i hate my nursing job

ClaireMacl · Aug 14, 2005

Hi there,

I hated nursing for the first four months after qualifying and found it difficult for the next few months also. My first ward, I had no support, no teaching, nothing. I'd never worked a surgical ward and there I was, left alone, trying to ask for help that never came. I couldn't get used to the short shifts, they worked 8 hour shifts there so I was getting home at 10:30pm and having to get up at 6am for the morning shift just hours after.

Everyone has their own area, I came into my own on long days in the ED, I adore it there and love being a nurse, but any more time on the surgical ward and I'd have told them where to stuff their job

Have a scout around, think about what you enjoyed while you were a student and try and get a position there and see how you do.

Best of luck!

ilovebabyjoe36 · Aug 14, 2005

What about your job do you hate? I know this is not what you throught it was going to be when you decided to be a nurse, but is the place where you are that you hate or the hours? I know nursing can be tough the responsbililties you have on your shoulder I hope things get better for you. Lisa

7 months out of school, and 6 months of working. i hate my job, and not too crazy about being a nurse. im 22 years old, single, no previous degree, first full time job was a nurse.
i dont like working nights and weekends and 12 hour shifts.
been thinking....what should i do? get a job at a clinic or go back to school for a masters in informatics?

BETSRN · Aug 14, 2005

7 months out of school, and 6 months of working. i hate my job, and not too crazy about being a nurse. im 22 years old, single, no previous degree, first full time job was a nurse.
i dont like working nights and weekends and 12 hour shifts.
been thinking....what should i do? get a job at a clinic or go back to school for a masters in informatics?

You haven't even given nursing a chance.

BETSRN · Aug 14, 2005

There are tooooo many choices in nursing to throw in the towel already! If nights/weekends/12hr shifts aren't for you, have you considered MD office nursing? Home health? There are also a ton of nursing jobs out there that do not include hands-on nursing.
Good luck to you!

Home health is not a walk in the park either. At least around here, the pay is far less than in the hospital. I do maternal/child health home visits per diem and I find I am much more tired after a few hours in the homes than I am after 8 hours in the hospital. Just remember that there are goods and bads to all areas of nursing.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Aug 14, 2005

Is there anything about nursing that you like that you can use as the focus to search out a job? I'm always in favor of getting a higher education, so if you have the finances and family support to do that, I'd say go for your informatics degree. Healthcare informatics is going to get very, very big. You might as well get in on it.

Nurse Valium · Aug 17, 2005

Home health is definately not a walk in the park - I did it for 8 years through hot Texas summers. It is, however, a completely different type of nursing.

"Hands-off" Nursing Jobs that come to mind: I have a friend who works for Workman's comp whose job is to review claims & determine eligibility. I have worked as a case mgr for a home health agency that did not include patient care. Have another friend from nursing school that does legal consults - reviews nurses notes for pending cases to determine if the care provided was appropriate.

showbizrn · Aug 19, 2005

well its not only the shift changes i dont like, its the dynamics of how some of the nurses interact with each other and other ancillary staff. i worked at another hospital during my nursing school days, and the staff interaction there was like night and day compared to this hospital now. and in my 6 months working there, i saw 3 nurses leave. there is obviously a high turn around in this unit.
i'll def take your advice, stick it out for at least 5 more months. and i will change my schedule so i won't have to work 3 days in a row and be stressed out on the third day. as far as other options, im def going to look into a job at a health department as a community health nurse, which is where i did my senior practicum as a nsg student. but what i know for sure, i will apply for grad school in informatics by next spring.
....until then, i will hold my breath and see how it goes at this place.

:balloons: congratulations!!!

glad you've decided on two choices:

1. go back to school.

2. change jobs.

no one should stay in a job that eats away their spirit and work with people that eat away at your nerves and give-up weekends/holidays to-boot.

life is too short!!

nursing is a profession that performs many dances by offering many options.

much success and blessings to you!

:)

chrispicritah · Aug 25, 2005

7 months out of school, and 6 months of working. i hate my job, and not too crazy about being a nurse. im 22 years old, single, no previous degree, first full time job was a nurse.

1st RED FLAG!!! :angryfire

i have been in that situation. you are going to have to ask yourself a serious question: why did you choose nursing in the first place? i made a bad decsion and stayed for 22 years. i am now burnt-out. fortunately i went back to school and now have a BA in Theatre Arts/Art History and have found my true passion.

it is not a bad thing to hate what you do, but you owe it to yourself to find out who you are, what it is that you are supposed to do and then do it!

it is not fair to you or to the public that you are supposed to serve.

i dont like working nights and weekends and 12 hour shifts.

i don't either, i work 3-11 when i do work at all.

been thinking....what should i do? get a job at a clinic or go back to school for a masters in informatics?

