I hate nursing

[Neezy84]

I may get yelled at or get the usual "find another profession" comments. But I have to say it.. are there any LPN's who love their job? I have been a LPN for 12 yrs and i have hated every moment of it. I noticed that Im subjected to nursing homes, abuse clinics peds and home health. I moved from up north only to relocated to florida and get paid far less for a job that is worse. Never wanted to be a nurse it was a family trait. All the women in my family are nurses. I have no life no husband no kids and i spend almost every day at a place i hate. I have been working on my RN and at this point I dont feel like its worth it. I have tried hospitals and I have tried other avenues. I left the profession only to return and realize you can leave the job but you will NEVER stop being a nurse. So Im not sure what to do is my RN worth it or will I be just as miserable? I was never a smoker I find my self smoking and unable to sleep. I cry before work every day and get a upset stomach before my shift. and this is at every nursing job i held. Im sorry if this sounds negative or sad or just complaining. i know the senior nurses are gonna read me my rights. But I need to know if anyone feels the same way?

Additional info: I was recently attacked by a patients husband during a home healthcare assignment. I have anxiety PTSD and really just dont like or trust people any more nursing has been nothing but sad experiences for me. My friends and family im sure are tired of my complaints and most people say " just leave" they will never understand....you dont just leave nursing its in you.

[Doumbia]

Perhaps part of her dislike for the job is working with nurses with your attitude, SL.

[CRAYSN]

Hey there!

I am a student nurse, and before entering the program I struggled with this exact same thing, not wanting to be a nurse. THE REASON is because as you can see from all the rude lash outs in these comments, tenured nurses eat their young, and like to bully. I decided i want to keep going further than RN because I just dont think I can be happy as an RN for the rest of my life. Nursing is a never ending world of possibilities. You are never stuck.

Nursing is a very rewarding career but has one of the highest burnout rates. Nurses are not treated as they should be: not by other nurses, not by employers, and not by patients. So it takes someone special; Nurses are their own breed. AND IT IS OK to admit you are unhappy where you are currently. This kind of stuff needs to be addressed ans worked on, and fellow nurses should be there to offer you support, ideas, and encouragement.

My advice to you, is if you are currently unhappy, what could it hurt to continue your education? Perhaps you will find you even want to take it past RN. But, even with taking it one step further to getting that RN title, youll earn more money and more doors will be opened to you as far as places of employment. I think you just need to find your happy place in the world of nursing and be proud to be a part of such a rewarding career.

I hope for new nurses like myself, we can make a change and start working as a team rather than bashing fellow nurses. It really saddens my heart. Good luck to you and all of your endeavors!

PS, 12 years is a long time, but its always ok to choose a completely different field of work too. It is never too late for happiness!

[oldnavynurse]

Spot on I concur with you Doumbia

[oldnavynurse]

spot on Craysn

[miggyRN]

I get how you feel. Many days I hate nursing too. At 12 years in, you have invested a lot of time not to mention money for an education. For people to say just find something else, well all things considered it's not that easy, BUT I do agree that you should probably transition out of nursing, at least what you are currently doing. I believe when you are where you are supposed to be it won't feel like this! Yes everyone has days (if they are truly honest) that they hate/strongly dislike their job. But yours is constant and you are having physical symptoms as well as emotional breakdowns so it's time to move on. If I were you I would begin to find out what other types of things I could do, since you are 12 years deep I'd probably try to stick with nursing or healthcare if possible. Research and network for example, if you see someone at the grocery store with scrubs on (and they look happy) ask them what they do, where do they work, what qualifications would I need etc.. You could also go to another area of healthcare i.e. sonography, X-ray tech on and on. Basically what people are telling you don't let yourself stay stuck in this rut. Life is short and although it may be a difficult thing to let go of something you've done for so long and you feel is a part of your DNA it's just something you have to do. Re-invent yourself by thinking outside the box and you will find your own niche. You could own your own business related to something in nursing, there are so many things you can do. Let that be the thing that motivates you and keeps feelings of depression at bay, just knowing that you are working at discovering something more suited for you, this will help you get through the day. Remember the types of jobs that you've been doing that are causing you grief are a dime a dozen so if you want something that will be more satisfactory you really need to shift gears because those areas of healthcare aren't for you, God bless you and take care of yourself, you can't effectively care for others if you are sick and stressed yourself, I wish you well in your endeavors.

[Natasha A., CNA, LVN]

Like I told my niece who has a BSN, all she has to do is go back to school whichever way is most convenient, on line at home or otherwise, for a couple more years to become a Nurse Practitioner then she would be her own boss, or become a PA that will take even less time. At least she will be earning more money and will not have to work in a hospital anymore, etc.

Fran, i was told this from couple of nurses. Both of them work at Kaiser and emphasized I become a NP to be your own boss.

[OHNBJL]

Sounds like you went into nursing for all of the wrong reasons. Just because it is a 'family trait and occupation' doesn't mean you were meant to be a nurse. Do what is best for you, not for everyone else and don't be swayed by their comments or innuendos.

As far as all of the negative comments, you knew you were going to get them. So find another career that you are better suited for. Perhaps go for some career counseling where you take some tests to find out what your are best suited for. Staying in an occupation that you despise, and is making you emotionally distressed, is obviously not in your best physical and emotional interest.

