Has anyone ever escaped?

No Stars In My Eyes · Feb 20, 2015

kalycat,

Thank you! That is exactly the thread I had in mind!

I thought if OP wasn't aware of it, she would maybe find some folks there with good ideas for dealing with the ADD aspect.

mama.RN · Feb 20, 2015

Maybe you haven't found your niche...I work in a small specialty clinic where we see patients one at a time. We have some regulars and some patients I'll see once and never again. I work alone about 50% of the time doing admin type work. It gets busy and I have to keep up with the latest info. I have a lot of autonomy, and there are many facets of the job so that it usually isn't boring. Sometimes I'm managing several short-term tasks or projects at once, but it's doable. Overall, it is a low stress, peaceful existence, the hours are 9-5ish, no holidays or weekends, and I make about the same as the nurses working in Med-Surg in the nearby hospital. Just a possibility to consider.

Nola009 · Feb 20, 2015

I too am a slow-moving gazelle on the African Serengeti. Lol. And I can't juggle too many things while constantly being interrupted either. I already do not see myself working bedside for long, especially not in a hospital. It'd be nice if there was an 'RN to almost anything besides nursing' degree

Nola009 · Feb 20, 2015

There are an incredible amount of specialties within nursing, I cannot believe people would simply give up on the profession with only trying one or two of them.
Bedsides, bedside nursing is not the only type nursing. Not only is there administrative stuff but there is also education etc. My wife works from home for an insurance company and I work on the medical sales/industry side.
Both of us are in only one specialty of an entire field of specialties within our different industries, all while being registered nurses.

It's good that you found your niche, but doesn't landing a job outside of the bedside involve having much bedside experience first? Like years and years? Some people find bedside so demanding and/or miserable that they don't want to waste another day.

NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN · Feb 20, 2015

I haven't had a chance to read the rest of the posts but there are so many different types of nursing that you can do that are outside a hospital bedside career. That's one of the areas with the highest burnout because of the stress. I have personally worked with health insurance companies doing QA. Loved it but wanted to be able to be home during the week with my child so I went back to patient care so I could work the weekend. Currently while pursuing my BSN I am working private duty home health. Definitely not the best wage but you will never be overwhelmed-it's private duty...however, if I didn't have a textbook to keep me busy when my patient was sleeping I would go crazy. There's tons of things you can do with your license. Just start looking deeper and you'll find something that you can enjoy and not feel overwhelmed. I've been there and it's no way to live. The good news is there are so many different types of nursing out there.

trinitymaster · Feb 20, 2015

Great, you love nursing. But imagine for a moment that some of us didn't have the same kind of "Mary Poppins" experience with nursing that you obviously have had.

Ah yes, I fondly remember my first spoonful of sugar. And penguins, lots and lots of penguins.

Asystole RN · Feb 20, 2015

It's good that you found your niche, but doesn't landing a job outside of the bedside involve having much bedside experience first? Like years and years? Some people find bedside so demanding and/or miserable that they don't want to waste another day.

About 30-50% of the nurses in industry have less than 5 years experience, if any at all.

SinMiedo · Feb 20, 2015

As a fellow bedside refugee, can I suggest looking into corrections nursing? While it can get fast paced at times, I find that I have plenty of time to be deliberate with my care. As someone who is also on the spectrum, the focus on objectivity and very defined patient-nurse boundaries are extremely welcome!

It's a great area to experience many different kinds of patients, and with a hx of working in the ER, you would be ahead of the game. :)

0.adamantite · Feb 20, 2015

I thought you meant patients escape. Then yes, I have had a patient or two escape. Lol. I'm still here though

ellieheart · Feb 20, 2015

ADD/Mild autism/IQ145.
I am honestly shocked that you made it through nursing school.
That aside, have you considered research or law aspects of nursing?

Why would you be shocked that I made it through nursing school? Because of Autism? Though autism can be very disabling for some, people at the other end of the spectrum are very functional. Our brains tend to be highly specialized(over developed in some areas, underdeveloped in others).

