I've only been a nurse for a little over a year and I have hated it since day 1. People told me it would get better. It did get better once I got used to things, but I still genuinely hate this job. I don't think acute care is for me.
The thing is I feel like such an outsider. So many people I speak to love bedside nursing. A lot of people I know just changed to SWAT (float pool) to make more money...nursing just has such a large toll on my body: lack of sleep, running around, barely eating...
I just don't get what I'm doing wrong here. There are also a lot of nurses I know that are in grad programs and are leaving the bedside once they graduate. I just feel so stuck because I don't want to do any of this...I used to be so motivated with my career and now I just don't care about nursing. I don't know what to do. I've been miserable for SO long ?
I look up other jobs but I'm never qualified enough for them. Sometimes I do apply but there's so much competition. I feel so stuck and miserable ? I hate being a nurse. I have even looked up engineering programs and business degrees because I hate nursing. Does anyone else feel similarly?
I’m with it. I wish I could leave. I wish schools were honest in the beginning.
Interesting. How was your school dishonest about nursing? What do you wish they had said to you?
In my experience as a nurse educator, I have found that MANY students don’t believe me when I attempt to explain the ugly realities of being a new nurse.
n my experience as a nurse educator, I have found that MANY students don’t believe me when I attempt to explain the ugly realities of being a new nurse.
I stayed as long as I have because I changed jobs often (within the nursing field). Have had to return to MedSurg nursing and the struggle to just walk away from nursing now is a real one.
I prefer clinical nursing to bedside because you get to interact much more with patients. Have you considered being a cosmetic or hyperbaric nurse? I started in the medical device field, than became a nurse. I provided technical support for capnography, oximetry and trach products. Quite a few medical device companies want nurses because of their ability to teach. You are in my thoughts.
Yes I absolutely am the same way. First went to get my bachelors in science got me no and I didn't land a job. Then for the sake of safety that nursing provides in finding a job I went into nursing. Then I just found myself regretting the decision everyday and hating it more than the day before. Then I graduated from my RPN program hated my first job I got from govenrment supporting new grads. I was in the job for 1 year and left to get my RN (thought it would open more doors for me). Got my RN and am now regretting that again. I should have saved myself alot of time, money and headaches and chose a different field. Honestly, nursing is not for everyone!
GrumpyOldBastard, MSN, RN
94 Posts
Interesting. How was your school dishonest about nursing? What do you wish they had said to you?
In my experience as a nurse educator, I have found that MANY students don’t believe me when I attempt to explain the ugly realities of being a new nurse.