I'm starting to feel like I'm done

[TheOldestNurseOnUnit]

Night shift; 7 very heavy, very needy and certifiably nutso patients; RNs who don't think anything about leaving their work unfinished (and then "forget" to tell me this in report); bed alarms; pump alarms; continuous pulse ox alarms; not having the necessary meds in the med room; cleaning up the med room from the last shift; cleaning up all the garbage in the nurses' alcoves from the previous 2 shifts; night after night after night after night.....crabby; tired; dreading going into work nearly every night.....new grandbaby at home with me; just tired tired tired and venting. My anal-retentive/OCD/do it right the first time for the love of God self is driving me crazy. Thinking that after all these years I'm not cut out for nursing anymore. Tired of the politics; the backstabbing; and lazy people and I'm starting to get mean.......feels like I'm losing my compassion and empathy and becoming more and more cynical.......venting venting VENTING! Thank you for this opportunity to put into writing what I can't verbally express to many people.......but like the title says, I really feel like I'm just about done........

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Thank you for this opportunity to put into writing what I can't verbally express to many people.......but like the title says, I really feel like I'm just about done........

I hear you. Sometimes, when my shift ends, I find myself devilishly wishing for a job that would enable me to avoid patient contact for the rest of my career.

Burnout can happen to the very best of those in our ranks. Rest assured you can come here if you need a place to safely vent and release the built-up mental steam. Good luck to you.

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

Maybe a change of scenery?

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Consider contacting your Employee Assistance Program for resources on burnout.

When was the last time you took vacation or extended leave. Sometimes just 2 weeks off is necessary --- FMLA can be used if physician ordered to as part of mental health need with only FMLA HR coordinator seeing FMLA paperwork.

Networking with other nurses by attending specialty association meetings and national conventions has always helped to recharge my nursing batteries.

[ScrubADub12]

Have you considered a different area of nursing, I left the bedside about 2 1/2 years ago to work in Healthcare Informatics and I do not have any patient contact.

[TheOldestNurseOnUnit]

I was off last week...a "staycation" which means I worked on the house.....I really might need to get away sometime soon.......like on a beach under an umbrella being served strawberry margaritas.....

[TheOldestNurseOnUnit]

I was on "staycation" last week...worked on the house; doctor/dental appointments. Haven't physically been on a vacation since 2004. Maybe I need a beach somewhere....oops...didn't mean to duplicate a response! Sorry about that!

[TheOldestNurseOnUnit]

How funny you should post this...I was looking on my facility's website and there was a brand-new job posting for a Infomatics Nurse which I have done (in a smaller capacity) in the past so I applied for it!

[NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN]

Yeah I agree new job. Your ocd behavior would do well in ICU.

[livtek]

I work for an Insurance company and I love it, I will never go back to bedside and I do not miss patient contact at all. My income increased and my stress decreases. plus, I work from home. I truly, enjoy nursing now.

Leave bedside.

[laurellestars]

I can kind of relate. I'm in nursing school right now and I'm not liking the bedside aspect of nursing at all. Sometimes it's nice, but at other times it's very stressful and some nurses don't know much about their patients and then give terrible reports and are unpleasant.

Maybe go into another area of nursing? Like outpatient management or public health? Maybe become an NP? My critical care instructor went back to school in her 60's to get her BSN and then her masters, its never too late to change and find your happy place!

Good luck!

[newbie99]

Vent away hunny because I can totally relate to this. STORY OF MY LIFE I swear haha! Clearly it is no easy task to clean up after everyone else's mess and restock the supply that everyone else turned the blind eye to by their own choice however, they're the ones who are losing their compassion and empathy NOT YOU! Continue to stand by your do it right the first time attitude because at the end of your shift you know that you did right by you and your patients. AND that if you were not restocking the supply one or a few of your patients might go without during that shift because co-workers chose to not go and get it.