I regret going into nursing-what should i do?

[iconicqueen]

I am so discouraged with this whole field. I'm starting to think I am just not cut out for this. I got a verbal offer for a CCU position at a local hospital, but they still have not reached out through email. I have been looking for a job for the past 4 months after quitting my first due to anxiety. I know this is getting religious, but at this point I'm thinking God just never wanted me to be a nurse. I've never been through so much rejection. I've seriously been rejected enough to fill at least 3 people's lifetimes. Over and over again I go through interviews just to never hear back. I've spent countless hours to commutes there, crying every day because I have no purpose in life. Are there people who simply cannot be nurses? I have never felt so discouraged. How did i make it through 4 years of nursing school? I can't help but feel like i'm being rejected over and over because this is not the right path for me. I'm only 22. I can still save myself...the thing is I want to be a nurse but I feel like nursing doesn't want me. I have never been so depressed in my life. I know I need therapy but I can't help myself without a job. Has anyone been through something similar? I feel like I wasted so much of my life on a job that does nothing but depress and upset me every day of life. Please help me.

[brownbook]

You have already achieved more, just getting your BSN at 22, than I was capable of at that age.

I didn't go into nursing till almost 30 and even then I had to go to therapy during nursing school I was so scared and stressed! I even dropped out of school one semester. (Five years later I was nominated for nurse of the year).

You need the help of a therapist. Google low cost therapy if money or health insurance is an issue.

You are doing God a disservice if you think she would want you to fail. Have more faith and trust in her than that!

["nursy", RN]

If you read enough of these posts you will see that new grads very often have a really hard time getting that first position. But your anxiety and depression and probably impacting how you present yourself in interviews. I would highly recommend some counseling or therapy to get yourself into a better place. Maybe a family member can help you out.

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

I would also suggest that you employ the services of a resume/Interview coach. They cab help you fine tune how you answer questions and so present your best qualities.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Many new grads have a hard time landing their first position. In can take months to expect an interview response. Did you follow up? You could just be lost in the HR maze.

Continue with your search. Think outside the box as to what a BSN can do for you. You don't have to start in a hospital.

[MemphisRN, ASN, BSN, MSN]

I think you also need to look at finding a job outside of your area. Are you in CA? Just a few minutes ago I was reading about how difficult it is to get a job in CA. I was floored! I know here in CA hospitals would be tripping over themselves to get you in there programs! Search for nurse residency programs in other states. TN, GA, FL are all states that have a severe nurse shortage.

[HandsOffMySteth]

3 hours ago, MemphisRN said:

I think you also need to look at finding a job outside of your area. Are you in CA? Just a few minutes ago I was reading about how difficult it is to get a job in CA. I was floored! I know here in CA hospitals would be tripping over themselves to get you in there programs! Search for nurse residency programs in other states. TN, GA, FL are all states that have a severe nurse shortage.

I agree ,Just a quick look into RN on "Indeed" for my area pulls up 5 pages full of nursing positions, some of which do not demand over one year experience. If it's not too much of a burden, you might consider relocating. I would also think that jobs demand will fluctuate a bit.

I remember all sorts of posts on the internet about the flood of new grads into the radiology field, and RTRs were giving up looking for work. That changed after a year, and there was a demand again.

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

While you are awaiting your dream job (and it's out there) - consider if there are any companies that do flu clinics. You'll get a job, some experience, and you will become a little more confident.

[TriciaJ, RN]

Your whole post has a beaten dog feel to it. Your feelings of worthlessness and discouragement may be coming through in interviews. It's way too early to be so fatalistic about whether you were meant to be a nurse.

I think part of the problem is your generation. Not your fault. You may have had an upbringing and education where your feelings were considered to be of major importance. Now they aren't. That can be discombobulating at first, along with finishing school and transitioning to an adult world.

If you finished nursing school and passed NCLEX that is your first clue that you are a capable person. You've started by applying to hospitals and discovered that the hiring wheels of HR turn very slowly. Start thinking outside that box:

Are you willing to move to another location? Any friends or relatives in another part of the country to make the transition a bit easier? Willing to try long term care? Shot clinics?

It's okay if life is a bit hard right now, you can handle hard things and you will get better and better at it. So take a breath. If you are finding your discouragement and anxiety to be immobilizing, a few sessions with a sharp therapist should get you thinking more clearly again. Hang in there and keep us posted.

[OliveG]

Hey there. I am sorry for what you are going through. I am not a nurse, so I can't advise you on that front, but I understand some of your feelings and want to give you some resources to help you emotionally.

Hope I am not breaking any rules to suggest https://www.7cups.com/ for free counseling and people to talk to. I've have yet to try out the therapist part, but I've talked to kind people. Sometimes just having a caring ear makes a dent in your sadness. Even if it only makes you feel half a percent better, thats something.

Another suggestion, you might see if your local college has anything. The one in my town offers free therapy and/or a sliding scale to the public.

Doing a simple google search for "therapists offering free counseling" I found a good looking website, https://www.opencounseling.com/ . My psychologist sister tells me that therapists do usually reserve a space or two for clients who can't afford their services. She herself had free therapy for years at one point!

If I were you I would be thinking in this order:

1. FIND FREE THERAPY

2. Get emotionally stable.

3. Think about nursing.

Take note- the school you went to saw something in you. They wouldn't have accepted you into a rigorous program if they didn't. I would get my head right before making any life changing decisions like saying I am not cut out for nursing.

You will get through this. I've been in dark places myself and I've gotten out each time. You will too.

[Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP]

Many years ago, I applied to a job (non-healthcare) in a February, didn't get the first call until July, finally reached the HR lady to get interviewed in mid-August and got hired in November! HR can be as slow as a sloth! I hope this type of timeline doesn't happen to you, but just to show you that getting a job can sometimes be a slow process.

I know you're down. I can feel it oozing from your post. Take a deep breath and regroup. I'm also going to agree w/ others, perhaps some counseling to talk things through might be a good plan right now. You need to have your head on straight when that job finally comes through!

You can do this!

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

Also, not mentioned, but nursing is a small world. After interviewing, manager or HR may ask prior manager if they know you, informally of course. Depending on how you left that last job, or any impressions you gave, may be making it back to the interviewing entity. It's not what anyone wants to hear, but it happens more than anyone could ever guess.