Moving On

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Im not trying to gain any sympathy, I guess im just venting my frustrations. As a male nurse I have decided that nursing is just not for me and that it is time to move on. It's sad that I just graduated a little over a year ago and worked for a while in a nursing home and then for a while in the OR of a large hospital and hated every minute of it, I hated nursing period once I started working. I found nothing to like or love about it and went to work miserable and depressed every single day. I found it getting worse and worse as time went on. I had rather go back to one of my old $10/hr non nursing jobs than to put up with this crap, drama, and politics everyday and be miserable and grouchy the rest of my life. Life is too short for that. I guess it's just not what im geared for. I consider myself more of a technical minded person so I have decided to regroup and move on before I get much older. I will probably be going back to school pretty soon. Nursing has been an experience and I am proud of achieving the goal of gettning a college degree but beyond that, it's time to move on. Im tired of being PRN'd to death and having nothing. I think these companies are getting to where all they want is a bunch of PRN employees that they can use, abuse and have them work a day or two here and there so they can get out of giving them any benefits. All I heard with my last job is money money, time is money, we cant afford this and that, you need to speed up and blah blah blah. Well, I have to eat and pay bills too and two days here and there just won't cut it. I was never mean or grouchy to my patients and got tons of thank you's and great compliments about how well I took care of them and I appreciated that but beyond all that it was a whole different world.

Their might be a niche out there somewhere I could do but im not gonna spend 30 years trying to find it. Good luck to those that truly love nursing and I hope it works out well for you. We need nurses and professionals but my advice, especially to perspective nursing students it to make sure it is really what you want, or think it is before you jump in head first. Nursing is not for everybody.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

I completely agree with you, OP, that nursing is not for everyone.

I am curious about your experience in nursing school clinicals -- did you get any inkling that you would not enjoy nursing?

And I am also wondering if a large part of your dissatisfaction is with your non-benefitted PRN status. Daily financial worries are a drag on anyone's mental health. Are you still seeking full-time employment?

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I agree that nursing is not for everyone. I hope you will find something more satisfying. Best wishes for your journey.

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Specializes in Pulmonary, Transplant, Travel RN.
I completely agree with you, OP, that nursing is not for everyone.

I am curious about your experience in nursing school clinicals -- did you get any inkling that you would not enjoy nursing?

And I am also wondering if a large part of your dissatisfaction is with your non-benefitted PRN status. Daily financial worries are a drag on anyone's mental health. Are you still seeking full-time employment?

This.

I read a couple "new nurse advice" books when I started and they all echoed: Problems at home WILL affect you professionally. Strive to have a home life that exudes simplicity and stability.

OP probably didn't have the opportunity to create a home environment that supported his nursing career.

I might suggest finding something else to to that is non-nursing related until you either find a new career that you can focus on or you find that "niche" in nursing. Either way, the little bit of money you earn with nursing wont hurt.

We all float down here.

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I am curious about your experience in nursing school clinicals -- did you get any inkling that you would not enjoy nursing?

And I am also wondering if a large part of your dissatisfaction is with your non-benefitted PRN status. Daily financial worries are a drag on anyone's mental health. Are you still seeking full-time employment?

Actually, I rather enjoyed my clinical experiences for the most part. Of course their were a few that I didn't particularly like but It was never to the point that I felt that I was going down the wrong career path but if seems like after school everything changed. Now in the work environment, the whole perspective of nursing changed for me and I found nothing at all to like about it. I realize all jobs have their frustrations, likes, and dislikes but I have never felt so bad about any job I have ever had as I have with nursing. It's just all wrong.

I read a couple "new nurse advice" books when I started and they all echoed: Problems at home WILL affect you professionally. Strive to have a home life that exudes simplicity and stability.

OP probably didn't have the opportunity to create a home environment that supported his nursing career

Actually, I would say it was exactly the opposite. My nursing career was affecting my home life in such a negative way. I live a pretty straight forward and simple life at home, fortunately not many bills other than a few utilities so theirs not much financial strain right now. I would come home grumpy, ill, frustrated and couldn't enjoy my personal time like I should and I know it affected those around me. I wouldn't sleep at night from dreading having to go back to that work environment the next morning. The money was okay but I hated the nursing life so bad that money didn't mean anything anymore. My hours and work days were pretty good and were well balanced with my home life I just don't like the nature of nursing work.

I agree that nursing is not for everyone. I hope you will find something more satisfying. Best wishes for your journey.

I quiet possibly have already found something new that would compensate me financially as much or a little more than my last nursing job. A job that is not even in the medical field. I think it would be something more along my area of interest. I do have experience in the technical and electronics field and have always enjoyed it but unfortunately this opportunity didn't come along before nursing did. I wont say too much at the moment as things are still in the works but fingers crossed it works out and I never have to work as a nurse again. It has just been a horrible experience for me.

Thanks all for your replies and insight. Right now I feel 100% better knowing I don't have to go back to work as a nurse. I think maybe I'm heading in the right direction now :-)

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Life's way too short to deliberately make yourself miserable. Best of luck on your career change.

I hope you stay 'tuned' to AN - you have a unique perspective and may be able to provide insightful feedback to the the droves of AN'ers who think that nursing is the end-all and be-all.

