If you could do it all over again...would you still have went into nursing???
I'm in my late 20's, only been nursing for a few years and I'm totally burnt out!! I dont know if it's the patient's, the workload and stress of the job, my insane co-workers, or all of the above!!! More often than not, I feel overworked, underpaid, overstressed, and at times treated unfairly as their is a lot of favoritism on my work unit and if your not in the clique of the "can never do anything wrong, holier than thou nurses" they treat you like sh*t (excuse my language). I work 12hr shifts, and usually end up getting off of work about an hour or at least 45 min late, as we have to wait for the last nurse to finish report before we can leave....thats because we're a relatively small unit and there has to be RN's on the floor at all time, which makes sense, but taking 30min to give an end of shift report is ridiculous....with that being said I often get off of work late, and by the time I get home, shower and eat, my alarm is going off the next morning and I'm up doing it all over again! I AM SO TIRED! mentally and physically tired! I often ask myself why I went into nursing, and I answer myself, "because I love nursing and helping others", but not enough to lose my sanity or have a nervous breakdown over. Nursing school prepared me for everything except the "real world of nursing." I've tried applying for other jobs within and outside the hospital, but I never get so much as a call back and I think I may be getting black balled from leaving my current job! Sometimes I wish I would have went into physical or occupational therapy or even respiratory therapy...come in see your patient's and move on to the next one! I know your going to encounter difficulties in any job and that's just life, but I often questions myself...If I could do it all over again, would I honestly have chose nursing knowing what I know now??? All responses welcomed! :)
I've only been a working nurse for exactly 3 months, but I absolutely would do it over again. I can honestly say that I love what I do (especially when there's all kinds of chaos going on). I also know that being fortunate to work for a facility with supportive, similar-minded people is a very big factor in my contentment, as well as the fact that we do 8, not 12, hour shifts from which we consistently clock out from on time.
The things you described that are wearing you down would wear me down too. Perhaps you can parlay all your years of bedside experience along another nursing avenue? I would definitely attempt that first before proceeding with a major career overhaul.
Good luck to you. I wish you much success in your pursuit of job satisfaction.
No. My personality has changed, and not for the better. I really often love my patients and wish them the best, sometimes wishing they would write us letters of updates on their condition. The reality is many are non-compliant, obese, alcoholics with yellow skin, and drug addicts who crashed their vehicles into trees. Then management thinks you should work those 12 hour shifts with over the limit of patients you can reasonably take care of, and Sally super kiss butt nurse tries to make you look like an idiot because you're overwhelmed. Sad to say I could go on and on....
It's a good thing that you recognize that you are on the brink of burnout. Now, you can do something about it. I was pretty lucky I guess, that I was hired into a new grad RN program in which I was able to float in tele, med-surg & psych before choosing a dept I would like to apply to. I knew already though that I wanted to work in the ER so after 3 months of tele, I applied. I worked in the ER for a few years. However, I quickly got myself in a very similar situation as you. I still consider myself as a newbie. I can handle the patient load, it's the politics that I can't deal with. I resigned just a few days ago. I don't have any jobs lined up and I'm enjoying taking a breather. Sometimes, the healer gets wounded too right? I guess to answer your original question, I wouldn't really change my decision in going into nursing. Though I missed out on many college parties (since I stayed in my hometown and went with the ADN route), I don't really regret it much. I have no debt and I met my honey through the same nursing program. This is silly but here's a nursing care plan I made for myself:
Nursing dx: At risk for emotional & physical burnout
Nursing intvn: Resigned from clinical nurse position; taking a long guilt free vacation for 6 months; returning to school- pursue a MSN
Outcome: the workplace might still be the same but I will be a better me
No way. I would definitely not do it again. I feel like it is a daily lose-lose situation. Struggling to help your patients without the appropriate equipment or staff, management breathing down your neck to discharge faster so you can take the next new admit, worrying about customer satisfaction, dealing with nasty doctors and coworkers, sleep deprivation, no breaks/lunches, working holidays/weekends/nights, noncompliant patients, demanding family members, demanding ancillary departments, and on and on....
