Multiple interests, hard to decide... help!

[alkaleidi]

I have been a nurse for 3, three, years. Just 3. Yet I have worked in multiple specialties, and have not worked anywhere full time for longer than 1 year. I have worked at roughly 10 facilities (between full-time and PRN employment), and my resume is a huge smorgasbord that doesn't really show promise of longevity.

I *still* don't know "what I want to do when I grow up." I am 27, and I do know that right now I want full-time work in the area I live in (I have always commuted -- worked no less than 30min from home). While I can't promise that the job(s) I interview for is going to be my life-long dream (as it probably won't, because I want to go back to school for an APN degree -- again I don't know what IN, yet), I really want to be able to communicate in interviews that I am looking for something stable.

Anyone else have this problem? Or, does anyone else have helpful comments?

Thanks in advance!

[ann945n, RN]

I think its important to stick out a new job as long as you can, of course with the exception of a toxic or dangerous work environment. I think you owe it your self and your job to give it a fighting chance. I know for me I wasnt crazy about how much one area of my job turned out to be but after a few months it is growing on me. I doubt I will be there years but I made myself promise to stay a year and see how it goes. At least at that point I will have somthing nice on my resume. Dont forget you want to build a good work history and at the same time discover your niche. Give it some time it will come,

[ilstu99]

What initiates your desire for a change? What do you feel like the positions you have tried have lacked? Without the various facilities, what type of departments have you tried?

I guess I'm just trying to figure out the best way to answer the question. It looks from your post that you're working on a "jack of all trades, master of none" resume. I don't know anyone who really feels, after 6-12 months, that they are an experienced RN in any area. Do you feel as though if you stuck with something for a while...that you're feelings about it will change....or is it the staff that's the issue?

In our department, you aren't considered to be experienced until you cross the 3 year mark....and really it's more like 5...and that's just in one area.

[alkaleidi]

In response to the above...

I started out Med/Surg/Peds as a CNA, then LPN. Graduating as RN, went to corrections, quite honestly for the pay and the touch of mental/behavioral health, which is one aspect of nursing I was and still am interested in.

The facility I was at actually WAS a toxic environment, not because of the inmates but because of the leadership/management/staff issues. Not necessary to go in depth -- it was a good choice to leave gradually. From there, travelled in corrections. Returning, did PRN work in urgent cares, doctor's offices, chemical dependency/detox, outpatient endoscopy, and nursing home (basically to fill in a gap until finding FT job I desired).

While searching, was offered a travel contract in very nice behavioral health facility. LOVED that. Too far away, and not something I was interested in for long term.

After that, jumped feet first into ER and absolutely loved and still love it. Still worked PRN as all those above things, but FT ER. That lasted a year and went PRN there due to distance/travel/skyrocketing gas prices (140 miles round trip made it not worth working there, because at the end of the month a large portion of salary was going to gas, despite the fact that I loved my co-workers and the specialty in general).

Still PRN at that place, was offered a travel contract through referral thru a friend and co-worker locally, in home town. ER again, and also love it. There are some management/staff issues, and at this point I am enjoying ER very much but wanting to be on a day-ish shift where I can sleep at night. Night shift has been very harsh on me health-wise and after having "healed" while working days for the past 4 months, I feel SO good and don't want to go back to a mix of insomnia and sleeping for what seems like an entire day to recover.

So there are several options locally, and I think that I am going to accept a position that I was offered today.

I guess my issue is that I want to go back to school for a master's in an APN specialty and I have NO idea what direction I want to go yet. I don't want to "try on" different specialties at the cost of multiple employers, but at the same time "shadowing" for a day, or even a week, doesn't give the same insight as actually "doing it" does.

Does that give more info?

I'm not looking for criticism and negative feedback -- maybe I'm just looking to hear from some APN's or other "specialized" nurses who "were lost but now are found," or basically who were very undecided and somehow determined what their passion was. I seem to have a bazillion passions... I don't know how to focus in and find my "one."