Hello all I just feel like sharing some thoughts with people who understand. i am a new nurse who graduated in May and worked as a RN for three months my first nursing job did not work out. However, this is not what this post is about.
I have been out of work for 2 months and will be beginning a new job at another hospital in December. And the truth is...I do not want to go back!!! I have seen what it is like to be a professional nurse in the real world and am not interested at all.But I have a degree,loans to pay back and need to make a livlihood for myself so I will be going back to nursing.
Since I have been off I have seen how others my age live. They are happier, have less responsibility. I feel the responsibilty of nursing and the stress has aged me beyond my years. I just do not want to go back to this profession. I have no desire. I have come to the conclusion that I need to give it a year and if I still feel this way I will pursue other options.Just felt like sharing.Thanks for listening
Med-surge escape route...lol. that was hillarious!!! To answer your question my friends do not nessecarily have fabulous exciting jobs, they have jobs with less stress and responsibility.:)
Responsibility for someone's life is a big deal. It's sometimes overwhelming for those of us who are much older and more experienced; I can't imagine how terrifying it can be for those in their early 20s.
I love, love love working medical floor. I love it. I can never understand why people hate it. One thing I love is my coworkers. We have such a great group of people. Staffing is more than adequate most days. Hmm, maybe the problem is your facility?
Three months is not enough time to figure out if you like something or not. And about your friends? Well, I guess you can either be jealous that they have less meaningful jobs with less responsibility, or you can be proud that you have a more meaningful job with more responsibility. Is the cup half empty or half full for you? I personally can never be jealous of my paper-pusher, cubby working friends. I feel sorry for them.
I had those thoughts about my friends when I was right out of school too. That maybe an office type job was the way to go. But now I realize that with nursing there are SO many options to specialize in which DON'T suck. Also the scheduling is great for parents and many of those office jobs are not. Also, those same people that appear to be loving life right now may not have job stability or make as much money as you, esp after a few years and they are bored. Give it some time.
I understand how you feel. I remember when I started about two years ago, I almost quit three months into the job. I was overwhelmed and I felt that I had too much responsibilities and I was not that mature to handle it. Add to the fact that even the NM said that I am the youngest member in the team. But I hurdled it---I stayed and I learned many things along the way. When I was starting out, one experienced RN told me that whenever he switched from one job to another, he also feels that "uncomfortable feeling" but it goes away (about 6-12 months) as you become more confident as each day passes by. That stuck in my mind. And whenever I feel that it is a hard day, I just think of what he told me. Now it's been almost two years, I am glad I stayed and I listened. Maybe one thing that helped too was that I started out doing Psych---and that's what I always wanted to do.
I had those thoughts about my friends when I was right out of school too. That maybe an office type job was the way to go. But now I realize that with nursing there are SO many options to specialize in which DON'T suck. Also the scheduling is great for parents and many of those office jobs are not. Also, those same people that appear to be loving life right now may not have job stability or make as much money as you, esp after a few years and they are bored. Give it some time.
Ineedcoffee and others have offered great advice. Hang in there, consider other types of nursing jobs/shifts and if you still aren't happy quit and become a barrista while its fun! Just don't ever let your nursing license lapse. Kudos to you because at your age I wasn't even responsible enough to finish college.
Hello all I just feel like sharing some thoughts with people who understand. i am a new nurse who graduated in May and worked as a RN for three months my first nursing job did not work out. However, this is not what this post is about.
I have been out of work for 2 months and will be beginning a new job at another hospital in December. And the truth is...I do not want to go back!!! I have seen what it is like to be a professional nurse in the real world and am not interested at all.But I have a degree,loans to pay back and need to make a livlihood for myself so I will be going back to nursing.
Since I have been off I have seen how others my age live. They are happier, have less responsibility. I feel the responsibilty of nursing and the stress has aged me beyond my years. I just do not want to go back to this profession. I have no desire. I have come to the conclusion that I need to give it a year and if I still feel this way I will pursue other options.Just felt like sharing.Thanks for listening
Ok, I'll offer my thoughts here, even if they aren't likely to be the most popular response you'll see. But they are honest.
Anything worthwhile in this life, meaning any job or career, anything you do at all, comes with a fair share of responsibility and stress. The paychecks that are the most attractive also come with the greater share of responsibility and effort. The jobs that you describe as carefree, low-stress, low-responsibility also mean low wages and typically low satisfaction.
