Published Jul 31, 2021
jj16, BSN
40 Posts
I work at a BUSY IMCU in a major city/level 1 trauma center for 1 year and have already begun to experience burnout. I am a newish grad, but a second career nurse. My initial goal was ICU, but I’m now at the point where I just don’t know if I want that kind or stress. My floor is a revolving door of nurses, so I know this is likely a common feeling. I would like to plan to move within the next 6 months to 1 year but honestly do not know where I would like to go. What I love about my job - complexity of the patients, dealing with multiple comorbidities, figuring out what’s going on, caring for the families when they’re scared - I know many people hate this but I LOVE it. What I hate - feeling like I am overwhelmed by how sick my 3 patients are and that I’m going to miss something because I just don’t have enough time to fully know everything about them - honestly the 13 hours at work - I am so exhausted that I have nothing left for my kids on my days off. I have been thinking that a PACU, hospice nurse, cath lab might be a good spot for me but I don’t know how to get from here to there. I guess I’m just looking for general advice or thoughts on types of bedside nursing that are a bit more sustainable and how to get there.