How many new nurses like their job???

Imafloat, BSN, RN · May 13, 2007

I like my job.

I think that the first year is just so overwhelming that many want to throw in the towel at times. When I feel like giving up, I come here and post and ask if others felt the same, because I need to know what I am going through is normal. People look for support when they are having a hard time, not when things are going great. I think that is the reason there are more "oh my gosh what am I doing" posts here.

runnernurse · May 13, 2007

I definitely love nursing and my job. I think a lot of it has to do with the floor you start on. I was lucky to start on a great floor where my coworkers are so supportive and willing to teach, and we are always looking out for each other and helping one another out. I have been working as a nurse for almost 10 months now, it's hard to believe how fast the time went by. I still feel like I just started but then I realize that I actually know things, new nurses ask me questions and I actually know some of the answers! Nursing is stressful, some times I come home and just feel so frustrated, but then you have the good nights where you feel like you really made a difference... it's what makes it all worth it. There is nothing more fascinating then getting a postop kidney transplant, and seeing the excitement on his face when he sees that he is making urine after years of being on dialysis. So no, it isn't that bad, I promise! It definitely can be rough, working weekends, holidays, nights, while the rest of the world isn't. It is mentally and physically draining. But I couldn't imagine doing anything else. I apologize if i didn't make sense, I just worked all night :rolleyes:

Best of luck to you with your last year of school RN2BE!

RN28MD · May 13, 2007

You have to remember the reason you are getting into nursing. Nursing is no joke. It is hard work, but if you love being a nurse all that stuff you have read is not going to matter. You will feel scared, incompitent, frustrated, ect.. at first but that is normal. The real world is nothing like nursing school. I think this is why it hits many people hard at first. If you are worried do an internship during the summer or find a nurse in the floor you would like to shadow. You need to make sure you are entering a profession that you are going to like. It wouldn't be fair for the nursing shortage to get in a school and then quit so early.

Also, if you are unhappy at your job then move on. The good thing about nursing is that their are many depatments to go to. You don't always have to do Med-Surg or hospital nursing. Their are clinics, nursing homes ect. that you might find enjoyable. Don't let other people scare you. Everyone has their own opinions. As for going into nursing for the money which I have found many people to tell me is just not right. First of all nursing is not a lot of money comparing to other professions. Yes it is more than minimum wage but, you work a lot. When someone goes into nursing you know what you are getting into or at least should know. Well stop stressing yourself out. You still have a year to go. I suggest you shadow someone.

I had a hard time my 1st 4mos in nursing. But after that I felt very confident. I learn a lot in the 1st 4mos. After that it was hard work but fun. I love the patients well not all. (LOL) but you do what you are their to do and for me is teaching the pt and being their advocate. I love that.

good luck.

hlfpnt, BSN, RN · May 13, 2007

I love my job...I'm just not crazy about the facility I chose to start at (very poor management), but I know it's important to do the first year in one place. So I keep in mind that I'm not doing this for myself & just say lots of prayers every day...I only have 3 1/2 months to go.

LeesieBug · May 13, 2007

Although "love" is entirely too strong of a word to describe how I feel about my job, after 10 months I am at the point where I like it well enough.

It was a HUGE adjustment....I pushed my personal limits by choosing an area of nursing I was interested in, but was outside my comfort zone. However, that is what I ended up liking about it! I am constantly in awe of what I have learned so far, and how much progress I have made. Makes me feel GREAT!!!

I have WANTED to quit several times, but I knew going into the job that it is COMMON to want to quit until you get in the groove. I just started with the mind set last year that no matter how much I wanted to quit I would stick with it at least a year before allowing myself to switch jobs...it worked....all the nurses who have more experience than I were right...it takes about a year to know if you really DISLIKE the job or just are not comfortable enough doing the job to like it. For me, I was just not comfortable.

I think it is important for new nurses to adjust their expectations when starting a new job. It really helped me entering the job with the goal of sticking with it, rather than thinking I was going to be in love with my job right away. I would have been REALLY disappointed.

kellyo, LPN · May 14, 2007

I can honestly say that I love my job. I absolutely hated the first 3 months (orientation) and cried at least 2 days a week (sometimes on the job), had dry heaves every morning in the parking lot and eventually went on meds to control my anxiety (been on 'em before).

Once I came off orientation (and the Paxil kicked in) something magic happened. Being on my own was so liberating and I actually felt like a nurse rather than a fumbling idiot. It's been six months since I've been on my own, and while I still have so much to learn, I know I have chosen the right job for me.

I am very fortunate to work on a great floor (CV surgical stepdown) with an awsome group of nurses. Management is great, too. Very supportive. My days are totally crazy, and I run around like a chicken w/ my head cut off half the time, but it's where I thrive. Yes, there's the regular crap that you get w/ any job--but the best part is my patients. I really love making connections.

I sound a bit Pollyanna-like, but it's true. When you're in a good place w/ a supportive group of people, you can learn to like your job...

kiszi, RN · May 14, 2007

I've been a nurse for 8 months. I like my job, though I did not like orientation. I just wanted to be able to do my job right off the bat! Of course it's not that easy. It definitely takes time to adjust to being a nurse and learning to trust your own judgment.

