Work related depression

Nurses Stress 101

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LTCNS, LPN

623 Posts

Specializes in Clinical Documentation Specialist, LTC.

*Raises hand* Another nurse who wishes she had chosen a different profession. I started as a bedside nurse, thought the grass was greener in an office position so was a MDS Coordinator for 14 years, tried bedside nursing again because I couldn't take the corporate greed and constant scrutiny a MDS nurse endures, recently started at a wound clinic as a wound nurse/hyperbaric tech thinking I would be happy as a lark but I'm finding myself wanting out already. I have finally figured out it's not the jobs I've had but the profession I'm in that is making me miserable.

mtngrl, ASN, RN

312 Posts

Well it's a new year, let's change something! I would love to find a non nursing job but of course that will mean a HUGE and I do mean HUGE pay cut. Unless some miracle job happens lol. I say this every year and then get scared and end up taking a new nursing job. I got a real estate license at one point but the market sucked so bad I spent more than I made. Ugh trying to escape nursing is HARD! Good luck to us!!!

DoeRN

941 Posts

Well it's a new year let's change something! I would love to find a non nursing job but of course that will mean a HUGE and I do mean HUGE pay cut. Unless some miracle job happens lol. I say this every year and then get scared and end up taking a new nursing job. I got a real estate license at one point but the market sucked so bad I spent more than I made. Ugh trying to escape nursing is HARD! Good luck to us!!![/quote']

I understand. I registered for school today actually for a non nursing field. I'm totally burned out and have cut my hours down to have a little bit in savings and pay bills. Nothing extra which is bad because I love to shop. But I can't even enjoy that because I have to work to have money to shop. I do feel stuck in nursing and I am determined to have a way out.

DSkelton711

312 Posts

Specializes in OB/GYN/Neonatal/Office/Geriatric.

I feel the same way: trapped. I think I made a major mistake almost 30 years ago when I switched to nursing (I was a business major!). Perhaps nursing is not for you either, or maybe you just haven't found the right fit yet. Do some soul-

searching and make a plan for the future. I am 52 and don't think I can stay in nursing much longer without having some

kind of mental breakdown. But I know I must do something. Good luck and may you find your way.

vickis26

1 Post

I have been an rn for 29 years. I had the luxury of working part time when my children were young, but then full time when the college bills started. I planned on going back to part time when college was over, but my husband got sick and passed away. I have experienced burn out several times in my career but learning and variety helps me deal with it. I have changed my specialty from cardiac, home care, interventional radiology, output. surgery and currently PACU. I feel there are too many nursing options to feel "stuck". Although, this time I have been looking for about 6 months and the offers are less than when I was younger, I will keep my bagged packed, so when burnout hits, I look for new opportunities.

RNikkiF

145 Posts

I seriously had to check the name of the person who posted this because it could have been ME who posted it! I am the main earner in my family, my husband is in college full time. We have two kids, two mortgages, a car payment, etc.

The day before I go back to work, my anxiety and depression kick into high gear. I would love to either find a non-bedside position or get out of nursing altogether. I've only been doing this for three years and already the stress of it is overwhelming. People outside of nursing (even within hospitals) have NO clue about how much liability and responsibility are involved in this profession.

I considered going back to college to get a bachelor degree in supply chain operations management (I worked in that field in the Navy years ago). But I have NO idea 1) how I would pay for it, or 2) how I would be able to manage going to school full time, working full time, etc.

I feel so entirely trapped. All I've ever wanted is to be a stay at home mom and take care of my family. I feel like I've missed so much of my kids' lives, even though technically I "stayed home" with them for 10 years, I had to either work or be enrolled in college, so I was never able to give the focus to my family and home that I have always wanted to. Now my kids are 9 and 13, and even though they're older and in school, they still need full time attention. I've never felt that I am good at balancing work and family... all of this just adds to my depression and anxiety.

On my days off, I'm so emotionally exhausted from work (my facility's culture is far from great), that I end up wasting all of my time off, even though I vow every week to make the most of it. I think the stress at work combined with my guilt of taking so much time to recover heightens my anxiety. It is a cycle that I don't know how to stop.

For now, I'll continue to grit my teeth and do what I have to do to get through... my thoughts are with you.

Marshall1

991 Posts

I have recently been offered and accepted a position in a medical office that pays the same as the hospital offer I was given around the same time. Though I will work part time 8 hr days w/no benefits, this medical office position is close to home, every seems like they will be good to work with, there is no weekends/holidays/call/nights and while the excitement of some of the hospital units won't be in this position, I don't care. I would rather, at this time in my life anyway, hit this pace instead of 12 hr shifts plus the hour drive etc. I cannot begin to express the relief I felt when this position came through and I no longer was looking at the hospital path. As has been pointed out many, many times on here, healthcare/hospitals/nursing have changed SO much - esp. in the last 10 yrs or so that its no wonder nurses are wanting out so much earlier in their careers. While I still have anxiety/depression issues I can honestly say a fair amount has gone since this career change has gone through. It seems a lot of what nurses are posting on this thread re: feeling overwhelmed, etc. is more job related than personal. I don't have answers or advice really other than to say if your job is really more than 50% of what you are stressing/anxious about please do not stop looking for something else - it will be worth the effort in the long run.

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