I cannot do this job anymore!

[superwifenursewoman]

I have been a nurse for a number of years and have come to the realisation that I cannot do this job anymore. I have tried changing designation, going back to school to gain more knowledge, changing jobs, work places countries, jobs, work places it goes on and on. I really feel I just dont want to look after people anymore, I dont want to work shifts, weekends, christmas', evenings, nights, early mornings. I hate it all. Now what do I do?, where do I go, how do I start again at my age. I'm not complaining about the patients, the nurses the doctors or anyone else, I just cannot walk into a hospital anymore and I am still employed by one. I have seriously thought of just quitting and walking and losing my home rather then feel like I am going to throw up everytime I get up for work. l lost it last week at home with my husband and he'd done nothing, I just feel so stressed all the time. I go into work and you wouldent know anything was wrong but its an effort to put one foot in front of another. I'm not depressed if thats how it sounds, I'm just incredibly unhappy with my worklife and want out NOW. Sorry for venting, I'm not able to speak to anyone else and hope perhaps someone out there was where I am and can give me any advise, hope, reason to get up for work tomorrow.

[Valerie Salva, BSN, RN]

With the economy the way it is, now is not the best time to change careers.

Can you work in an outpt clinic, or another non-hospital job while you look into other career options?

Becoming a traveler saved my nursing career. It's the only way I can take nursing.

[Faeriewand, ASN, RN]

You say you are not depressed but you have all the clinical symptoms. Have you thought about seeing a therapist? There are some nursing jobs where you do not have to work with patients-desk jobs-if you feel you cannot take care of people anymore. Good luck in whatever you decide.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

What you do to feel better is look into a change lateral or to a new career. Just the true effort of actively researching your way out will lift some of the weight off you for a while. Try then, to think of your current job as "temporary". I am a career changer, I had "had it" with my old career, and this helped me somewhat.:redbeathe

[klbinaug]

Maybe you could go back to school to teach. You could teach nursing classes at a college, or if you want to get out of that all together, you could teach health occupations or anatomy classes in a high school. Just something to consider.

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

As some of my other posts show, I am a huge advocate for school nursing as an alternative for nurses for whom the hospital is not a good fit. I have already tried recruiting most of my former nursing schoolmates into the profession! You might be able to sub at a local district to see if it is for you before you quit your hospital job.

[loricatus]

You sound like you have a serious case of BURN OUT.

I agree that you need to get away because you need some form of change. Have you thought of tele nursing or working for an insurance company?

If these are not an option for you at this time, find some form of change like a lateral move, new specialty, new people or place. Burn out will eat at you to the point that you question your own capabilities. It is not you, it is the system that we have in place. Change will redirect your attention away from the things eating at you, to buy you some time to see which direction will make you happiest.

Take care and hang in there. You sound like an excellent nurse.

[deyo321]

Is correctional nursing an option for you? Though it still involves shift work and is always open for business it is very interesting. Very.

[Amy3901]

Would working in a doctors office be any better? Having set hours?

[litbitblack, ASN, RN]

As another poster said: BURNOUT!!!!! I would go prn at your hospital after you find something different. May be a little time away from nursing you would help bring things to perspective. As another said, with this economy it would be difficult to find something else, but go back to school for something your interested in. Just work enough to pay the bills. I am still working part time after i was terminated but i really feel i was terminated due to my burnout. I was actually thinking of working at walmart. It seems like you just need a change for a while. and it does sound like depression. Probably from the job. See a therapist they can help you sort it out. good luck

[pink85]

Did something happen that makes you feel this way? I don't know what kind of nurse you are, LVN or RN but you could always do Informatics, insurance company, as someone mentioned, research, utilization review, occupational health at the hospital where you work or for a large corporation, social work, work for the health dept, a legal firm or the legal dept in your hospital, do chart review, etc... the list goes on and on...

Good luck to you. There is nothing worse than going to a job you are not happy with.

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

Is it the taking care of other people part that mostly has you down? I agree, it is incredibly draining. For me, it can be so difficult that on my days off, I don't have a caretaking bone left in my body. Maybe you need to get away from the bedside. There are other things you can do as a nurse that aren't quite so demanding that way.