I'm posting a topic today to offer hope to those of you who may have been in my shoes at some point in time.
Little history: I decided to go into nursing through a second bachelor's degree program since my first liberal arts degree was not marketable in the economy after I graduated in 2008. So on I went to take prerequisites and I was accepted (to my surprise!). Throughout nursing school I was a straight A student and enjoyed my classes, even research and some of the harder clinical courses that most people complained about the entire semester. So with much hard work and soul searching through two years, I became a Registered Nurse. Well, on paper at least! I passed my board exams and was offered two jobs about two months after graduation. Mind you, I applied to over 100 jobs since my last semester. It was only after I had passed my board exams that I was actually considered for an interview and called back.
So I decide to take one of the jobs at a private acute care hospital in a medical surgical unit that also received step down ICU patients and fresh ER admissions. I was paid $21.45/hr and worked on average 14-15 hours for each 12 hour shift. This was not isolated to me because I was new. This was a widespread activity for every single one of the nurses on the floor. We were expected to complete the impossible and yet the stress was overwhelming and the liability issues mounting. I would cry before I walked into work hoping and praying that the day would not collapse for if I dare forget one detail my butt was on the line with the charge nurse and director. Example of this was extensive management oversight during the day to inspect and watch to see if all customer service components were completed during change of shift report. This would easily take 45 minutes to 1.5 hours to complete all the shift reports for two nurses to change shift. Anyway, I digress.
After working on day shift, I requested a change to night shift, something I had never done in my life, for hope that the stress would be less and the demands of the job more tolerable. BOY WAS I WRONG! The night shift was terrible and I suffered a lot of health problems from the shake it made in my body. So after three months of employment, unpaid overtime and harassment and discrimination from the patients, management, and other nurses I said goodbye.
That was the happiest most liberating day in my life. I am now a professional educator and teacher for science and mathematics. While every day is no where near perfect, the impact I make on other people is much more fulfilling and deep. I am not robot nurse. I actually help people and feel like I am part of a profession. Something, that nursing tried to eat off my bones from the day I stepped into that field.
All I can say is.... if you are truly unhappy with nursing and the mountain of things that are changing in the healthcare system you can either be part of the problem or part of the solution. I chose to leave it and despite the work and time I put into it, leaving was the best decision for me. There is NO SHAME in moving on from something toxic and unhealthy. There is NO SHAME in discovering other talents and dreams.
YOU ARE NOT STUCK IN NURSING.
Hope this helps someone out there. Best of luck to all of you who actually finished reading this monstrosity of a post! :)