I envy those of you who have found jobs in this field that you like. I've been at it for years and haven't found my niche. Hindsight tells me I chose the wrong career.
1st.........BIG kudos to Zookeeper3, you said a (truthful) mouthful. Now, back to the original post........maybe you need a change of scenery. I've been in nursing for close to 30 years and while, yes, for the most part, most jobs out there suck, I've had some awesome ones too. you just have to find your niche.
Have you considered home health? I know with gas prices high it's not the best but it is a WONDERFUL experience where you can get to know and treat your patients and still have a family life.
Depending on your interest, there are so many options for you to try out, look somewhere else and keep looking, it will fall in your lap. And when you're out there looking, don't let the new places call your current employer so your current employer can't "black ball" you :)
I wish I were a teacher - specifically to teach people how to get the most out of their computer, troubleshoot a program such as iMovie, learn to do their photos and make stunning calendars, movies, books, etc. :) I would also like to be writer. I want to write a novel.
But alas, I am an RN being abused, treated with indifference, and set up to make mistakes and made to take the fall when they happen. I am daily criticized any time the case managers at the agency I work for call me. They never have something nice to say. If they don't say anything to me, it means I am doing a good job for them. They definitely do not want to be nice to me.
There are three possibilities at my agency - private duty cases that go for 8-12 hours, singular visits or working at the public school monitoring a few children. You walk into a private duty case and if the family doesn't like you, you are fired without warning. The case may end for other reasons as well such as insurance problems or death, etc. That means no work until another private duty case comes available. This means no job security. One week you can be working and everything going well and the next week, you don't have a paycheck. Or worse, you have to do fill-in for the regulars at another private duty case. I can't tell you how difficult that is. There is never a plan of care except what a case manager puts in the file once every 60 days. The CM knows NOTHING about the client. The POC, imvho, is a piece of c....p. They don't tell you anything about the client and so you are put in the position of being made to feel like an idiot in front of the client. After all, you should have known this or that. Singular visits are nice. They pay really well except no allowance for gas. The objective is to get in and out of there in no more than an hour. Never happens. These too are sporadic without any security. I have NEVER had an orientation to equipment, protocols or anything in this agency. Just criticism when I don't do it according to the protocols. But see, I am going by my own protocols that do not often line up with the agency's protocols.
Then there is school nursing, which is what I have been doing just because it is steady work. The case manager that oversees this assured me that I would get to work some singular visits to make up for the difference. Unfortunately, I made a medication error during the time they threw all these cases at me during New Years and so no more calls for those. I had nobody to call to ask so it was another set up for failure. IOW, if you are in the hospital and have a question about an order or instruction, you walk out in the hallway and you can typically confer with the nurse in charge. If you aren't sure about a piece of equipment, the same thing holds true. At the very least, you can call the nurse administrator and ask or a doctor on call. In the home, especially on a holiday, there is nobody.
Both the PCG (a medical professional) and myself read the order a particular way which was wrong because the real order had no dosage or route. In the actual order, the word "till" was spelled "til" and I read "tid." Only in the language of the text message is till spelled that way. I gave the med 3 times a day for a day until I realized my mistake. I was up front about it. The PCG and the doctor at the end of the day said I did a great job. The agency is mad.
The pay presently is $15/hour for the school, $16.50 for LPN wages when they deem that an LPN could do the same thing, $18/hour for an RN. I am not joking. Unlike yourself, I can't get a job in the hospital. They won't hire me because I didn't work for 18 years. I have ten years of experience, which is as though I never worked a day in my life. I am certified in both ACLS and NRP, which cost me a bundle of money out of my meager salary. I did that because many of the pediatric ads said I needed those. But no, they never call me back. One hospital in my large metropolitan area has a monopoly on the hospitals in the area and they are refusing to hire me.
