I don't mean to complain..

[Nurse216]

I've been a nurse for a little over a year now. They say we all get into nursing because we have the need to serve and care.. I thought nursing would be a fulfilling job. I wanted to have a meaningful job. I wanted to find purpose.

I hate my job. I hate nursing.

I've been working in a hospital on a telemetry unit for 7 months.

I feel my intelligence is slowly fading. I almost cried the other night because one of my patients actually said thank you- that is how rare hearing those words are. How screwed up is this? My night revolves around refilling water, taking patients to the bathroom, getting extra blankets, filling up cups with "just the right" amount of ice and fluffing pillows. I'm lucky if I get a chance to look at labs, critically think, and evaluate the care plan. I'm overwhelmed.

I feel as nurses, we have done this to ourselves. We have entitled our patients to some sort of gratification; and we have no choice because we are micromanaged and everything is money related. Managers round and only care about patient satisfaction; compared to their actual health care outcomes. What can we do about this? I've thought about leaving the profession because nurses are treated like dirt. Because I don't get the respect I deserve, as a human being, let alone as a health care provider.

Are there any other nurses that feel this way? Are there any nurses that feel completely swamped, down in the dirt, and have to drag themselves to work? I get anxiety just thinking about the night ahead when I do have work. What have you done? What can I do? I need some advice because I feel completely lost and I'm about to abandon ship.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I'm sorry you're having such a rough time. My advice is to stick it out for another four months and then start aggressively looking for another job. Most of us don't dislike our jobs and many of us actually quite enjoy them. You don't have to settle for a job you hate. But try to stick it out for that golden year.

[Beachbum29]

Hi hun,

I can 100% relate to how you are feeling and have felt this way many times in my 2 years of being a nurse. Nursing can often times be a thankless job and it is a profession that is hard on your mind, body and spirit.

However, from my personal experiences, my outlook and feelings have been very dependent on the facility I work at. I have been at my current position for over a year and it is postpartum and newborn nursery. Many people including myself thought at one time this was an "easy" area of nursing. I now can say it isn't. I work at an inner city hospital with an impoverished patient population and my job is extremely difficult. I have wanted to walk away and quit on the spot many times. But my fellow nursing staff make it tolerable and I have had so much experience that I've gained that I would do my time over if I had to. Other places the work was easy but the staff and management made it hard. It's one of those things where you have to find a good balance.

One thing I've done that has helped has been to remind myself of why I became a nurse in the first place. My reason for entering the field has always been a greater motivation that could not be faltered by a bad day at work. Another is that I leave my work where I find it. I don't take it home with me. I have an active social life and do NOT speak of work when I'm not there. This has helped immensely especially since most of my friends aren't in healthcare and cannot comprehend or appreciate the struggles nurses go through.

I've also quit a job on my 3rd day of work. I literally left. It was because the facility was giving care I believed to be unethical and went against my personal beliefs and my conscience so I decided I did not want to be an active participant.

Some people have an idea that nursing is a glorified job and that it is flowers and rainbows. It isn't. It's up to you to find what works for you and what doesn't. I enjoy what I do but to be honest I have discovered a total different love that I want to explore and start a second career. Nursing does not have to be your life forever. It may not be mine forever either. But I know that I am doing something that I enjoy and it is rewarding to me right now.

If you are truly unhappy you need to change your situation. Perhaps it's not for you that happens to people every day and not just in nursing. And it's ok. That's a part of life. We are ever changing creatures and our wants and needs and desires will change as we grow and go through life.

But if you feel you can tough it out then find a way that works for you so you can cope. One thing I always tell myself when I have a bad day is "nothing lasts forever and in 12 hours it will be over".

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

At 7 months in, the thoughts you may have had in school about what a nurse is becomes clearer and clearer once you hit the floor running.

Nursing is a process, and although I have really said ad nauseum, facilities and patients a business.

Nurses who are in it for serving and caring and purpose are chewed up and spit out every day. You serve patients to obtain scores that will get the facility money. You care as much as you can with outrageous ratios. Your life purpose needs to be identified in an alternate way outside of your work, as it will be more soothing to your mind and soul.

It is something you can't name. That feeling you get when you are invested in being a really good nurse, an effective nurse, a creative and critical thinker. You help people function. But you are amongst a culture of get em in, get em out, smile, use your script, wanting delight and wonderment.....as opposed to functional and wellness. See the disconnect?

Once you have a good foundation, you may want to research alternatives. And those may be case management, hospice, home health--parts of nursing that are thinking parts, holistic, or 1 patient at a time parts.

And I strongly suggest that you make sure your personal life is full and rewarding. Nursing with a thought process of caring and service is rare these days. Students are encouraged in alternate ways, most aspire to be NP's or CRNA's, master prepared with as little bedside as needed, which is how schools seem to condition nursing students. It can make it difficult to aspire to the emotional parts of nursing. Therefore, you need to be confident in the fact that you do what you need to for patient comfort and function, then go on to your own life and thrive. Whether that is volunteer work a couple times a week (a meals on wheels, doing a class at local elder services, reading to kids at school, teaching a religious education class) or a book club to adult ed class on cooking--your time is where you need to find your purpose.

