I am my own worst enemy

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I am crap career nurse. To me, nursing was a way to get by, to work a bit, then travel a lot, work some more, then ski for a winter. Nursing helped me have fun, but I paid nothing back to it, or myself. I was an immature nurse, never thinking of the future, never planning, or furthering my own career. And now, after more than 20yrs of nursing, I'm a school nurse - please no offence to school nurses. But I went to a DOD school nurse conference in austria a couple of years ago, DOD (I think that's right) is the american defence military bases around europe. They have families living on base, and hence schools and school nurses. Out of 100 nurses, I was the only male.

The nurses were lovely, but not only was I the only male, I was the youngest person there. What have I done to my career.

I mean, I do enjoy my job, and I enjoy working with kids, although the military guys at the conference did have a bit of a chuckle at my predicament, but in a nice way, not a mean way.

I never planned on being a school nurse, but it's a job and it pays the bills. Has anyone else's career turned stagnant, and just a means to pay the bills?

I never did all the things I wanted to do, but then again, do any of us? If was put in an emergency room now, I'd be good with the minor injuries, but for the serious stuff, I'd be out of date with every single medical practice around.

I even looked at moving back to a hospital in England, but they wouldn't have me, and kept on saying I'd killed my career by spending so much time in school.

Anyway, no real point to this, just feeling a bit down.

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So. What's wrong with being a School Nurse, hmmm?

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

I don't see anything wrong with being a School Nurse why do think that you are not successful

Ps where are you from in England?

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Specializes in Telemetry.
So. What's wrong with being a School Nurse, hmmm?

Nothing - and you know as well as I do to consider the source.

You know I'm in awe of y'all dealing with the crap you do - especially as life seems to have gotten so much more stressful than when I was a child.

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

I am sorry to possibly sound a bit harsh but what exactly did you expect from your career, to begin with? Eternal happiness? Combination of perfect with more perfect?

99.99% of jobs, whatever people say, come to that: go there, do your job, pay the bills, have vacation, repeat as needed. No more, no less, and nothing even close to "perfect". You did not have to go 25 years of schooling to get where you are (my husband did, and so millions of others). You do not go to job every day dreading, crying, terrified of opening your mouth (I was there, as well as thousands of others). You do not have to worry too much about lawsuit for reason like "not being nice". You did not have to go through wonders of immigration to get where you are.

Your job gives you enough free time to pursue any hobby you like, to become role model for boys who may not have a man to look at as an example of successful life in their families. You kinda like what you do, as far as I can understand. You can pay your bills. So count your blessing and do not believe all these "feelin'GREAT!!!"s you hear all around, because quite a bit of them are lies, pure and simple. If you feel like you're stagnating, then maybe you are ready for your next step as MSN or whatever you soul desires more.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Bummer but my guess is its more about life in general, possibly your age, than nursing itself. I'm thinking Erikson? ;)

The great news about nursing in my experience is there are almost always opportunities to reinvent ourselves in this profession.

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So. What's wrong with being a School Nurse, hmmm?

Nothing really, it's just, well, I sometimes don't tell people what I do, especially groups of guys, and they can get a bit mocking. It doesn't normally bother me.

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Nothing really, it's just, well, I sometimes don't tell people what I do, especially groups of guys, and they can get a bit mocking. It doesn't normally bother me.

Well. At least you don't insert foleys.

I just took a second job to keep up my clinical skills.

This is your life and your choices. Just choose something else.

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I am sorry to possibly sound a bit harsh but what exactly did you expect from your career, to begin with? Eternal happiness? Combination of perfect with more perfect?

99.99% of jobs, whatever people say, come to that: go there, do your job, pay the bills, have vacation, repeat as needed. No more, no less, and nothing even close to "perfect". You did not have to go 25 years of schooling to get where you are (my husband did, and so millions of others). You do not go to job every day dreading, crying, terrified of opening your mouth (I was there, as well as thousands of others). You do not have to worry too much about lawsuit for reason like "not being nice". You did not have to go through wonders of immigration to get where you are.

Your job gives you enough free time to pursue any hobby you like, to become role model for boys who may not have a man to look at as an example of successful life in their families. You kinda like what you do, as far as I can understand. You can pay your bills. So count your blessing and do not believe all these "feelin'GREAT!!!"s you hear all around, because quite a bit of them are lies, pure and simple. If you feel like you're stagnating, then maybe you are ready for your next step as MSN or whatever you soul desires more.

Good luck!

You're right, and it's comments like these that remind me to appreciate what i have. I'm not starving, my family are with me, and we have a roof over our heads and our health.

Thanks

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I don't see anything wrong with being a School Nurse why do think that you are not successful

Ps where are you from in England?

Actually a New Zealand trained nurse, but used to temp in London for a number of years. St Thomas' was a regular place for me, among a number of others, although Newham in east london was another regular, especially as the ED was run by a bunch of kiwi and aussie temps - had a lot of fun.

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

Did you change even one kiddos day or life for the better? Then you have done more than many. Also, at age 50 plus I have stretched my skills and am making a small difference for people with a tough disease. You can too if you wish. And, picked nursing for practical reasons also, but occasionally it allows me to make a small difference and that is a nice benefit.

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Specializes in Telemetry.

Interesting. I've known a man or two who wanted to work Labor and Delivery simply because they enjoyed the experiences they had when there wives gave birth - even (or maybe because) things did not go as planned and newborns has to go to NICU. U

Instead he ended up in NICU and ultimately became a NNP. I think the fathers probably appreciate having a man take care of his tiny little one at such a scary time and be more willing and confident as he can (hopefully) increase his involvement his child's care. Perhaps seeing another man do it makes him think "Yeah, I can do this!"

I'm betting this nurse has no qualms about telling people what he does.

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