Need advice please on giving up on nursing tomorrow

[coldsteel1]

I have worked two positions since I graduated last year. One in Med Surg which I quit after 3 months because I was pretty near a nervous breakdown and then a job in LTC which was less stressful at first until the CNAs staged a walk out and we were grossly overstaffed. The lack of sleep (I could never get to sleep during the day), the anxiety and the exhaustion made me miserable and sick. I finally gave my two week notice and took a job working in an office doing secretarial work. The pay is not as good but I'm sleeping, happier and much less stressed.

So today I got a call from a long ago interview with an offer for FT on Med-Surg. I immediately felt my stomach sink which is something I've never experienced when I got a job offer.

I should be excited. But I don't want it. All the nightmares from the previous jobs are rushing back. On top of that stress, it's almost an hour commute in rush hour, it's swing shift and it's 5 days a week. I know I should be grateful but my deepest gut is telling me that I'm not cut out to be a nurse, that I can't handle the long hours, sleepless nights and physical and mental demands. I want to be home to care for my kids, to sleep nights, to not have throw up every time I think about going into work.

I just want to make sure I'm making a decision based on reality and not my perception. Is it because I had such bad experiences in the last two or is it nursing? I feel like I have to try again because I went to school all this time. Maybe it will be different. I'm afraid if I turn this down, I will regret giving up and it will be hard to get another interview in another position. But I'm also afraid if I take this job and quit after a few weeks, I will have burned bridges at the only two hospitals in my town. And my biggest fear is that I will take it and be fired because I'm just not cut out to do this.

I know no one can tell me exactly what to do, but does it make sense not to take this job knowing how hard they are to come by? Should I give this job a shot? I'm in tears. I appreciate any advice.

[Phlegmophile]

Do you want to do hospital work? There are other avenues for Nurses. As a Respiratory Therapist I had to be SURE before I started, but I had a LOT of hospital experience to know I definitely did NOT want to be a nurse. I get paid well and am a talented critical care specialist. RT's have limited options whereas Nurses can work Hospitals, Clinics, Nursing Homes, LTAC, Dr. Offices, even Law Firms. If you have a BSN you can use the Bachelors to work ANYWHERE a Bachelor Degree is required. If you have an ADN, you can earn your BSN in a very short amt of time.

[Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN]

Why did you want to go into nursing in the first place? Did you enjoy your clinicals in school, any particular one more than the others? What was so bad about your first med-surg job? What kind of impression did you get from this new place when you interviewed?

Staying in nursing versus doing something else is a very personal choice, and these are just some of the questions that need answering in order to make your decision. I will venture, though, that you haven't given it much of a chance (three months in the first med-surg job, and presumably just a few months in the LTC as well). If you trawl through these boards much, you'll find many people who are very happy with their jobs/facilities and probably just as many who aren't. Mileage varies hugely depending on the workplace. If you actually liked nursing school and you got a decent vibe from the place that's offering now, maybe you'll like it there.

On the other hand, night shifts, physical/mental stress, and long hours are part and parcel of the majority of nursing jobs. If those things inherently put you off, you're probably better served looking into a clinic/office job or perhaps giving up nursing.

[RNperdiem, RN]

I worked med surg. To be honest, I would not be excited about the prospect of a 5 day a week, swing shift med-surg job with an hour commute.

To make this work, you would need a lot of help at home, since you mentioned kids. If your kids are school aged, you would need to find childcare that works, and you would not see much of them with those hours.

Here are a couple of things to think about. Do you really need to work full-time? What brought you into nursing? Are you happy where you are, despite the lower pay? Would you be in a position to keep working where you are and use the time to do some shadowing to see what else is available in nursing? Are you willing to handle the unavoidable stress of taking on something new?

[tHreepink]

Have you ever considered home health care or a doctor's office? Hospitals and nursing homes are not the only businesses that hire nurses. In home health care, you're only responsible for one patient, you make your own schedule (I did), and it's really no stress. I found it boring, but it may be more your speed. There is room for growth. I would recommend an agency that has been around for a while because they do seem to pop up on every corner these days.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

There are many jobs for nurses that are not in a hospital or LTC. Spend your time and energy finding one.

Home care is an option, but who wants to drive around all day? I prefer to sit on my tookas , working from home.Check out insurance company and disease management positions.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

It is fine to not be a nurse. If you are happy and can afford it. That stress level will kill you eventually.

If you did want to try though why not look for an outpatient nursing job?

[coldsteel1]

I appreciate the advice. Thanks.

I have tried to find a day job either in home care, a medical office, school nurse, etc. All of them want either 1+ years experience and/or BSN. I have neither. How do you get an outpatient nursing job? From all I have heard, getting one is like winning the lottery. I would work my a** off if I could just find one during the day.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

If you don't have your year in yet, bite the bullet. Take the job offer.

It is an investment that you have to make.

[tsm007]

If you don't have your year in yet, bite the bullet. Take the job offer.

It is an investment that you have to make.

I agree wholeheartedly with this. New nurse here about to start job #3 and I'm petrified, BUT I will never know if I'm really not cut out for this or not unless I give it enough time to get experience. I refuse to have any more "what ifs" in my life. I made a personal journal for myself and made a goal to log 250 shifts. If after I log those 250 shifts I still don't feel better about nursing then I'll start looking for another career path.

[Everline]

It's strange, but you can't really know if nursing is for you until you go through the hell that makes you feel like nursing isn't for you. That's how I see it, anyway, as a new nurse in a hospital setting. It's hard to hang in there. Believe me I know. But if you take this job, you will most likely have to go through a tough few months. Think about your ultimate goal and whether it is worth it to go through the difficulties. If being on a M/S floor for a year or two will move you closer to what you ultimately want to do, then you might consider it worth it. Only you can know. The job you describe has some extra challenges, as well. Working on a M/S floor five days a week, swing shift with an hour commute has to factor into your calculation of whether it's worth it or not. I wish you the best!

[CryssieD]

Just curious--did you get a preceptor and decent orientation at either of these jobs? The hospital I started at had a minimum of 12-weeks' orientation, longer for critical care areas(ICU, CCU, ER, OR/PACU). That orientation time is critically important when you're just starting out--it sounds like you got thrown in the deep end. And are you really interested in med-surg, or is that all that's available? Ask yourself what you liked most and least about your nursing experiences; look into other areas of nursing, find out what they entail, and see if any of them sound like your cup of tea. I've worked in many different areas, and necessary skills vary from specialty to specialty, and one setting to another. I don't know what kind of area you live in, so I don't know what's available. But it sounds like the nursing home (LTC) was poorly-run--honestly, there are never enough CNA's for the work in a LTC facility, but if staffing was that bad, believe me, the problem wasn't you. And it sounds like the hospital just threw you in, sink or swim--which isn't all that uncommon; med-surg can be a rough unit to work, so, again, it isn't necessarily you--lots of people find med-surg overwhelming. I don't know for sure, of course, but I think you've just had really bad luck. If you don't think a real orientation on med-surg would be enough, look into other areas. Nursing offers so many opportunities--I bet the right one is out there waiting for you! Keep us posted, and don't give up yet--you're so new at this, and, like I said, I don't think you're the problem; you've just had bad luck. Keep your eyes open and keep the faith--the right job will come along!