I don't know if anyone will read this, but I am so upset with how things have worked out. I can't make ends meet on this salary and I am being forced to take this abuse because I haven't got any leverage in the system. In May, I will have worked one year. I am hoping this will get me a better job. I wanted to tell you this because you think the grass is greener somewhere else. I admit that my job lacks any real stress. In fact, it is downright boring. There is nothing to do. I am in a clinic shared with the folks that run the clinic. I monitor my 4 children a few times a day and am available for them. Get this though. If my child needs a Motrin, I can't give it. Only the clinic staff can give it - in particular the medical assistant who has less of a degree than a CNA. Don't get me wrong. She is a delight to work with. I am just saying that this is the reality of the situation. I am made to sit in my little seat most of the day and do nothing. I can't answer the phone even. I see my 4 children a few times a day to ensure that everything is going well and that is it.
I hope that helps you. The legalities of this field have ruined it. I care about people but I can't anymore. I want to be a teacher.
caring for people is our job, we can do that where-ever and when ever. you unfortunately will find that the facility you work for is the very cause of what disables you to provide basic quality care, as does every single one out there. i'm sorry to say that you are very naive in your thoughts, moving from facility to facility does not fix any issue and it's not a "job". when you become one of us, and work as a nurse with all the restraints preventing us from nursing is when you can give advice. i politely caution you to understand your lack of understanding and not give advice to us who live, work and actually do this.you don't have the appropriate frame of reference to advise "us" or me here. i don't need to move or change anything,the issues are more than you can fathom at this point.
respectfully from a nurse that really does this each day.
it would have been very possible to state your opinion without belittling "aggie2012". why was it necessary to attack her? she is entitled to her opinion, even if you don't agree with it. there was nothing polite or respectful about your post. new nurses should be welcomed into nursing, not attacked. new nurses = more staff
caring for people is our job, we can do that where-ever and when ever. you unfortunately will find that the facility you work for is the very cause of what disables you to provide basic quality care, as does every single one out there. i'm sorry to say that you are very naive in your thoughts, moving from facility to facility does not fix any issue and it's not a "job". when you become one of us, and work as a nurse with all the restraints preventing us from nursing is when you can give advice. i politely caution you to understand your lack of understanding and not give advice to us who live, work and actually do this.you don't have the appropriate frame of reference to advise "us" or me here. i don't need to move or change anything,the issues are more than you can fathom at this point.
respectfully from a nurse that really does this each day.
reminds me.....................of me:p, when i wrote the "nurse vs. not nurse" thread.
i was very angry when i started that thread. took a long break from the site after posting it. went back and read it. didn't disagree with the concept, just the delivery.
hey i'm a 22 year male recent BS grade with the option to go to PT school or accelerated nursing. I have a passion for medicine but I don't want to go to medical school so I thought I would enjoy being a NP or nurse anesthetist. I see the poster is only in their late 20's and I was wonder if the burn out is really that bad? Also I don't like the stigma guys get from women for being a nurse. I want to do it to become a medical missionary and there are so many women who believe nursing is only for females... that guys can't be compassionate which I truly don't believe. So what would you choose for my situation, Nursing and then going to NP, or PT school?
I think I would have to disagree with any nurse, male or female, that thinks nursing is just for women. I think the idea of male nurses is GREAT! And I have to say, I have never met a male nurse lacking compassion. Ever. In fact, I've seen way more female nurses without it, and a bad attitude to boot (whatever the reasons may be, whether justified or not)!!
I think your passion for helping people will carry you very far, and you can do anything you put your mind to doing.
