a good long while...till you know this is right for you.

[BoomerRN]

.....As I plan to return, I wonder if I really want to go back to the hospital or do the legal nurse thing. I am very detail oriented, make very few mistakes, graduated at the top of my class, and enjoy KNOWING that things are RIGHT. I think I would do well in the new legal nurse role. THAT or teach in a nursing program......................

Just a suggestion but If you are a detailed person, try research. I worked in clinical research for 7 1/2 yrs. and enjoyed it. You have a certain degree of independence and the hours are usually good and you have weekends and holidays off.

[fmwf]

I just joined today...and I'm amazed at all of the stories I'm reading about burnout and overwork:o . I too am in a similar situation. I love my job, but can't STAND the administrative nonsense. Everything is about the bottom line, and seeing how much more they can get out of us. Our manager is often "crazed" - I approached her about a situation when I was in charge, and she came right out and said that I disgusted her because I voiced my concerns. They run our hospital like a hotel, we even have room service. Much of the time, we have patients who are never happy with anything you do. Most of the patients on my unit are quite healthy. Often we are busy starting an IV, doing bloodwork, or other stat nursing interventions, and we get a call on our PHONES (and yes, we have nurses written up over taking one home by mistake!), for ice water or to mop their floors. Housekeeping will not empty linen bags, we have no assistants who help us out, per se, and if we do have the luxury of having one on the unit, she always seems to be "unavailable", or should I say, watching TV in the locker room.

I think what disturbs me most is that we continue to put up with it. I applaud the younger nurses who are coming out of school and realizing that there's more to life than this. When are we going to stop burying our heads in the sand, and stand up for ourselves? We let administration walk all over us, our managers often times abuse us verbally. Our unit is always under the rule of threats - we can't answer call lights over the intercom - we must physically go to the rooms to see what's wrong - most of the time it's been a mistake - the patient rolled on it, or one of her children pushed it; if we make a lab error of ANY sort, it's grounds for dismissal - this is because our manager has made a goal to have none for the year. We all go about our day in fear. But I have a hard time dealing with the morale - NO ONE is happy - but we can't go to anyone about it, because we have to deal with the wrath of the manager when she finds out we've complained. Nursing has been a big disappointment to me, because how I am practicing is not what I signed up to do. If I had wanted to go into the hospitality/hotel industry, I would have gone to university for that, and made a 6 figure income. I'm now at a crossroads, trying to figure out how to get out of hospital nursing and go into business for myself. Any nurses who have gone into business for themselves, please let me know.

Hi, I am a new nurse.

I am starting my own business. Bowel habits growing bad too quickly. No time to eat, hydrate, or potty. Not good.

Grinning and bearing it with no advocates not good for the immune system.

[fmwf]

I agree.

Introspection is a good thing. In retrospect, I realize that everything I need to know about how to make it I learned from the Dog Whisperer.

I gotta have a calm assertive state when entering the unit.

The unit is the pack. THe time that my clinical instructor barked in front of everyone on our first pre-day of med-surg (preconference introductions,hello my name is...) "There is something about you that I just don't like. Don't talk. I don't think you are going to make it!" It was about me. Was not calm, a little nervous, trying to fake it. Just been told five minutes prior that I had a persistent ovarian tumor. Turned about to be noncancerous, but...She taught me not to speak when I am not calm and centered. She was a bear....But a part of me believes that she knew what lies ahead for some nurses who are not.

First day on the unit....preceptor would not speak to me/greet me. Never did develop rapport with her. Would set me up negatively in front of patients. When she finally did speak she said in front of the unit, "Why did you not just become a doctor, you're too smart, too much college to be a nurse." Would take 5,6 patients from day one of my 6 week orientation. Don't delude yourself...get what you need. However you need to do it. Don't take abuse. From anybody. Not more than once.

Watch the Dog Whisperer. When humans work under conditions like nurses do, they operate according to pack animal principles.

That is my theory.

[olol765]

I too hated nursing. I loved my psych position but HATED the hospital. There are other avenues out there that might fit you. Right now I work in an office auditing charts...and I get paid like a "real" nurse. No stress, no doctors, no patients, no medicines... and yes, no fun!! :)

[HappyJaxRN]

Sorry you feel this way. People are people. Not everyone is a good match with their preceptors. I got very lucky. I had a GREAT preceptor. He had some quirks I didn't like, but I overlooked them because I was doing what I really wanted to do. There was a lot of nitpicking and backstabbing going on as well. At first, I steered clear of it, but then it was too hard not to get involved.

You're first year of nursing is usually hell anyway. There are going to be a lot of things that you don't agree with and things that you don't want to do.

Perhaps this kind of nursing is not for you. There are tons of other oppertunities out there for you if you persue them. Good luck.

[ROSYJO11]

There's more to nursing than hospital nursing.

You owe it to yourself to try other areas, community nursing, aged health care, medical centre, school nursing.

the hospital work is a great learning experience and makes you a stronger person, dont disregard it as a waste of your time, you took something away from it even if you dont yet realise it.

when I did my 3 yr hospital training to become an RN, it was hell most of the time and we ALL thought so. But darn if it didnt make us fantastic RNs when we finished. And I look back and chuckle at some of the matrons I had to work under.

Cheers,

Jo

[Diahni]

I too hated nursing. I loved my psych position but HATED the hospital. There are other avenues out there that might fit you. Right now I work in an office auditing charts...and I get paid like a "real" nurse. No stress, no doctors, no patients, no medicines... and yes, no fun!! :)

No fun? If it were fun, you wouldn't get paid for it! But I'm with you,

I took a liking to psych, as well.

Diahni

[Diahni]

Introspection is a good thing. In retrospect, I realize that everything I need to know about how to make it I learned from the Dog Whisperer.

I gotta have a calm assertive state when entering the unit.

The unit is the pack. THe time that my clinical instructor barked in front of everyone on our first pre-day of med-surg (preconference introductions,hello my name is...) "There is something about you that I just don't like. Don't talk. I don't think you are going to make it!" It was about me. Was not calm, a little nervous, trying to fake it. Just been told five minutes prior that I had a persistent ovarian tumor. Turned about to be noncancerous, but...She taught me not to speak when I am not calm and centered. She was a bear....But a part of me believes that she knew what lies ahead for some nurses who are not.

First day on the unit....preceptor would not speak to me/greet me. Never did develop rapport with her. Would set me up negatively in front of patients. When she finally did speak she said in front of the unit, "Why did you not just become a doctor, you're too smart, too much college to be a nurse." Would take 5,6 patients from day one of my 6 week orientation. Don't delude yourself...get what you need. However you need to do it. Don't take abuse. From anybody. Not more than once.

Watch the Dog Whisperer. When humans work under conditions like nurses do, they operate according to pack animal principles.

That is my theory.

fmwf: I like your theory. Yes, it's true. Your preceptor sounds like a real sweetheart. I find it amazing that a nurse would have such a negative view of her own profession. Wow, you are tough to put up with even one day of that!

Diahni