Maybe nursing's NOT for me? :( Suggestions/Advice?

[NewYorkGirl]

I'm so confused and lost....

I graduate this May with my BSN. I was an EMT for 4 years before I started nursing school, and I enjoyed that... I thought I would want to be an ER nurse.

After going through all my nursing rotations, I realized that I get grossed out really easily. Like, if I have to bathe a patient, change a diaper, give an enema, suction a trach, or give a tube feeding I get physically sick to my stomach...

So med/surg was a miserable time for me... and I think ER nursing would end up being the same way for me...

I thought I would like psych nursing instead, so I worked as a mental health worker at a psych hospital, but after getting violently attacked on the job by a patient who escalated out of nowhere I felt so unsafe I had to quit.

I did a Labor and Delivery preceptorship...but I still got queasy (though I love babies).

Now what? I'm starting to think I just wasted 5 years of my life on a career that I can't do...

Has ANYONE dealt with this and gotten over it and been happy in their career? Any advice on types of nursing I might be okay with?

I'm so upset and worried

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

What is informatics?

....

and what's informatics? :nuke:

Computer stuff.

[NewYorkGirl]

Rehab nursing is extremely rewarding (you see progress for the most part)and considerably more pleasant!

What does rehab nursing involve generally?

[Altra, BSN, RN]

There's a niche for everyone, whether it's in nursing or another field. I hope you find what makes you feel fulfilled.

However, I'm just astounded at your sudden inability to cope with some of the physical realities of nursing. The variety of clinical experiences in nursing school give you a valuable window into what it's like to work in certain areas. Surely all your calls as an EMT were not for freshly sustained injuries -- surely you also went into the homes of elderly and others who are unable to care for themselves and found them caked with feces and urine. Not everyday, but those calls are just about as par for the course in EMS as are MVAs. When you transported these patients to the ER, did it occur to you that as an ER nurse you would care for them there?

There are a variety of non-clinical nursing positions out there. It sounds like it's time for you to seek out one of these.

[NewYorkGirl]

Surely all your calls as an EMT were not for freshly sustained injuries --

I spent most of my time as an EMT as a horse show medic in California- which basically means I went to all of the local equestrian shows and helped people when they fell off the horse (which involved some gruesome injuries but all fresh) or if they got hurt or sick at the show. The rest of the time I worked in a first aid tent at the Orange County Marketplace, where people would come in with low blood sugar, bee stings, or a fresh scrape from the asphalt. Sometimes I worked in an "on call" ambulance at horse races, where we'd drive onto the track when someone was thrown.

I kinda wish I could still do that but I've moved to NY (from California) and I don't know the horse crowd here, plus the pay was HORRIBLE (EMTs make like $10/hr).

I really do WANT to be a nurse, I just don't know if I CAN, and I feel horrible about it

[NewYorkGirl]

There are a variety of non-clinical nursing positions out there. It sounds like it's time for you to seek out one of these.

Can you give some examples? How would I go about finding these positions? Would they hire a new grad? Thanks!

[KLKRN, RN]

Blood bank, telephone triage, school nursing, prison nursing, occupational health, case management, insurance companies.....

[4fill]

If you have been a health care provider for 4 years is it possible you are already burned out? (A combination of school, working and life)

Nursing scenarios and EMT scenarios are different. In addition to the emergencies nurses deal a lot with just activities of daily living. The relationship of nurse to patient can be over an extended period.

If, as advertised, the response time for an EMT is 5 - 10 minutes then you patient involvement may not be more than an hour at a time. ER Sound the most reasonable, especially as a radio nurse.

No knowledge is a waste! Since you were a paramedic for 4 years and soon you will be a nurse with 4 years field experience, why not consider teaching paramedics?

[Altra, BSN, RN]

If you have been a health care provider for 4 years is it possible you are already burned out? (A combination of school, working and life)

Nursing scenarios and EMT scenarios are different. In addition to the emergencies nurses deal a lot with just activities of daily living. The relationship of nurse to patient can be over an extended period.

