Has nursing changed you like this?

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I can't find any journal articles on this topic, but lately I've just been thinking:

I'm at my 2-year mark as a nurse, and I just can't shake the feeling that now I have more trouble concentrating than before I was a nurse.

I'm working full time (3 days a week, 12-hour shifts) and taking 2 classes online to complete my BSN, and I just can't help but notice that it takes me forever to do my assignments these days because I can't concentrate fully on the assignment half the time. When I was in school for my ADN I could knock out assignments no problem but now I struggle to get them done and it takes me hours. I find my mind wanders without me noticing way too much; often work-related thoughts that pop up as I try to complete my assignments but sometimes other thought pathways... I just think it's crazy because sometimes it takes me hours to get a small assignment done and I know that's NOT how I used to do homework at ALL.

Then again, I also feel like I have ADD at work all the time because I work med-surg and let's face it, it's just constant call lights and phone calls and people saying "hey, this person wants you to this and this" and newer nurses asking me questions (which I love but it's distracting) and visitors asking me questions and bed alarms going off and just... a million and one distractions, basically, and I can't really tell if it's my mind that's going crazy or just the environment that's making me ADD.

I can't really tell at this point whether it's just that my work wears me out and that's why I can't concentrate, or whether two years of constant rapid-fire distractions and moment-to-moment decisions have crushed my concentrations skills. Has anyone else kind of wondered whether their mental state has been affected by their nursing job?

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Specializes in school nurse.

I'm guessing that ADD would have been apparent earlier in your academic/professional career.

How are you sleeping?

Do you feel different after taking a vacation?

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

You sound pretty overwhelmed and it is a normal, natural thing for your brain to begin trying to limit how much it takes in when that happens.

Exercise, eat right, sleep hygiene, meditation, consider a different job, slowing down with your schooling are all good options available to you.

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If it were me, I would suspect the lack of truly free downtime would take its toll. Do you get any time to do something fun, relaxing or creative that is not tainted by the realization that you need to be studying or getting ready for work?

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.

I think you might be ok except for the taking classes part.

When I have to multitask like you're describing, some days I lose things. Once I left my keys in my office, some days I feel like I'm losing my mind.

I second all the advice above.

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