New nurse - Bedside nursing is not for me

Published

Specializes in Tele, ICU, Staff Development.

Hi Nurse Beth.

Just quick background - nursing is a 2nd career for me. I have my BS in Business Management but decided to go back to school for nursing after watching a couple family members die from cancer.

I am a new nurse with less than one year of experience (been on my own for 3 months) on a telemetry unit in a hospital. I have learned very quickly that bedside nursing is not for me and now I'm crying over the fact I wasted 2 years of my life going back to school for nursing (I literally cry in tears about the fact how much I dislike bedside nursing and that I really did waste 2 years going back to school for nursing). The reason why I do not like the bedside nursing is because of the high stress that is involved of taking care of very sick patients.

Before I gave up on the whole nursing degree I looked into case management because it looks like an area where I can put both degrees to good use. However, some places require a BSN and 2 years bedside nursing experience .... I can tell right now I do not think I'll be lasting 2 years at the bedside if I feel awful about it now and I don't know if I want to go for my BSN for MBA at this point if I do go back to school. So now I feel like I'm back to where I feel like dropping the whole nursing license, and realize I made one big life mistake and head back to my comfort zone in the business world. And I'm sure someone will ask "How did you not realize this in nursing school?" All the times I shadowed a nurse during clinicals everything seemed so streamlined but it has been total opposite for me. Before I drop nursing all together I was hoping you could offer advice about other type of nursing jobs I could look into with (hopefully) 6 months of bedside nursing experience.

I just want to feel comfortable again in a career and just wish I could stop crying because I do that a lot when I think about what a huge mistake I've made. Thank you so much for all your time.

Dear Dislikes Nursing,

I would not recommend making a career change until you have a year under your belt. You will have a hard time finding something else before then. At one year, your options increase considerably. Hopefully, you can tolerate sticking it out for a few more months knowing there's an end in sight and that your marketability is increasing by the minute.

Spend this time talking to other nurses and exploring other options within nursing that don't involve the high intensity/stress you describe. There are many, many non-bedside options out there, both inside and outside of the hospital. You already mentioned Case Management, good choice.

There's also Utilization Review that might be a good fit for someone with your business knowledge. Informatics is a good area for nurses who enjoy computers. There's Employee Health, Pre-Admission Screening, Risk Management, Quality, Infection Prevention, and much more. There's telephonic case management for working remotely, and nurse educator roles for vendors such as Hill Rom, BARD, etc. As a benefit, you get to travel.

Outpatient oncology clinics allow you to have patient contact but without the inpatient stress. They can be very busy, but the environment is more controlled.

I could keep going on and on, but you get the idea. There really is something for everyone. Explore different career paths here on allnurses at Nursing Specialties

You have a Bachelor's degree in Business, which is great, although a Bachelor's in Nursing is preferred and sometimes required.

As far as being certain you made a huge mistake, why not suspend that judgement until you've been out a year. You may see things differently at that point. At least consider the possibility that it's possible :)

There's a time to move past the regret, stop beating yourself up, and move forward. You will feel better when you have a plan and you're back in control making your plan happen. For starters, you did not waste 2 years. Frame it as 2 years of gaining transferable and marketable skills..

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

nurse-beth-purple-logo.jpg

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Urgent Care, Oncology.

I agree, there are so many nursing jobs that don't require hospital experience or limited hospital experience. I only lasted 6ish months before being drained on an Ortho floor. Now I work Urgent Care and vaccine clinics. I would look into school nursing, urgent care centers, private clinics or doctor's office, or occupational health nursing.

I, too, want to do Oncology but the local cancer center won't take me unless I have my BSN so while working on my BSN right now I try to get as much experience as possible. I even just recently applied to a per-diem job at an infusion center that said willing to train if no experience in oncology! Check Craigslist - usually smaller practices advertise there before going to a recruiter.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.

Great advice, as always, Beth! :up:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, telemetry.

I agree, try a different area before you throw out nursing altogether. I hated, hated, hated my first nursing job, but somehow stuck there for 2 and 1/2(VERY LONG) years before transferring to the NICU, and now I love my job! Not every unit is for every nurse, but there is likely one for you. You just have to find it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Gastroenterology, PACU.