If, as advertised, the response time for an EMT is 5 - 10 minutes then you patient involvement may not be more than an hour at a time. ER Sound the most reasonable, especially as a radio nurse.

No knowledge is a waste! Since you were a paramedic for 4 years and soon you will be a nurse with 4 years field experience, why not consider teaching paramedics?

OP details her EMT (not paramedic) experience in her post. It's possible she could be an EMT instructor if her EMT certification is still valid.

Not sure what you mean by an ER "radio" nurse.

I spent most of my time as an EMT as a horse show medic in California- which basically means I went to all of the local equestrian shows and helped people when they fell off the horse (which involved some gruesome injuries but all fresh) or if they got hurt or sick at the show. The rest of the time I worked in a first aid tent at the Orange County Marketplace, where people would come in with low blood sugar, bee stings, or a fresh scrape from the asphalt. Sometimes I worked in an "on call" ambulance at horse races, where we'd drive onto the track when someone was thrown.

OP, I just re-read your post and realized that I mistakenly thought you had graduated last May and were working as an RN on a med-surg unit. Oops.

I agree with other posters who strongly encouraged you to tough it out and get at least a year of good, solid clinical experience. That, combined with your BSN, should open some doors for you in non-clinical areas.

I came into nursing with zero health care or clinical experience. My early clinicals were the first time I had seen an adult person naked other than an intimate partner or close friend. Lots of sights and sounds and smells were shocking. But it quickly became a non-issue. And I ended up thriving in the ER, which can be sensory overload even for some experienced nurses.

No education is ever wasted. Allow yourself to take your best shot at this.

[jjjoy, LPN]

Have you had any ER experience as a student yet? That still may work for you, especially if you can find work at a large teaching hospital or trauma center or children's hospital. And once you get some experience there, you could then look for work similar to what you were doing as an EMT - medical care at special events. School nursing might appeal to you as well - though most folks do still encourage a few years of acute pediatric experience. But you might find working with sick kids to be more tolerable. Plus, their parents are often there and can help with their child's care. Have you had a pediatric rotation yet? Is there a children's hospital in your area?

[NewYorkGirl]

But you might find working with sick kids to be more tolerable. Plus, their parents are often there and can help with their child's care. Have you had a pediatric rotation yet? Is there a children's hospital in your area?

I'm all done with my peds rotation (since I graduate in May, all that's left is community health nursing)... I had a hard time dealing (emotionally) with the sick kids and I felt like the "bad guy" every time I had to walk into a room with a needle! So peds and NICU are out... I enjoyed school nursing when I did a short rotation last semester but I don't think I could put up with all the politics involved...

I think you're right though, that I need to stick it out and find something in patient care that I can do since this will hopefully open up other doors for me...

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

I didn't read all these, but I think OR nursing would be just right for you.

Sadly, being around sick people and all those bodily fluids depresses me totally so (I worked for 11 years as a unit secretary then became a nurse and wanted nothing to do with the environment as a nurse).

You are not alone.

I am loving workking in research, and i enjoyed being an Ob/Gyn office nurse for 10 years.

You will find something.

[HealthyRN]

This is just a thought, but do you think that you could be psyching yourself out a little? I know that you really do have the feelings of nausea and not feeling well when in these situations, but are you then dreading it happening again that it makes it much worse than it really is?

In regards to your last post and debating the different specialties, there is never going to be a "perfect" job. If you are waiting for one to pop up, you are going to be waiting a long time. There are drawbacks to every job. In nursing, there are going to be a lot of situations that you feel uncomfortable in, but it does get easier with time. Once you do get some type of clinical experience, many opportunities outside of bedside nursing will arise. Don't feel bad about not enjoying patient care. I certaintly don't, but I am now very happy in my non-clinical role.