How do you know you like your job?

Nurses Career Support

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Hi everyone, just looking to get some things off my chest and get some advice/input. I also am interested to hear about everyone’s career paths. I don’t really know how I’m feeling and whether it’s related to my job or something else but here’s my rant. 

Tl;Dr at the end and if you think you recognize me irl.. no you don’t haha

I’m a new grad RN approaching my one year off orientation in labor & delivery (FT nights) and I’m feeling unsatisfied. I don’t know if you can get burnt out this quickly but the the time I spend dreading work has been overshadowing the moments I feel like I love what I do. 

I’ve been told for L&D you’d need 1-2 years off orientation to feel proficient in your skills, but I’m not sure want to stick it out for another year and I don't know if being more confident in myself will change how I’m feeling. We get some fairly high risk patients which is stressful and my coworkers are very nice and supportive, but I don’t really feel like I fit in that well. I absolutely adore my patients and families and that’s probably the one thing I can confidently say I like about my job. The pay isn’t very competitive for my area and while I used to be a night owl I’m so tired of working nights and weekends. We’ve also been pretty understaffed and in our busy season (hello holiday and covid babies), shifts have been nonstop busy with heavy assignments and the texts to come in extra just make me want to avoid work even more. I spend a lot of time dreading my shifts and as greedy as it is, wishing I made more money. I’ve been eyeing tech and informatics a bit and wondering if there’s a direction of higher paying jobs with more stable schedules I can take my career in while still using my nursing degree. 

I’m scared to bring this up at work because everyone seems to be so happy. I also feel guilty complaining being in such a coveted specialty but I’ve been feeling this way for a couple months and just want to get my thoughts out there and hear some outside opinions. Sorry this is a bit ramble-y and all over the place but thank you so much for reading!

Tl;Dr: 

There’s nothing horribly wrong with my job like some horror stories I’ve heard about toxic work environments, but I’m only one year in and I’m tired of working nights and weekends. I dread work and wish I made more money. I love my patients and my coworkers are friendly but that’s about it.. I’m just struggling mentally with how I feel about my job and I don’t know if I need to change my specialty, schedule, or environment. Whenever anyone asks how work is I feel like I’m lying by saying it’s good. 

I’ve been seeing on social media a ton about people leaving staff nursing, bedside, or patient care altogether and I cant help but think I want to leave.. has anyone else felt like this? What types of Nursing Jobs have you done and do you like what direction you’ve taken your career? Any suggestions for what I should do? Thank you! ?

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