I've been a nurse for 40 yrs and have had a couple of jobs that made me totally insane. One I was at for 14 yrs. The administration and doctor changed and so didn't the working climate. We were given productivity checks based on computer records. Being it was ED, the nurse who saw the most patients was rewarded. Administration didn't care about the acuity of the patient. You could have one patient that was 'labor intensive' ie IV's Labs, etc. who would count only as one patient. While another nurse could have taken care of multiple patients with less demands. Your productivity was reviewed weekly. So I dreaded the weekly review.

I realized that it was literally destroying me. I would go into work crying all the way in the car and leave at night with my stomach in knots wondering what I had missed or would be chastised for. A voluntary layoff came up and I signed up. My supervisor dragged me into her office, pushed my paperwork into my face and asked me 'what the meaning of this is?". I told her that it was my layoff paperwork and it was permanent. That the job was making me physically and emotionally sick and I was a fool to stay longer and let it kill me. I did my remaining required 30 days left. I felt very relieved when I walked out the door for the final time.

Moral of the story. Don't let them destroy you. Do what is best for you. Don't worry about what others think. Its your life don't waste it.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

ve received advice something along the lines of, "You're creating your own problems and everybody is sick of hearing you complain about them. If you want to make yourself miserable, keep it to yourself."

Quote

I don't know if you know how you come off when you text but it feels a bit rude..that's all so I lashed out forgive me I'm not a nasty person I just want you to see that you don't always have to be sour sometimes people could just use a virtual hug������ I'm going to continue to love you and not lash out anymore because as a NURSE like I said we have the power to see when someone NEEDS something. Tough love to you maybe to others just a pat on the shoulder saying " it will be ok and u can get through it here's how" is all that was really needed

Sour Lemon did NOT say that to you. She was telling you what someone said to her!

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

BTW, an RN degree won't fix things. I have been an RN for 17 years and been punched, slapped, and threatened with all kinds of assault. Maybe we need Combat Pay?

She can get her RN and go into a specialty that doesn't involve dementia patients. I've been a nurse for 20 years and have never been punched, slapped, or threatened.

I now work OR (elective plastic surgery) and endo, with patients who are relatively healthy, and I never have negative interactions with patients. The OP can improve her situation if she wants to go for the RN and change specialties.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Assuming 40 hours per week and 48 weeks per year, that's over 23,000 hours of hatred... if it hasn't severely damaged you yet, it's fixing to... that is simply unsustainable... and unnecessary.

Move back... I get that Florida is nice but seriously... why take a worse job for less money? That's a horrible career trajectory.

It's not a trait, it's a job/career/profession/vocation/trade... not a trait.

So what? All the men and women in my family are teachers... but not me. I was the first engineer and the first nurse. I'm not them... they do what works for them, I do what works for me.

In other words, you are FREE! Free to move and explore and find yourself and take chances... to find what makes you happy, not what drains the life out of you.

Yeah, 23,000 hours and counting... presuming that you really get 4 weeks of vacation per year and that you can leave it all at home.

And there we have it, the root cause of your problem. Of course you can stop being a nurse... being a nurse is simply a job, just like any other from police officer to airline pilot to engineer. You are *choosing* to be a nurse, you are not innately a nurse. A counselor could be very helpful in assisting you to see the *choices* that you're making.

I suppose it depends just why you hate it so much but I'd think that simply changing nursing roles is not likely to address what is the issue.

Then why do you do it? It literally is killing you and yet you seem to have embraced this destructive lifestyle. You are choosing this; it's not being thrust upon you.

Me neither... I don't do the job for strokes, I do it for money.

And yet, you continue to do it.... What would you say to someone who was saying about how badly their husband abuses them but refuses to leave because they love him and what a good guy he really is and how fearful they are of change and all the other stuff? Your love is killing you... leave him or you're doomed.

23,000 hours of hate... I would say that "it's not going to end well" but that projects into the future what is a progressive event... rather I will say that "it's not ending well."

Probably they are. It is very wearing to hear someone complain when they simultaneously refuse to make any changes.

It's not them who don't understand, it's you. You are choosing to be miserable and to slowly kill yourself because of a belief that you must continue to do a job that you hate... not one which you dislike or which isn't fulfilling or any of that... one that you HATE.

Nursing is not in you. You weren't a nurse when you were born, it is something that you chose to do, something that you were trained to do, and something which you are paid to do... it is something that you do, it is not you.

If you really have a servant's heart and derive fulfillment in a role of service then either pick a job that you don't hate which still provides that fulfillment or find another job and do volunteer work at a nursing home or an orphanage or at a homeless shelter or a home for abused women or... something.

Or find a nursing job that is free of the conditions that you hate so much.

You are literally choosing to kill yourself, albeit not quickly, but most assuredly.

Do something desperate to get out of the abusive relationship in which you're living.

It's your life, choose to live it well.

Absolutely the best post of the thread. Maybe not what the OP necessarily wanted to hear, but it's neither mean nor disrespectful. I agree with 99% of it.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Just leave? If you get a chance to read the past post I stated that I take care of my parents and I have been a nurse for 12 yrs I have been a nurse since I was 20 yrs old ( there i dated myself ) with the recent economy I KNOW I have a Career that most people are fighting for struggling through school to have...I know what I have I can get a job anywhere. But to pick up and find a new career at this stage in my life has been difficult especially since I don't really know what to major in. Something I will just as easily be able to find a job once I graduate

Many people pick up and find a new career at your stage of life. I did it when I switched from teaching to nursing. Many of my colleagues in nursing school were in their 40s and 50s. It most certainly can be done.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

What a horrible response from you. Your a perfect example of why this happens to many nurses. There is too many who are this crude like you in the profession

This post is useless without using the quote function so that it's apparent to whom you are referring.