find out who you are and what you want, then go for it. there are different places on the internet where you can do free assessments on your strengths and propensities, do some soul-searching. there are too many people stuck in a place where they don't need to be or want to be, life is too damn short. :rotfl:

i am a good actor so for 22 years i played a role that was not even truth to me, which is not even good acting but i found that it kept me sane for a while. i went back to work after teaching summer school for a month and became violently ill. this is not the first time it has happened and i know that eventually i will have to leave that job before they get rid of be for getting ill on the job. it's time to go!

there is no shame in making a change, but a lot in not doing it soon enough.

some people go into nursing for the money, but all money is not good money if your heart is not in it. i would do what i do for free. they don't pay me enough to clean s*** :uhoh3: although i did it and did it well.

that is all i have to say

peace

crispycrittah

burnt-out for life

adagiogray · Aug 25, 2005

Could you give me some of examples of jobs that are NOT hands on nursing? I have heard there is so much variety, but I would like to know something specific. Thank you!

Depends on your definition of 'hands on' nursing. If by that you mean 'hands on dirty bed linens', there's a ton of things that you could consider in lieu that's not as 'hands on' in that regard:

1. nursing research

2. legal consultation

3. documentation/care plan/claims review for insurance and regulatory agencies

4. working for social services / care management

5. forensic nursing (not S.A.N.E. nursing necessarily, more for a coroner's office or the like researching the scene, interviewing family/relatives for medical history, etc- it's as close to CSI as a nurse can get. )

mika_sf · Sep 2, 2005

Working nights and weekends is hard in any profession, so this may be coloring your impression of nursing?
Also, remember that the first year out of school is always the hardest because of the learning curve.
When I graduated with med tech, I worked 3rd shift for 2 years and hated it. Now I'm on second shift at a great hospital and loving it. Once you get a year or two of experience under your belt, you will have your pick of jobs. Try talking to all the nurses you know to find out what they like about their area (peds, ICU, home health, parish nursing, etc.).
My advice is to stick it out for a while longer, and then go searching for your dream job :) Good luck!

Hi BSN06,

Not to get off topic, but I was wondering what made you decide to go from being a Med Tech into nursing? I am doing prereqs right now, and would like to go back to school for nursing, but I've also been thinking about becoming a Med Tech. I already have a couple of degrees, so the Med Tech option has starting to look appealing since I could do it part-time, whereas I am having a hard time finding a part-time nursing program. I would be be interested to hear what made you switch.

Thanks!

music · Sep 2, 2005

well its not only the shift changes i dont like, its the dynamics of how some of the nurses interact with each other and other ancillary staff. i worked at another hospital during my nursing school days, and the staff interaction there was like night and day compared to this hospital now. and in my 6 months working there, i saw 3 nurses leave. there is obviously a high turn around in this unit.
i'll def take your advice, stick it out for at least 5 more months. and i will change my schedule so i won't have to work 3 days in a row and be stressed out on the third day. as far as other options, im def going to look into a job at a health department as a community health nurse, which is where i did my senior practicum as a nsg student. but what i know for sure, i will apply for grad school in informatics by next spring.
....until then, i will hold my breath and see how it goes at this place.

Hi ............ Thanks for being so honest and sharing feelings that I bet many have in their first year. First of all..........give yourself a big pat on the back for completing school, passing your boards and actually having the privilege of putting RN after your name. If you never work again as a nurse, you have accomplished much already. It is a tough road just getting to where you are now.

Secondly, you have received a lot of good feedback already. See how supportive and understanding your fellow nurses are. As for the group you are working with now, don't let a few negative people pull you down. You have joined a profession that is in high demand, has great personal rewards and you will always have a job when you want it.

Third.............Listen to the feedback on finding out who you are and what makes you happy. There are so many areas to work in. You will find the right spot for you if you open your heart and honestly think about what really makes you happy and what inspires and motivates you. Just look at this position you are in now as a stepping stone to who you were really meant to be and the special talents that you and you alone have to offer.

Being young and single, you could travel, work in different places and find the spot just right for you. Even if you leave nursing, you have skills that you probably don't even realize you have gained through this experience.

Believe in yourself and realize the many possibilities out there waiting.............The sky's the limit. It's up to you. Don't listen to negative people. Find a place that makes you happy and helps you grow.

Don't give up yet. We need you!

:nurse:

rnhud · Sep 3, 2005

well its not only the shift changes i dont like, its the dynamics of how some of the nurses interact with each other and other ancillary staff. i worked at another hospital during my nursing school days, and the staff interaction there was like night and day compared to this hospital now. and in my 6 months working there, i saw 3 nurses leave. there is obviously a high turn around in this unit.
i'll def take your advice, stick it out for at least 5 more months. and i will change my schedule so i won't have to work 3 days in a row and be stressed out on the third day. as far as other options, im def going to look into a job at a health department as a community health nurse, which is where i did my senior practicum as a nsg student. but what i know for sure, i will apply for grad school in informatics by next spring.
....until then, i will hold my breath and see how it goes at this place.

hello mylife,

That is great that you are giving it time. Good luck!!!!! Interested about infomatics have any more information on it. If you do.........let me know!

thanx