I had enough in the nursing field. With the economy being the way it is, it's very difficult to find a hospital/med surge position without any hospital experience. Sooo I worked at a nursing home for 2 and a half years. The first place I worked at was a LTC facility scheduled the graveyard shift. Got tired of that and bid on a daylight position at another facility since I had a difficult time finding daylight hours at the facility I was at. So this "facility" was in the city and in one of the worst neighborhoods(high crime) but that was alright by me, I grew up in a similar area. Well the establishment was horrid, I won't go into detail. I can take a lot of crap but I wouldn't even know where to start. Quit there... moving forward(making this short). Got a job at a Catholic facility, worked there for 3 months and got fired because I was told to speed up on my med pass since there was no secretary...I told the supervisor I am trying my best...she was well aware that we were short on aids ALSO(and secretart(. So, again she said you need to speed up. I had frequent fallers, screemers, it was a hell beyond hell night I was running literally with a bladder full and had it. I told her if you don't like the speed I'm going and the help I'm giving this poor CNA which should have at LEAST one more down this hall, fire me. Well they did. I got a job today at TGI Fridays, back to waiting tables. I can get insurance from my husband...and made good money as a server in the past and was MUCH happier. I'm SICK of being miserable and forcing every part of my being to go to work in those places. It sucked the life out of me, I CHOOSE not to live my life that way. Forget the idea of having a prestigious position as an RN, most of my coworkers were unhappy and miserable. I give those of you credit who stick it out with and I mean with a fair positive attitude. I've been looking for a job for the past few months and nothing. I'm done. Maybe I'll go back in the future when the working conditions improve. When I went into the restaurant to the interview I felt a sense of peace knowing that if I don't want to, I never have to go back :) BYE nursing industry, most of the administration topped with the laziness of many of these places sicken me. Feels good to say PEACE. Much love and luck to all of you. I hope your not miserable and just fake it to maintain your status as an RN...if your unhappy, get out. Life's too short to be miserable over a piece of crap job(the places are a piece of crap). PERIOD.
Just a thought to pass on. Have you ever signed up for an agency or 2. In that you can find out what hospitals they go into. Pick and choose and give then what shift. Even if you did not work 4/5 times per mo. You would still get in the hospital. I don't know where you live or circumstances in your area but could be a possible solution. Carry your waitress with nursing PRN
I did this once too. We moved to a new town and I had been out of nursing for about eight years being a SAHM and couldn't find a job in nursing anywhere, so I took a job in a well-known outdoors outfitter retail mega store that happens to be in the town where we live. I thought it would be so cool, going to work and not having someone's life in my hands, not having to deal with too many patients and not enough me, with crabby, burned out co-workers, etc., etc. What I found was that, not only was I making a fraction of what I would make as an RN (I thought I wouldn't mind, but it really does make you crazy when you sit there and think about what you used to make to expend the same amount of energy and give up the same amount of time), but I was also dealing with...too much to do, crabby, burned out co-workers...etc., etc. and customers who don't respect you because they assume that you have little or no education or ambition because you are working at a low paying retail job and you aren't 20 years old. So many times I felt like screaming to my boss and the customers, "I'm NOT stupid! I chose to work here but I have an education and I'm a licensed RN! Please don't talk down to me!" I think the last straw was when I had a 60 year old woman threaten me in a very menacing way that she would "make sure I got fired" if I ended up getting any of her hours because she had been there for ten years, blah, blah, blah. Who needs that crap for $8/hour? I'm sure waiting tables at TGIFridays with the tips and all pays better than that, I'm just saying that this was my experience. I hate to make generalizations, but a lot of the time, people in these kind of jobs (I'm not talking about young kids going to college who need a job on the side, but "lifers" in their 30s and older) are very rough and can be quite nasty.
Nursing isn't for everyone, I will agree, but for me, I think it took taking a lower paying job outside of nursing again to appreciate what I had in nursing. Ditto the PP who said they would have given up if they were working LTC too, I did that and hated it. I loved the residents, but the work load and liability was unreal.
Good luck to you, and not to beat a dead horse, but do follow the advice of the others here and at least keep up your license. You never know how you may feel even a few months from now, and you did work hard for that license.
Specializes in Ambulatory Surgery, Ophthalmology, Tele.
Crystalclear, it sounds like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders and I am very happy for you. I worked at an HMO medical clinic when I was 19 (twentry years ago) and it was then that I first saw people grumbling about their jobs. I told myself I would never be a grumbler and thought "if you don't like what you do, change it, do something else, change your surroundings." Then when I was grumbling last year I realized that is easier said than done. We get used to that paycheck, there is fear of the unknown (trying a different area of nursing new to you), get stuck in a rut. I applaud you because it takes courage to finally take that step and do something about it. I wish the best for you. My daughter works at Red Lobster and she makes great tips and they have a wonderful benefits plan. Good luck to you in the future. I always think that things happen for a reason. Wishing that this is a time of rest for you and hopefully that perfect fit nursing job is out there. I know you will work hard in whatever you do. (You sound like a fighter and won' t give up ) Check out the breakroom area of this site too. If you haven't been there it is a nice place to talk ( and joke) about other stuff ( not just nursing). And I am curious. I bet you will assess your customers sometimes like patients. Have you ever done that? Hope to see you around. And thanks for sharing. :) (Sorry for the lack of spacing/paragraphs. Dumb smart phone.) One more thing, what is a SAHM to those who have been one? Just woke up and the brain is not computing.