There certainly are days at my job (one very recently, in fact) that make me want to drop off my notice and dive into agency work, but I can say in all honesty that I never once regretted becoming a nurse. I don't think long term care will be my last stop on the nursing train, but that's the beauty of the profession. The possibilities are wide open, even for an LPN like me.

You'll hear a lot about how stressful nursing is. But it's manageable. In fact a little stress can keep you from making mistakes. Just find a way to leave the stress at work (me, i don't even visit allnurses on my weekends off) and you'll be ok. If you truly feel called to nursing, please don't let anything or anyone discourage you. God bless!!

jpRN84, BSN, RN · May 17, 2007

I am coming up on completing my first year as a nurse in a few days here. I've been working at a chemical dependency treatment center for a few months now and I love it. The staff are great and It gives me a lot of psychiatric experience, which I love. I love the fact that it's more psych and less medical. I enjoyed psych more in the nursing school.

suzy253, RN · May 17, 2007

quickly approaching my 1st year as an RN and I love my job. Sure, there are days that are frustrating and I vent a lot but I have a great floor, the best preceptor in the world, wonderful staff to work with and continue to learn something new each and every day. We went through several months of a nurse manager who couldn't manage, messed up schedules all the time leaving ppl being mandated on a daily basis. She's gone now and things have settled once again.

2bNurseNik · May 17, 2007

maybe someone can help me with this. i know in nursing school you typically get 1 - 2 patients during clinicals. what about when you are a new nurse in orientation. do they just feed you to the dogs giving you 6+ patients or do you gradually work up to that like week to week.

:smiletea2:

ps your responses are very encouraging. i'm glad i found this thread!! i too have heard so much negativity that it discouraged me.

CARCAM75 · May 17, 2007

Hi, next month will make 1 year since I have been an RN and I absolutely LOVE my job! My life's dream is to become a midwife and so I wanted to work in a hospital that was primarily women focused. After nursing school, I relocated to Orlando to work for such a hospital (Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies) - which opened in May, 2006 - right on time. I work in Labor & Delivery on nights and I must say that in the 1st month of my orientation, I was completely overwhelmed and thought it would probably be better to start off in Antepartum than L&D because I felt the floor was moving a little too fast for a new grad with no previous nursing experience. Well, when I mentioned this to my clinical educator, the very next shift she quickly ushered me into a meeting with the nurse manager, asst nurse mgr, GN coordinator and herself. In this meeting - of which I was a little concerned that maybe I shouldn't have opened my mouth - I was asked to express my thoughts and feelings. When I explained that I felt overwhelmed, they wanted to know what made me feel that way - was it the courses, my preceptor, the patient load, the pace of the GN program, unfair treatment from staff members, etc. ? That meeting took about an hour and a half and never once did I feel like I was speaking with a manager. I received so much support and constructive criticism from each of them that I felt I was in a room with my big sisters receiving encouraging words of wisdom about the new journey I was embarking upon. I was told to look at every shift as a new experience to learn from and to remove my personal time tables from my mindset. I realized that as a new nurse, I was still in "nursing school mode"... thinking I have 6 months to learn this or this amount of time to learn that... same as you would say I have 1 month to learn these chapters to be ready for the first exam of the semester... I was stressing myself out. With their assistance, I changed preceptors (not because the one I had was a bad preceptor - on the contrary she is a very knowledgeable nurse, she just had a nursing style that was unlike the one I wanted to become), requested a 1 month extension on my GN orientation period and kept a journal of my experiences. After orientation, not only was I happy that I stayed in Labor & Delivery, but I was also happy with my choice of hospital to work in after nursing school. I am also the kind of nurse that I dreamed to be - the kind that provides great patient teaching on admission and helps her patients - first time mom or not - enjoy one of the most exciting and rewarding moments of her life. ))

If you are a new nurse and are wondering what my orientation schedule was like, here it is:

1st-Corporate Hospital Orientation - 5 days

2.-Graduate Nurse/Novice Nurse Orientation - 5 days

3.- Labor and Delivery Core Classes - 3 days/wk for 12 wks

4.- Triage Rotation - 1 shift

5.- Antepartum Rotation - 3 Shifts

6.- Post-Partum Rotation - 2 Shifts

7.- Baby Nurse Rotation - 2 Shifts

8.- L&D Operating Room - 6 Shifts

9. - GN Roundtable Mtgs - Weekly for 12 wks

And because I spent most of the 14wk Orientation period in classes and rotating to the areas mentioned above, I felt I needed more time orienting to the actual L&D floor so I extended my time with preceptor for 5 additional weeks. Even though she and my managers felt I was ready to come off orientation after 14wks, I didn't feel I was ready. With the 5 additional weeks (remember that's only 3 12hr shifts a week) I worked on improving what I considered my areas of weakness. Because my preceptor was still "responsible" for me during this time, it made having someone readily available for my questions whenever one arose - as opposed to interrupting another nurse from her patient care. I myself am now a preceptor. ))

This first year of nursing was met with so much support and learning (we do 1300 deliveries/mth - most of which are high risk pts) that I am looking into becoming a travel nurse for January 2008. I am confident in my abilities as an L&D nurse and am looking forward to this new challenge. )) Life is great when you are doing what you LOVE!

-Carrie