I still haven't found what I'm looking for

[shabbychic23]

i am a recent graduate with a bs in nursing; since june 2008 to be exact. after passing the boards i was hired for a med/surg floor and have been doing this for 4 months. i am miserably dissapointed because it's not the painted picture of nursing i was thought in nursing school.

in fact, i almost had a breakdown last week from all the pressure involved with the job. that being said, i welcome any suggestions for other areas in nursing because as far as i'm concerned, i deinitely haven't found my niche.

how limited am i with a bs in nursing and only 4 months experience in med/surg? it sounds like one can only get somewhere if they have a masters nowadays. i want to feel good about nursing and find the passion i once had for the profession, however, i can't see that happening with a district of 8-9 patients, doctors pulling from every direction, transporters picking up patients, having to make sure meds are administered on time (and thats if the pharmacy send it up), providing wound care, writing progess notes, picking up orders, attending rounds with md's, providing na's with their assignment sheets, while on the subject of na going to the pharmacy due to insubordination on their part, allowing senior rns to step all over me by always being the last one to take lunch (thats if i take a lunch), apeasing argumentative patient family members who are demanding and the list goes on and on. of course this is all within a 12 hour sift which happens to fly be.

kindly pass on ideas of other possibilties in nursing with my qualifications.:bowingpur

[April, RN, BSN, RN]

At the risk of seeming dumb, what is this?

Home health nursing. You visit patients in their homes. I have never done it so someone else may be able to explain it better, but the nurse goes to the patient's house and provides dressing changes, IV antibiotic administrations, post-op check ups, postpartum checks, etc. I have friends who do it and get paid per visit and for the mileage they travel in their cars also.

[oramar]

I can't answer that poll because I am not currently employed. I love NOT working and am thinking of turning what was supposed to be just some time off into a permanent retirement.

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

I don't think it's condescending at all. Whichever statement you didn't care for dosen't matter. They are still both true.

Stress is the symptom of your reaction to a stimulus. It is completely internal. I'm not saying it's as easy as flipping a switch, to control your stress level. But I am suggesting that the realization that stress is a personal reaction might help that person to control it. It did me, anyways.

And, people will treat you how you let them. Why shouldn't they? If a person doesn't speak up (and the first person isn't guided by good manners or good morals) then how is anyone supposed to know that there is a problem? It's OK to stand up for yourself, weither someone else likes what you have to say or not.

I can appreciate the stress that must be a natural reaction to nursing, however I think people will agree when I say:

"Performing the exact same job now is less stressful than performing that exact same job when you first began."

So, with familiarity, your reaction to 'stress out' has lessened. Which I feel supports my statement.

I wasn't questioning the truth in what you said. I had an issue with the way you said it. You started out saying that you "know nothing about being a nurse" and then dispensed your advice in a way that implied that the OP was bringing it all upon herself. "Stress only exists if you allow it" and "People will treat you however you let them treat you" is in fact a pretty condescending way to make the point that you were making. Honestly I'm not a nurse yet either but I've read enough posts on here to know that it IS stressful, that the first year is VERY stressful, and that you do deal with sh*tty people at work, and that's all going to happen whether you decide to "allow it" or not. How would you feel if you were the OP and an oh-so-wise student threw those little phrases your way? Their might be some truth to your advice, but the way it was delivered was not very nice. That's all I was saying.

[travis73]

There. Doesn't get any nicer than that! lol!!

[CABG patch kid, BSN, RN]

I'm not sure if anyone else has said this yet (maybe I missed it) but you certainly don't need a Master's to go on from this job. I don't really have any specific suggestions on where to go, but generally the "slower paced" jobs like Home Health require more indepedance and autonomy, so you will need more experience before going there.

Eight to nine patients is crazy though! You poor thing Is there another hospital in your area that has a lower patient load or is that pretty much the norm in your area?

I hope you find a place that values you as an employee

[barefootlady, ADN, RN]

med/surg is not for every nurse, keep looking, something will come up. I agree with the poster that said do not quit until something else is offered. Just keep doing the best you can, usually about 6 months into a job things either start to click or not, unless it is a real HE$$HOLE. Good luck.

[nurseby07]

Home health nursing. I was in your shoes a year ago. I hated it. I left, went to home health, with 10 months experience and an ADN. I LOVE my job. Not all nursing is med-surg.

I also think that Travis needs to work 4 12 hr night shifts in a row, 2 off then 3 on, with 4-8 critical patients who have pulled out every tube going in and some coming out while they yell and scream at you for pain meds. The cna is on myspace and that mean nurse floated down to your unit to help and...and... and... the stress goes on and on

[shabbychic23]

I'm sure travis didn't have any mean intentions for what he said, however, like the other RNs who disagrees with his remarks, I do too. How can he say that stress is a simple reaction to a situation, its a bit more involved than that. In otherwords, generally speaking, life is not black or white but different shades of grey.;

The time will arrive when he'll become an RN and then I would like to know if his opinions will be the same then.

[Murse85]

Having a bachelors gives you an advantage over associates, although I'd imagine it's better to be able to check the 1+ years experience box instead of

As for the stress part, I am a new grad as well (6 months in) and I find the best thing I can do when I'm feeling swamped is think about what can be done the next shift and what absolutely needs to be done within the next hour or 2. That usually works for me. (Not saying put off work on someone else, but if you can't get everything done you have no choice). Hope this helps.

[mswim]

In your shoes!. I actually just finished a year plus 4 months of med-surg. It is way to crazy. I have up to 8 patients as well with team nursing. It has gotten worse with the economy with the supervisors cutting us down to minimum staffing to staff other units. Anyway I thought about leaving nursing. i have a back up plan. I thought it was just me but other new nurses are describing the same hell I had. The difference after being the year was not that I got better at the job, but just that I had habituated and resigned myself to the stress and being unhappy. I still didn't eat or pee last night. But I did not get as upset as when I first started mainly because I know that there is nothing to be done about. I just worked like a dog and stayed late to finish charting. Someone said that she knows other nurses that hated their job in Med surg for years before they were able to transfer or get another position. Well, life is too short for me to hate my life for years. I did find another position at OP dialysis. So I going to start there soon. I figure it will advance my skill set. I have a year of med-surg. If I don't like this job I may try home health. One thing I do suggest is to shadow before you take a position. Home health has a different set of nasties associated with it.

[shabbychic23]

in nursing, this is easier said than done. it's hard to not react to the stress when the responsibility of people's lives is on your shoulders along and you don't have any support from management.

very well said my friend.

[shabbychic23]

um.... no offense Travis but until you walk at least one 12 hour shift in her shoes, please don't say catchy little phases, they really don't help. I have never met a nurse in Med Surg that wasn't stressed, the demands on nurses these days are inhuman.

Shabby... I can totally relate to what you are feeling, I have been a nurse for going on 5 years and I still have not found my niche, I am very close to just giving it all up. Its just not worth all the stress. NURSING SCHOOL IS ALL A BIG LIE. You are nothing but a warm body with a pulse to management. Sorry if I sound bitter but the truth hurts baby.

RNKitty04, now there is some compassion and empathy and you know how this is possible Travis? Because she's walked in the same shoes, she understood exactly what I was talking about. Unfortunately there's no such thing as a stress free life; at least not that of an RN who works the day shift with many things going on at the same time. Honestly, who likes stress? I'm sorry but your statement is too idealistic.

I.e. Since this posting, I am happy to report that I am now a field assessment nurse. I'm currently working for a major insurance company with almost 80% autonomy. At least my road to finding myself in nursing is not as stressful anymore.