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i am so sorry you had the miserable luck to have two crappy jobs working for what sounds like two crappy employers. i know that you know it's not all like that, and that you know you wouldn't really have to take 30 years to find something better to do with your nursing degree, but it's how you feel this moment, so there it is.

there are better places for you than what you had. if they're out of nursing, then fine; someday, if you get un-burnt-out, you may want to try a better one in nursing. we'll be here for you if you want. i wish you well. :hug:

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Specializes in none.

OP I feel your pain, I would get out of this business tomorrow but I am to old and can't do any thing else. I have a interview for a job on Monday and all ready I'm getting sick but I have to work for the money. (don't we all). Life is too short to hate what you do. Gook Luck, Brother.

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RN-767 Congratulations!

I am always looking for a way out of nursing too. I think I understand exactly where you are coming from? It's all about not being able to play "doormat" well, in essence. Prior to nursing, I can say I'd never been truly treated like crap in all my 20+ years of working. I just don't know why the profession has allowed this on itself? Never before have I been subjected to being treated like a child, talked "simply" to because I couldn't possibly understand pathophysiology, or treated rudely because it seems that is also in my job description.

When the understanding hits you clear as a bell that to continue in this field you have to allow yourself to be broken like horse into submission -- no can do. My self-esteem is intact and I intend to keep it that way. I feel lucky that I still know what that even is, that I did not have it ripped from me in my formative years as a young adult...

I hope that other job turns out for you!

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You won't be the last to quit nursing just right after graduating. I see it all the time @ my hospital. I've worked with bright and young nurses straight from that university or a state college. Once that call light goes off they soon find out that nursing isn't for them. I blame all the hype out there that nursing pays good and it's a "recession" proof job (lol, whatever! I've been around experienced nurses getting fired for stupid crap). I actually miss the Dot Com days of the late 1990s (I started wearing scrubs in the early 1990s myself). Back then, anybody crazy enough to get into nursing (remember all the strikes we did back then to get better nurse-to-patient ratios?) and didn't get fazed and are still wearing those scrubs today or had long careers. Those people were true nurses in my opinion (I'm knocking anyone today who really likes nursing and wants to be a nurse). All the other college students back then wanted to create the next Yahoo.com or AOL. Today? Everybody is on the nursing bandwagon. I get chills when I step into a coffee shop to get my drink and I see giggling students/graduates reading that NLCEX or Anatomy book. Are these people getting into nursing (healthcare) BECAUSE THEY WANT TO BE NURSES or is it because that's where the 100K salaries are? It's crazy. And the entitlement attitude sickens me (Not all new nurses have this attitude btw). It's funny, back then when I mentioned I was a nurse, I'd get sarcastic remarks about wiping butts and now people think you're the sh* because your a nurse. lol.

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Specializes in Emergent pre-hospital care as a medic.

I hate to hear that anyone is so dissatisfied in a job. From what you wrote it sounds like the disinterest stems from a poor work environment and/or the wrong nursing arena. One of the things that drew me into nursing was the variety of options. So much diversity. I know that if I don't like the OR that I'm not obligated to be an OR nurse (as an example).

Have you considered home health? Hospice? Forensic nursing? Cruise ship nurse? Flight nurse? There are plenty of jobs out there that are not PRN, that offer benefits, retirement packages and set schedules. Maybe if you sat down and considered what you like to do, how you like to work you could come up with an idea of what nursing path you would like to pursue. Home health allows you to work independently and be out of the hospital. Forensic nursing sounds very interesting and challenging. Cruise ship nurse allows you to see the world, earn money and have fun. Flight nurse is unlike hospital nursing--there's helicopter services and fixed wing services. Just a few considerations.

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RN-767,

I can just feel the sense of relief that must just be washing over you. You must feel as if a heavy weight has been lifted, having made this decision and getting it off your chest. I'm happy for you.

I, too, have struggled with whether nursing was for me. I was a CNA prior to becoming a nurse, and while in nursing school for my ADN, I worked full time as an LPN. So, I knew what I was getting myself into.

There are parts of nursing that I love, and that keep me coming back, and I can't imagine NOT being a nurse. Those parts are things like when I know I've made a difference to someone and when I've touched someone's life in a meaningful way. However, there are parts that just drive me crazy and make me have thoughts of escape. Most of those negative aspects are labor issues like having to do too much with too little, and being treated like an assembly line robot rather than a human being taking care of human beings.

I've worked in 2 different hospital areas, and loved and hated different parts of each. Now I work in an outpatient capacity, and I must say I LOVE IT!

I go to work in my bathrobe and I always get my meal breaks. In fact, I'm working right now, in my bathrobe! I only have to put on professional clothing (no more scrubs, yay!!!) when going to see a patient in person. Patient care is in an educational/tech support capacity, with a little bit of hands on thrown in. My work schedule is a dream come true; one week on, one week off. Today, I plan on going to the office to check in and see what's on my plate for the weekend, then go to a couple of yard sales.

It's true, I had to pay my dues to get here, and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. All that I've been through has made me a better and smarter nurse, and has lead me to find my place within the profession.

So, if you want to walk away, and that feels right to you, I won't fault you. But as others have said, there are other things out there for someone with an RN license. Look around; you might see something that suits you better.

Whatever you do, best of luck to you!

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