Best wishes!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

What have you done? What can I do?

My unorthodox advice is the get the heck out of the exalted acute care hospital. The nursing profession places acute care positions (ICU, ER, telemetry, med/surg, et al) on a pedestal that is undeserved.

Much of bedside nursing involves the mundane and the routine: fetching ice, water, snacks, pillows, blankets, and sheets. I really do not mind completing these tasks because I am a task-oriented nurse who doesn't really want to delve deeply into other aspects of care.

I entered nursing for the steady paycheck, educational mobility, flexible schedule, and advancement opportunities. I also obtain my validation in my personal life, so I am not bothered by unappreciative patients and difficult families who do not thank me. I do not need or crave their validation for doing my job, nor am I one who gets a thrill out of being needed by patients.

Telemetry is a bust-your-butt specialty that would make me miserable. Perhaps it is time for a change in scenery. Some nurses have described home health as nursing's best kept secret. Other nurses enjoy private duty, clinics, doctors' offices, research, etc.

I'm lucky if I get a chance to look at labs, critically think, and evaluate the care plan.

Perhaps a career as a midlevel would be in order? You'd get to do some shot-calling, which would perhaps quench your thirst for more than the mundane. Good luck to you.

[JustMeRN]

You need to take a step back and untangle your life from your job. I never quite get the push these days for a job to "fulfill" you. In my opinion your job supports the parts of your life that fulfill you. Yes, your job can be rewarding, but should not dictate your personal happiness.

I didnt get into nursing because I was looking for a rewarding career. As others have said I was looking for good opportunity, a steady paycheck, and an education that gave me a degree / license with flexibility. I have gotten all of those things, and more. I left acute care 3 years ago, and the hospital setting all together 6 months ago, and it was a good choice. I work for a nonprofit home care agency now, and do get a lot of personal satisfaction, respect from clients and peers, and less stress. But, I have always been good at keeping life and work seperate, so even though I am feeling more professionally rewarded these days, it doesn't change my life dramatically. I was happy even when acute care stressed me to the max, because I could walk away at the end of a shift and leave it at the door.

if you really are not happy where you are wait out your year so it looks good, and start looking to move on. Think outside the box. Look at positions that take you outside of the hospital. If you need to feel like you make a difference look for a non profit company, or a clinic that serves underserved populations. Look into clinics for seniors, or those with disabilities. If you really just need a break consider summer camp or similar nursing. (Not that I think camp nursing is easy, kids can be tough, but it would allow an opportunity for short term assignment, in a relaxing setting, assuming you don't hate kids haha ). Nursing is such a large profession encompassing so many opportunities it would be a shame to throw in the towel before trying a new approach.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I will also say that that is ultimately why I left the bedside - because I felt like a well-paid waitress.

[forgivenfaith119]

I felt this way when I did acute care. Leaving the hospital setting was one of the best choices I ever made. Otherwise I believe I would of left the nursing profession all together.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I might help you feel better now to start planning for your next job now. By the time you figure out what type of job to pursue, research some possibilities, apply, interview, etc. ... you will have been in your first job for a year.

There is no reason to throw your investment in your nursing education away just because you don't like your first job. Find a better job!

I also strongly agree with the posters above who talked about separating your work from your sense of self and self-worth. Work to support your life ... don't make work the "be all" and "end all" of your life. Don't make it so important.

Good luck!

[Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN]

At the end of the day, it's just a job. It's unusual for a person with a happy home life to feel so emotionally starved at work. If things aren't going well, I hope they get better very soon!

[nursel56]

...I've been working in a hospital on a telemetry unit for 7 months.

I feel my intelligence is slowly fading. I almost cried the other night because one of my patients actually said thank you- that is how rare hearing those words are.

One thing that really helped me was to disconnect direct association of patient care with thank yous. Once you are in this for a while you'll get the most incredible thank yous you could possibly imagine, but you can't know ahead of time who they will come from or how the thanks will be conveyed. It's the sort of stuff that keeps nurses being nurses.

I agree with the others on your job situation as it stands. Start planning for your future but realize the experience at this job is "money in the bank" for getting your next job. All the best to you!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

You need to take a step back and untangle your life from your job. I never quite get the push these days for a job to "fulfill" you. In my opinion your job supports the parts of your life that fulfill you. Yes, your job can be rewarding, but should not dictate your personal happiness.

I'd like this a million times if I could. People shouldn't be labeled and defined by their professions. I am a nurse at work. I am ME in my own time- a woman who loves animals, dabbles in photography, loves to travel, loves spending time with family and friends, etc. who just so happens to also be a nurse This is what should bring fulfillment to life. Yes, a profession can be rewarding, but it is not how people should define themselves or seek a route to fulfillment in their lives. Fulfillment needs to come from all sorts of avenues.