It some states you must work or cannot keep a license. Even if you can it would be difficult to walz back in after a couple of years away. I left nursing and will not return to it. I know that if I wanted to I would NEED a refresher course. I would not be safe without it. Not worth the money or investment for me.
One of the reasons a good friend left bedside nursing and went to an outpatient surgery center. Regular 8-5 hours for the most part - 2 days a week for her and she still got benefits. No holidays. No weekends.
LTC is hard - my own mom is in a lockdown Alzheimers/Dementia unit and I usually spend at least 3-4 hours with her when I get the chance to visit. These folks are high acuity . . . I have to give the CNA's, nurses, activities folks credit and it looks like they are well-staffed.
I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience and wish you some peace for awhile at your low-stress job.
Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
... BYE nursing industry...
It is a shame and it breaks my heart that nursing is losing such good people (I can tell that you are by what it was that hurt you about it...) - That's just it, it's not just "us" that have too big a job description but also those who are supposed to work "for" us, how can we leave THEM in the lurch TOO! (yes, this was in LTC)
I am really sad for you and also for the profession. Glad you do have other choices!! There must be something that can be done differently
well maybe if management and corporation( cause that's what it truly is) weren't such jerks, maybe we all wouldnt grumble. Yes some jobs suck yes some jobs have less than desirable coworkers, but the factor is that we are legally liable for crap that we have NO CONTROL over. Might as well walk around with a "sue me now" sign on. Sure there's insurance- but some of us have a conscience. Piece of mind- or is it Peace of mind , lol,is sometimes priceless. Good luck op-I wish i were in your shoes.
You are so brave! I wish i could quit nursing. I have been an RN for 5 yrs now and I have worked in dialysis and home health. I have anxiety anyway, but it is way worse since becoming a nurse. Within 2 yrs of nursing, I had to be placed on antianxiety meds and a antihypertensive. When I left that particular job, I came off of the b/p med. I stayed on the antianxiety/antidepressant until I planned a pregnancy and had to stop. I am still not able to take d/t breastfeeding. I must say, even when medicated...I dont like nursing. I became a nurse to do the right thing, help people...I feel nursing and the medical field is a joke. The area is only money driven, you are overworked and they try to mess you over any chance they get. Like paying you salary and working you 60 hrs a week or overloading you with patients then barking at you for being behind. Let's not forget that you spend more times trying to "cya" and triple document everything instead of actually caring for patients. I know all jobs have sucky bosses and everywhere you go no matter what you do, there will be issues...good and bad things to deal with...but I am sick of nursing. I am burnt out but I have children and one has a disability. I have to provide the insurance for my daughter's numerous dr appts and outrageously expensive meds. That doesnt even include the other two children's medical expenses. This has also been an issue for me...I am a nurse. I work with nurses and dr's, yet no one cares that I have children or that my child has a disability and I have to take her to appt's. I have to find another area of nursing that is less stressfull!!! I cannot handle any more stress. I have recently begun to have anxiety attacks again and I cannot medicate d/t breastfeeding. I feel stuck and do not know what to do. My husband is very supportive and helps with as much as he can, but he runs a business for his employer and is also recently trying to simultaneously open his own business on the side. We live in a small town and I dont think there are many other options other than nursing homes (dont want to ruin my back), hospitals with 12 hr shifts (wont see my kids on those days). All the dr office and school nurse jobs are taken. You pretty much have to know someone to get into those jobs although I'm not sure they are better. A lot of those dr office nurses are beasts and I hate dealing with them! Anyway...I am struggling and I keep praying for guidance. I dont know what else to do. Good luck. I hope you find your path.
Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.
first of all, i'm sorry you had such a negative experience in my beloved nursing. however, i'm glad you found a second career to fall back on. unquestionably, as i think of it ltc is not cut out for everyone, it can be physically and mentally demanding on a individual. therefore, this is the reason i bow to those who have made a career at any ltc facility. lastly, it would be wise to keep your license up to date, since you worked so hard for it...just saying. wishing you the very best in all of your future endeavors...aloha~
) Check out the breakroom area of this site too. If you haven't been there it is a nice place to talk ( and joke) about other stuff ( not just nursing). And I am curious. 
I bet you will assess your customers sometimes like patients. Have you ever done that? 
Hope to see you around. And thanks for sharing. :) (Sorry for the lack of spacing/paragraphs. Dumb smart phone.) One more thing, what is a SAHM to those who have been one? Just woke up and the brain is not computing.
Dafabb, LPN
123 Posts
Just a thought to pass on. Have you ever signed up for an agency or 2. In that you can find out what hospitals they go into. Pick and choose and give then what shift. Even if you did not work 4/5 times per mo. You would still get in the hospital. I don't know where you live or circumstances in your area but could be a possible solution. Carry your waitress with nursing PRN