HELP, new nurse and I dont like it

[mqnurse36]

Im a new nurse, Im on my 3rd job in 6 months that I dont like. Im starting to think I dont like being a nurse. All I do is hand out pills and rush around like a crazy person all day. Theres no way that its possible to do everything correct with meds, treatments and asessments given the amount of work and patient load. Even after shortcutting like advised from other nurses, I still cant pull it off without missing something. Im soo tired and emotionally drained after my 12 hour shift I can hardly stand. The worst part is that the schedule I was just given at my new job is sun,mon, wed, thurs and fri 12 (turns into 13) hour days! No overtime because their weeks are wed-wed. the good thing is I only work 1-2 days the following week however Ive tried to work that 60 hour work week last week and by friday night I was an emotional wreck-cried for an hour. I have to work it again next week and cant even imagine going through it again. I really just want to quit and take a break but I just started nursing! Any advice?

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Not "misinformed". You were LIED to. Stand up for yourself against this kind of manipulation!

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

thanks everyone for your support, im going to call today and tell them i cant do that schedule. i dont want nursing to be tainted for me, i actually started looking into hospice and other areas. i can afford to quit thank god, i really just needed to hear that it was the right thing to do from other nurses. no wonder they cant keep anyone in that position. the pay is 22 an hour, is that typical? i was making 26 at my last job but it was nights so i quit because i wanted days so badly, unfortunately i was misinformed of the schedule- lesson learned.

unquestionably, you just answered your own question let me explain, when you sat with the recruiter and they told you that your schedule would be 3 days and didn't elaborate, they were aware that they had you. however, since they didn't specify their scheduling method, this is the weapon you can use in order to move on, short and simple. wishing you the best in all of your future endeavors, aloha~

[D.R.A.]

I wouldn't say nursing isn't for you. I would say being a new nurse is HARD. Working is LTC is even harder. Find a doctor's office. I say that alot, and people can think what they want, but the pace is much School nursing is another good option. Not every nurse has to work in LTC or a hospital. The pay is usually a couple dollars an hour less than a hospital, but what good is money is you don't have your sanity?

[foggnm]

How one is schedule for 12 hour shifts can make a big difference in terms of your satisfaction. I personally don't like working 3 in a row. So I try to do two in a row, then one off, then have 3 days off. I know of people that do work 6 days in a row, but I'm not sure how they do it and perform well and have energy to do other things (like get a workout in on your 'on' days). Also, I've worked on a floor like you describe and while it can be fun to be crazy-busy, it gets old (unless you're a natural busy body that likes to live at that pace). Nursing is filled with burn-out positions. So, you have to find a place and pace that is sustainable for you. I worked days on a floor like yours and after 2 years I had enough of running my butt into the ground every day. I now work nights in an ICU. And while I sometimes have very busy nights, it is not the norm. I actually have time to get my work done. And while I'd rather work day shift, I am reluctant to go back to days because of the more normal pace of things at night.

[MyMystudentRN]

OMG this is the exact situation i was/am in! I worked at a facility for a year and a half, 6 months working as the lvn/facility manager. Lemme tell you it was he** i kept telling myself i had to stay to rack up my exp as a nurse but i just couldnt stand knowing the fact i had to come back the next day and do it again. I wasnt going to make it a career and i knew it was time to find something else that will fit my likings. I am currently and elementary school nurse and it is soooo much fun! Very different atmosphere, excellent schedule and i have TIME to relax and do me before going back and working another shift. Im very happy with the decision i made.

[mazy]

Putting aside the schedule issue for the moment. If you had stayed at your first job for six months, you would have been feeling a lot more comfortable with yourself and confident about your skills than you do starting over again and having to learn a new job every two months.

And you've also put yourself in a position where you don't know what kind of facility you are going to end up in or what kind of schedule you'll get.

Wherever you land, you need to stick it out. Being a nurse is hard, and being a new nurse is incredibly humbling and difficult. We've all been there. And there are plenty of posts on this site about first year after licensure that might be helpful to you.

As far as your current schedule, it sounds impossible and you either need to work something out with the facility or move on. But wherever you go, make sure to stick it out.

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

That type of schedule is the norm here. At my last hospital, the ICU schedule was 7 straight 12 hour shifts in a row. Then you had 7 days off. I was the only one who objected to this schedule, so I had to work five 12 hour days in a row, 2 off. Then the next week, 5 off and 2 on. I think they do the schedules this way so that everybody gets "every other weekend off." I couldn't see how the other ICU nurses could do seven 12's in a row, but they did fine. Most of them did not have kids at home, or they had a spouse who did not work and could stay home with them all the time. Before you jump the gun and quit, see if they have any part-time positions, or ask how many hours you have to work to be considered full-time. I work less than 40 hours each week but yet I am full-time. Nursing is very hard work, and fatigue just sets you up for mistakes.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

When I was younger, in my 40's, I did more than 3 16 hour shifts a week and 2 8 hour shifts. Call outs were a huge issue and since I was the manager, I was the one to stay. I was tired by the end of the week but not exhausted. Maybe it's all attitude or maybe we just did what we had to do. Now I work at least 50 -55 hours a week. My employees who are far younger than I complain if they have to work more than 24 hours a week. I guess it's just what I'm used to.

[79Tango]

Weve got people working 7on7off and 14on 14off in the ER.. I couldnt hang with 14- 12hr shifts but some people swear by it!

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

I probably could not handle that schedule either. But it is worth noting, the more you go through jobs this quickly, the fewer your options for "good" jobs are going to be. Best of luck. I hope they work with you on the schedule.

[jensmomrn11]

I am also a new RN and have been working sub-acute rehab/ltc for almost 3 months now. I work the 7A-7P shift, but 12 hours is not enough time to get all the work done for 20-25 patients. I work with some caring nurses, but management just piles way too much on us and I've watched good nurses come and go. I too get so stressed out about going to work that I too dream of a car accident so that I do not have to go in. Sometimes I wonder if Xanax would help. I am trying to stick it out here for at least 6 months to see if I get more comfortable and I don't want to be seen as a job hopper. Somebody please tell me that it does get better over time, and if it doesn't, could it be the environment I work in and a change is in order? I was once an LPN in ltc and was never stressed out like this.

[Aurora77]

Forget the schedule, if you are on your 3rd job in 6 months....I am going to guess nursing isn't for you, with all due respect.

I'm glad someone else is picking up on this. Yes, the schedule sounds crazy, but if the OP is job hopping like that, of course they're going to be miserable.