If you wish to spend your life with the least amount of stress and the least amount of responsibility (an attractive option at 23, I'm sure, especially after seeing the "real" world!) you can also expect to have the least of material things in this world, and the least meaningful existence. By this I mean that yes, you can work as a cashier the rest of your days, punch a clock in and out and that's that, but you also have a meager paycheck to show for it and a pretty limited satisfaction. At the end of the cashier's day (and, at the end of 15 years of cashier's days) do you think your friend will be looking back on the rewards of her career? How she bettered the world because she was there? That the fact that she WENT to work mattered at all? Somehow, I seriously doubt it.
We all have the desire to do the least amount of work for the greatest reward. Human nature. But having that nursing license allows you to FIND what that means--to you. It allows you to find a position you DO like, doing what you DO like, and still earning a viable means of support. Your friends who have minimum wage jobs do not have those options. They will be forced to take whatever job is there, doing whatever needs to be done, because that's all they can do. And it gets old FAST. The 'who cares' job at 19 doesn't look or feel the same at 29. A dead end job is just that.
That cashier job you covet at the moment because of its breezy lack of responsibility also does not come without IT'S fair share of grief: do you think your friends always have great bosses, and always work the schedule they want, and never get stuck because someone called out--or had a co-worker who was so lazy that more work was had by the rest of the staff? All the time.
Look around at nursing options, try different places, try different shifts. Look where your niche might be, and give yourself a chance to MAKE something of this.
The world can wait for another gas station attendant, fast food fryer, or cashier.
I remember those feelings all too well. The butterflies would start fluttering about in my stomach as I put on my scrubs, found my ID badge, packed my lunch, and headed off to work. In the locker room, as I pulled out my stethoscope and med key, and began the walk up the hallway to the report room, those butterflies turned into a "feeling of impending doom", not knowing what I would be faced with today. Of course, once I hit the floor, I was way too busy to bother with those feelings. I had work to do; a lot of work. If it was a horrible night, I would think "I want OUT!", and start looking at other job openings, or fantasize about working at Taco Bell.
It's been over a year, and you know what? I'm okay. I'm glad I saw it through. I have toughened up more than I thought possible, and though I feel pretty solid on the basics, I still have much to learn, and the thought of all that I have to learn no longer scares me, but it is exciting!
I know this is not where I want to be forever. I do not want to retire from floor nursing. By the time I retire, I want to have done many different things, many advanced practice things. I don't want to retire completely burnt out on the human race with a broken back and a body riddled with stress related illness.
But, for now, and for the next little while, this is a great place to be.
So I guess what I would say is tough it out! Nursing is HARD, especially the first year. These feelings you have are so common among new nurses in their first year. Your friends might seem happier with their lower stress jobs, but you have an opportunity to go places you never imagined.
I believe you will quit before your year is up. I believe you may not even go back to nursing. I don't judge you. I don't think you've "blown it" nothing like that at all. Nursing isn't the only career in the world, and much of the college you've taken will transfer in one way or another to another degree if that's what you choose to do.
But take what RNsRWe had to say. And know that whatever you do for work, you will do it a lot, and that means work will always interfere with what you want to do. Lawyers, retail managers, accountants, engineers, salespeople, etc., all spend a lot of time at work. You will spend a lot of time at work in your life.
But nursing, if it's not in you, can be an apalling job. I hope the best for you and I appreciate you coming in here and being honest with yourself and the rest of us. Good luck.
I remember my 1st RN year. It was in a Skilled Nursing Unit in a Hospital. Then I did Med Surg for 12 years. Just recently I got a County job with great benefits in an Inpatient Mental Health Facility. Really, it's more fun than work. I have 6 patients, no wound care, IVs, or baths. It took a long time to find my niche, and you will find yours too if you just don't give up.
The other posts are correct about suggesting nights. :redbeathe please don't give up! You have worked too hard for your license. :redbeathe Find a mentor and manage your stress by doing fun, or nice things for yourself. You are worth it.
Specializes in trauma, ortho, burns, plastic surgery.
Hey girl, you have perfect right you need to enjoy your life and be happy. Nursing is ruff if you look at it ruff. Nursing is good, just you need to find your place. Let me to tell you some... if I will have again your age...OMG.... all world will be mine... friends new to discover, work places to be changed until you will find one JUST fitted for you, don't give up..TRY IT! You don't know what you like it if don't try it! Try many other position. Don't stuck in your mind I NEED TO STAY HERE! Go with ideea...if I will like it I will stay if not I will go...you have just 23 y old YOU COULD CHOOSE, if not NOW THAN WHEN???? LOOOOOOOL enjoy be happy, find your place!
femilydia
5 Posts
just follow your heart,and do what your heart tells you.