Help! Stuck in my job and hating it

Nurses New Nurse

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I'm a relatively new grad (May 2010) and have been working for 3 months on a very busy med/surg floor. I'm currently going back to school to work on my MSN (about half done, have 6 more credits until my BSN). I hate my job, i work 3-12 hour shifts a week, and i cry every single morning on the way to work. My orientation was about 6 weeks long and I feel my preciptors did a wonderful job, however i'm very overwhelmed the entire time i'm at work. Part of the problem is when I interviewed for this job I was told that they work every 3rd weekend and every 3rd holiday and have 4-5 patients (at most 6). This is entirely not true. I work every other weekend, every other holiday, and frequently have 7 patients... the least number of patient's i've had is 6. When I spoke with my manager (who is the one that interviewed me!) his only comment was "get used to it" I want to leave my job, but fear of not finding another job is holding me back. Also, I'm scared of not finding my "niche" in nursing and am ready to leave the nursing field entirely. Any advice?

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It won't hurt to start applying and stay until something else becomes available. I got fed up with my job also and started applying seriously two weeks ago and I have had 5 call backs, so there are jobs out there. I decided to only apply to positions that I really wanted and if no one called then I would settle, so far all the ones I wanted have called me back. I would try that method 1st and if you can't bear it any longer then settle. Make sure you are going to a better atmosphere. There isn't a possibility for you to transfer to another unit??? It could just be the way the unit is managed.

Best of Luck :)

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Why are you in an MSN program if you haven't found your niche yet? You need to figure out where you fit best within nursing before you make the big investment in graduate school.

Also ... the fact that you are struggling to transition from student to practicing professional nurse may be in part due to the fact that you are taking on more stress than you can handle right now. The transition process is tough enough without adding the stress of school on top of it.

Cut back on school (or take a break completely) so that you can completely relax and enjoy your days off from work. That will give you more mental and physical energy to cope with your role transition. That may be all you need to fix this situation -- a little more rest and relaxation to replenish your inner reserves.

I always advise new grads to delay grad school until they have completed their transition from student to professional and established themselves as a competent nurse. You have to master the first step before you can go on to the second step. Rushing it dramatically increases your chances to fail at both steps.

Keep your eyes open for another job opportunity ... but don't quit without having a good option in place ... and without giving yourself a good chance to succeed by taking better care of yourself by reducing the overall stress and workload of the work/school combination.

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Specializes in none.

As was said above take a brake. School and real hospital working sometimes don't mix.

I think Med/Surg is the hardest. Life is too short to wast on a job you dread. You have to take stock as to if nursing is right for you, It seems that the Meg /Surg Hours aren't. Maybe try to cut the hours to eight a day. You are heading for burn out. That no one on this board whats. Nursing needs caring people like you. So hang in there, Kid. And remember as long as you an internet connection. We'll be here for you.:hug:

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Specializes in Med/Surg - E.R. - Pediatrics.

The Nice thing about this field is you are not stuck with just med/surg

Personally I hate the:madface: med/surg floor:madface:, I liked pediatrics more, but oddly enough the very floor I thought I would hate the most, is the one I love the most.... :heartbeatThe Emergency Room.:redbeathe

Do not let the one floor dictate what all the other floors are like. Try "Out patient", Recovery, L&D, ER, House Supervisor (with your MSN), OR .... Ask to be floated to other floors to see what you like best.... you might surprise yourself...

As for the MSN..... Heck get that and start teaching in a community college for AS degrees or even a LVN program.... you may find you LOVE being a clinical instructor.

I have been a Welder, A Cable TV installer, A Electronics Tech, A actor per say, and a nurse among other things.... I find Nursing gives me the widest opertunity of employment in a wide range of fields...

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Specializes in ER/ICU/STICU.

If you don't like your job, get a new one. However don't leave this one until you can find another. That's what's great about nursing, if you don't like one part there are a bunch of others to get into.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

It sounds like you are very overwhelmed with some things.

You work med-surg, it is a very crazy environment. Do you have aides you delegate to? Maybe there are more things you can delegate that you haven't realized? Prioritizing is HUGE, especially in med surg. I've had to float to tele once from CCU, and it's no walk in the park with 4 patients, I can't imagine 7.

It takes about 6 months to feel remotely comfortable at a job, have you hit that mark yet? The first year is the hardest. Are nurses quitting left and right? Or do most of them seem happier after they've been there a while? Is there a more experienced nurse there you can talk to for advice? Maybe she can give some tips.

The working every other weekend and every other holiday? Honestly, you are a new nurse, I would not make that a priority right now. Most jobs require that anyway. It's rare for the 3rd weekend option, and in this economy, switching jobs might not ensure it. The 12 hour shifts take a while to get used to, once you get the hang of them, they're great for the flexibility you have.

Since you are so close to the BSN, I would finish it and take a leave of absence for a year, then return to finish what you started. Everyone else says quit now, but you may as well finish that part. Teaching is such a hard position to get right now, and they usually require multiple years of experience.

If all else fails, then start job hunting. But don't quit til you find something else that you are fairly certain you like. After you've put in your year, most facilities will let you transfer to another department.

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did i read that right 3 months? im sorry to sound so curt but NURSING IS HARD. and working holidays and weekends is expected. in the hiring process they can tellyou every 3rd weekend but do you have a union contract written in stone? if not then its needs of the unit.

getting the experience to be a competent bedside nurse is the hardest work you will ever do professionally. what ever happened to stick it out? at least a year? the grass is not always greener. hospital nursing basicallly sucks save for a few nurses who truly love it (and i only know of them on this board not in real life).

why not test yourself to see how adaptable you can be in this role? it is an opportunity to learn alot in m/s and if nothing else practice your assessment skills. in RN and NP programs you get an outline of assessment points. now go practice on different patients! im not sure what np path you chose but i bet if its FNP you will see most of the disease process on medsurg.

im not a martyr type and it is your life and happiness but 3 months? really? test yourself try 6 months. then transfer.

not to be rude but i would not trust you to be my NP with 3 months of real patient care experience. just sayin' :welcome:

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Specializes in none.
did i read that right 3 months? im sorry to sound so curt but NURSING IS HARD. and working holidays and weekends is expected. in the hiring process they can tellyou every 3rd weekend but do you have a union contract written in stone? if not then its needs of the unit.

getting the experience to be a competent bedside nurse is the hardest work you will ever do professionally. what ever happened to stick it out? at least a year? the grass is not always greener. hospital nursing basicallly sucks save for a few nurses who truly love it (and i only know of them on this board not in real life).

why not test yourself to see how adaptable you can be in this role? it is an opportunity to learn alot in m/s and if nothing else practice your assessment skills. in RN and NP programs you get an outline of assessment points. now go practice on different patients! im not sure what np path you chose but i bet if its FNP you will see most of the disease process on medsurg.

im not a martyr type and it is your life and happiness but 3 months? really? test yourself try 6 months. then transfer.

not to be rude but i would not trust you to be my NP with 3 months of real patient care experience. just sayin' :welcome:

What is going to happen in another 6 months that hasn't happen in three? She hates it now. In 6 more months of crying and nightmares, she maybe in a corner rocking somewhere. The last person on earth to believe is a recruiter. They will tell you anything. They have jobs to fill and don't care how they do it. Cut your losses now. Just my opinion .

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