The original poster said that nursing school taught her everything except the "real world of nursing"....Unfortunately, that is the scope of nursing school, because the school is not in "the real world". It can can only simulate "real world" experiences in an attempt to show you the "real" side of nursing while at the same time guiding you around because you are still only a student. From which you must take what you can and be proactive to gain the best learning experience possible. All this you already know as a recent grad. But the question about experiencing advanced nursing, or moving on to be a NP or PT is kinda like a Catch22....On the one hand you could start out with nursing to gain experience, which will be very valuable if/when you advance your degree for NP or PT...On the other hand, if you go ahead and keep going to school for your NP/PT, then you could have all your schooling done in one long shot. In the first situation you gain valuable experience you will need to be a NP, but you risk not wanting to or being able to go back to school for the higher degree in a few years, and are susceptible to burn out from nursing, like so many young RN's on here, before you even get to do what you really want to do. ((OR you could not have that problem at all; you could take a few yrs of nursing, then take that experience with you on your journey to the NP/PT)) In the second situation you go ahead for the NP/PT, and you finish your schooling in one fell swoop, unless you just wanted to keep going to school afterwards for other certifications/degrees/life enhancements. But you might miss out on other things that you wanted to do in life because you have spent so many years in school, or you miss out on valuable work experience that would aid you in getting this degree. ((OR you may not have any trouble at all; you could get your NP without needing the working experience and then keep going, all the while not missing out on anything and then wind up feeling fulfilled and satisfied))
Your decision would have to be made based on what you wanted out of life. Sit down and make a list of the MOST important things to you, not just for the "right now" but also for the "maybe one day". Some people plan for the destination, and some plan for the journey. I say plan for both, because you always need to know where you are going and how you are going to get there. ;-)
Specializes in Med./Surg., Diabetes, Med. ICU, home hea.
If I had it to do over again, yes, I would still go into nursing, but I would direct my career SO much differently. Instead of burning myself out early through extra shifts, registry work, night shifts, I would continue on in my education to at LEAST a master's degree, specialize in one field and likely go into nursing education for, hopefully, a large facility.
Jumping around every few years from specialty to specialty, spending too much time out of a clinical environment has spelled disaster for my nursing career.
Nursing will continue to evolve and change. I read a lot about "quality of care" in these posts; one must realize that true "quality" of anything costs money, decreased profits. PERCIEVED quality is what makes facilities/companies money. As nurse practicioners become more prevalent, general/family practice/pediatric physicians take on more of a managerial and consultant role, "medication technicians" and others will emerge as primary care givers and RN's will take on the role of supervisors of them. This will bode well for administration and profits, but will become the "standard of care." Cost containment will be the key in health care VERY soon and the RN as the primary "hands on" caregiver will go the way of the dinosaur in many settings.
I am really surprised at this advice. Zookeeper, have you had more than one job? Ever? Why did you move from your previous job? People move jobs for a variety of reasons, such as better pay, better advancement opportunities, and better working environments. Respectfully, I think it is you that is naive in your thinking.
Thank you so much for such great food for thought. I was looking at this as a one sided... "If I just leave, it will all go away"... not naive, just a different perspective, or lack of reading through the post. IMHO, far too many nurses think the grass is greener, without realizing that this is what nursing is... the good the bad and the ugly. Does that make sense?
I've had 4 jobs over the last 16 years, but never left one because of nursing issues... they were advancement and relocation as you've suggested. Possible because I've stuck it out through many, many bad situations and have had mixed results I've learned that leaving isn't always the answer.
You've given me polite food for thought as it may very well apply to others... thanks nursing buddy!
I would but I would've went straight from my BSN to a Masters and would look to teach or get into management. Though I'm not an 8-5 M-Fri person, the 12 hour shifts etc. have taken, for me at least, a lot of the fun out of nursing. I don't mind working hard but the 12 hour shifts coupled with the level of care patients demand these days leads to burn out and potential mistakes - even in the most conscientious nurse.
Never happens. These too are sporadic without any security. I have NEVER had an orientation to equipment, protocols or anything in this agency. Just criticism when I don't do it according to the protocols. But see, I am going by my own protocols that do not often line up with the agency's protocols.
whodatnurse
444 Posts
I've only been a working nurse for exactly 3 months, but I absolutely would do it over again. I can honestly say that I love what I do (especially when there's all kinds of chaos going on). I also know that being fortunate to work for a facility with supportive, similar-minded people is a very big factor in my contentment, as well as the fact that we do 8, not 12, hour shifts from which we consistently clock out from on time.
The things you described that are wearing you down would wear me down too. Perhaps you can parlay all your years of bedside experience along another nursing avenue? I would definitely attempt that first before proceeding with a major career overhaul.
Good luck to you. I wish you much success in your pursuit of job satisfaction.