New Grad Leaving Nursing!

[harumi22]

I'm a new grad who's been working on a medsurg ward for 8 months, and I'm burned out. I hate almost everything about nursing; hated it since nursing school. I saw the signs but ignored them. Now I'm considering leaving the profession for good and working a lower-paying job while I contemplate what I really want to do in life and what I should pursue when I return to school. Anyone else leave nursing only a few months or a few years after graduation? If so, how successful were you at leaving this field? What kind of job outside of nursing did you end up taking?

[3peas]

I left my unit and worked a different area of nursing. I HATED and I mean HATED working in the hospital. I know shock, it seems every nurse is suppose to love working in the hospital. I had a coveted ICU job and I walked away from it. I went into psych ER (admissions) and LOVED it! And now I'm a school nurse and love that too. There are so many things you can do as a nurse, but if you want out for good that's okay too. Nurses can get jobs anywhere. Teaching, business, sales, you name it and you can get it. If you are looking at something more specialized I would recommend a graduate degree. Life is too short to be miserable, be happy!

[caliotter3]

If you do leave, maintain your license in an inactive status. You never know what the future may bring.

[~Shrek~]

I agree with 3 peas. I don't work in the hospital setting, and I am happy with my life. Take some time to apply to non hospital jobs. With 8 months of hospital experience, you are a stronger candidate than someone like me with no hospital experience. Look into school nursing, clinic nursing, public health nursing, psych, etc. and you may also be interested in fields like L&D or NICU where the population is still acute care, but different.

[Everline]

I, too, left hospital nursing after about 7-8 months and never looked back. It made me very unhappy. I now work outside of the hospital and I am quite content. It sometimes takes a while to find the right fit. I understand you might not want to be a nurse at all anymore. But keep the option open, because all nursing specialities and opportunities are not the same.

[Nursingstudent143]

I'm a new nurse also. 5 months after I started in the hospital I feel miserable. I get sick a lot with constantly getting the patient on isolation. older nurses get easier loads of patient and I'm stuck with complicated one. management want us to work like crazy by continually make us work understaffed. I so scared that with that typeof environment I might lose my license. I started looking for non clinical job and was able to get nurse auditor job and love it. There's more to nursing than bedside.

[2bABLE]

It might be a little off topic everyone, but there is a clinica study going on with the NSNA pertaining to this issue. If you have time, try stopping by and taking a look at what you can contribute to the future of nursing. I also am a new grad. and am currently looking for work here in Las Vegas. There seems to be an abundance of openings. The reason why I switched careers and chose nursing over pharmacy (with 2 credits before starting a program) was because of the vast variety of specialities/departments you can choose from... Please stay positive, you have gone through the hardest part which was nursing school. Maybe look up the studies on burnout and see what things you can do to help. Have you gone to resources that they might have at where you work to see what you can do? Hope all goes well.

"A kind gesture can reach a wound, that only COMPASSION can heal." --Steve Maraboli

"It is not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing." --Mother Theresa

"The character of the nurse is as important as the knowledge she possesses." --Carolyn Jarvis

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." --William A. Ward

[Redhead,RN, BSN]

Hospital nursing is just terrible for some of us! I did it for 4 months then got out. Nothing is worth living in misery, nothing. But I didn't get out of nursing. I have went on to be a school nurse, clinic nurse, and now a nurse case manager, and I have truly loved each position! Don't buy into the popular notion that you have to be a hospital nurse to be a real nurse. There are so many different opportunities if you just look for them and I'm sure you will find something you love.

[caffeinatednurse, BSN, RN]

It's okay if you don't like your first nursing job. I didn't - I signed up for a med-surg unit in a bad (and I do mean, bad, like really scary, bad) hospital system and it turned out to be a horrible mistake. I lasted just a few months. When I left, I felt much the same way that you're describing.

Then I worked short-term rehab and loved it. I became a preceptor and then a supervisor, and I loved that, too. There's a niche in nursing for you, too...you just haven't found it, yet. Hang in there.