HELP! Floor Nursing = NOT for me

[skim410]

Hello everyone. I hope someone can give me some advice and suggestions. I am a new RN (graduated in Decemeber) that started on a general surgery (and medical) floor in January of this year. It has been about 9 months into working on this floor and I realized that it is NOT for me. I will be honest and say that I absolutely hate working on this floor. I hate working on weekends, odd hours (evenings), and working overtime. I can't stand the stress and pressure of a med/surg floor. I give a lot of props and credit for those that can handle it.

I recently got accepted to a Master's program in Boston to become an FNP. My intentions from the beginning was not to become a floor nurse but an NP. But because I have to move to Boston and make money for living expenses, I would have to be a part-time student and work full-time. Now I am trying to search for a nursing position that is not on a med/surg or floor nursing at a hospital setting, and have reasonable (normal) working hours. I would probably have about one year experience (or may be a little less...but more than 6 months).

I would like some advice on where I should apply with my qualifications and needs. I realized the pay would not be as much as a floor nurse but its to the point where I don't care about the money because I feel utterly miserable. I feel like the money's not worth it. Some have suggested a nurse in private practice or a clinic setting (which would be ideal since that is where I want to end up after I become an FNP). If anyone can help me with this Job Search in the Boston area, that would be great! Any suggestion or advice will be greatly appreciated. My goal is to find a job up in Boston as soon as possible, quit my med/surg position, and move. Please help a fellow nurse! Thank you for reading and I look forward to your replies!

[MikeyBSN]

There are a lot of other jobs you could look for, but they will probably be more competitive than finding a basic hospital job and your lack of experience will hold you back a bit. You should try looking at private clinics, doctor's officer, insurance companies, surgical centers and other non-hospital areas. Try the local paper, monster, craigslist ect. I don't know much about Boston, so I can't really help you with specifics. However, I'm sure there are a lot of colleges and medical schools up there. Maybe there are openings for college nurses, or some kind of health research position. What about public health?