Gooselady, BSN, RN · Feb 20, 2015

Have any of you ever successfully escaped the oppressed occupation of nursing and gone on to have a more satisfying and rewarding career? Please tell us your story and what you are doing now.
I've been in nursing for more than a few years and I hate it. It's like being a gazelle on the African Serengeti, only the fast survive; the rest get eaten. I have mild autism, ADD, and an IQ of 145; but I can't keep a job in nursing. I'm just too slow. In the ER, I could easily handle 3 patients, but 4 patients continuously made me feel overwhelmed. I tried MedSurg and ICU and the results were the same. Unfortunately, no one wants to hire a nurse that can't keep up when the herd is sprinting full speed. I've had enough and would like to get out, but nursing seems like such a dead end street. I don't want to go back and for yet another bachelor degree. How can I move forward from here without starting over from scratch? Other than retiring or starting over, has anyone ever escaped this dreadful occupation and moved on to a happy career?

I wouldn't have known this before doing it, but private duty (through an agency) may be a 'speed' you could totally excel at. I spent the last six and a half years in acute care, and the 17 years prior to that AVOIDING acute care, thus going into psych and chemical dependency. My senior year practicum felt like a long war. I too am a person who struggles at first with 'doing'. I aced everything in school but when it came to clinicals I was no brainiac, in fact, I was horrified to discover I wasn't very good at it. At all.

23 years later, I've LEARNED how to do it, I can do it well. The only reason I succeeded in my acute care job so long was because I had 17 years of crawling up a hill of broken glass on my hands and knees prior. Hitting the floor and 'being a nurse' didn't come naturally. I don't know why. I'm not particularly OCD, though I've learned to BE OCD. I could care LESS about what many nurses are up in arms about, but I learned to see why they care and learn a lot of new things.

I blew out my right knee and without a replacement, bedside nursing would be hell. I was already thinking, "OK, you proved to yourself you could do it, now what?" and had tentatively applied for a palliative care position that was more community based. So after my knee healed, I thought long and hard about what sounded GOOD to me to do as a nurse. It took a while because at first nothing at all looked 'good'. Then I interviewed with an agency who staffs for private duty. Something I would have never done before. The idea of being an 'agency nurse' didn't sit well, and some agencies are in the news for being sued by the Feds every day. But this one agency staffed for pediatrics -- something I'd never done. I love me some kids. And these little guys would be in a nursing home or institution if it weren't for private care nurses -- they get to be home in the middle of their families.

You have ONE kid to look after for a shift. Right now, mine is sawing little logs while I watch his monitors. I just turned him and changed his pull up, re-attached his SPO2 probe, and as I type I can see his face by looking up two inches. He has meds every couple of hours, a trach, a GT. I get him showered and ready for school, and hand him off to his 'school nurse' who attends him there. Some nights I'm suctioning him or cleaning poo and couldn't crack his chart for how busy I am-- but there's no stress! None! I can be busy but that pressure is just not there.

I feel guilty that I'm NOT busting my butt and wringing my hands over my next admission lol. Yes there are plenty of potential troubles doing this. I'm just so pleasantly surprised at how I'm liking this that I had to share.

I also wanted OUT of nursing, years and years ago. It could have gone either way to be honest. I did get hired at a fantastic psych unit in San Diego, and began enjoying being a nurse for the first time. I've always felt . . . cheated, or something, that nursing does not come as 'easily' to me as it does for others. And I'm not advocating you stick it out either. Just don't overlook the variety of opportunities to use what you have. I'm sure you've gotten a lot of ideas already :)

Jules A, MSN · Feb 20, 2015

Why would you be shocked that I made it through nursing school? Because of Autism? Though autism can be very disabling for some, people at the other end of the spectrum are very functional. Our brains tend to be highly specialized(over developed in some areas, underdeveloped in others).

Damn the DSM5 for doing away with Aspergers do. The whole spectrum thing just way too broad, imo.