Could I add also that the stress might not be actual stress. She mentioned how stream lined it felt in clinicals but now it wasn't. Any chance that the being overwhelmed bit is the part that comes with being a new nurse? I was overwhelmed at first, but I now no longer am. And nothing has changed in my position except experience. In fact, I have more responsibility, with less stress, because I have my own flow and comfort.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Just letting you know, there are nurses lined up for the non-bedside jobs. Nurses with decades of experience who cannot take the physical beating any more. It is they who will get the breaks first. Three years at the bedside is the minimum before you should even think of moving on, unless you have networked enough and know someone who will give you a break. One thing is for sure, the more critical level you start off at, the more options you have later. If you are not in the ICU or ER, try to get in now and get the experience. Then you have more non-bedside options open. The other sure shot thing you can do is, get your BSN started. It is a pre-requisite for many non-bedside jobs.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Great advice, Nurse Beth. I've been a nurse for 10 years, and I'm a second career RN, too. I was a computer geek prior, and there were things in nursing that were hard for me to adjust to.

In some ways, I cast another vote to try to stick it out for that first year, because that new grad year is pretty important. However, my best friend came to nursing six years after I'd started (also second career), and I was really worried about her mental health just getting through boards. She's insanely smart, and she would have panic attacks walking into the hospital. She found her place beautifully, however, being a home care RN. She loves it. Her patients love her. She's perfect for it and it is perfect for her.

At no point in time during her nursing school experience did she learn about home care RNs and the important work they do. Fortunately, I did...and not only did I do a brief turn in home care (which I liked), I was able to nudge her to look into it.

I did my turn on the floors, in ICU, as a dialysis acute care nurse (do not go there), and now I'm charge RN in a multispecialty medicine clinic. It's a different stress. Nobody dies on my any given Tuesday anymore. I loved the ICU, and I love the clinic now because it fits my life. Four 10s, no weekends, no holidays.

I do have to respectfully disagree with feelix on the "inability to get those jobs." I have a heavy influence in who we hire in my clinic, and I have two RN openings. Would I look at an RN with six months on the floor and prior life experience? Hell, yes. RESOUNDING hell yes. The worst fit in my clinic was a flight nurse with 26 years experience....fantastic nurse....difficult adjustment to the different needs. I wouldn't expect a nurse with 6 months experience to triage a call from a complex patient the same way I will. My docs give me a lot of autonomy. But if a your previous life experience taught you to ask a lot of thoughtful questions, investigate solutions and think critically....and your heart is in the right place to help the patient get the best care possible....you would be a valuable member of my team.

My team consists of experienced nurses, receptionists, business people, medical assistants with no bachelor's degree and no prior medical experience before starting in my clinic.

Take heart. There is an entire world of nursing, and I don't know why we always insist that it has to start on "the floor."

Good luck

Michelle, RN

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I completely agree with mrsmsh42, there is no substitute for life experience! I am a second career nurse and I have worked in various corporate environments in customer as well as company support, I have two degrees and quite a bit of volunteer experience under my belt. I am not interested in bedside nursing, which is fine since, in my area, getting a hospital job as a new grad is near impossible. When I am in an interview, I try to show how my previous non-medical experience translates to the medical environment. At my previous positions I learned how to actively listen to others, how to "divide and conquer" complex tasks, multi-tasking and organize, organize, organize!

I am interested in the primary care or urgent care setting, I like the idea of working with the patient not only on the current problem, but also helping them obtain information that will help them improve their health. I believe that most individuals want to take charge of their health, however, they are overwhelmed by the incredible amount of information available.

Starting "on the floor" is no longer a given in this economy and I am happy to hear that hiring managers are beginning to recognize that fact. Now I just need to find one of them to interview me! :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Besides the business related options, hospice seems like the logical place for this nurse to explore, since her inspiration was being with relatives who died of cancer.

Feelix, your advice may be applicable in part to some nurses, but it's crazy to suggest that a nurse who is stressed by the acuity on the floor should transfer to the ER or ICU!

I agree with a PP that things may improve somewhat. I remember that around six months was where I finally started feeling like an asset instead of a liability, and I've seen new grads go through the same transition.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am also a second career person and nursing is my third degree. I chose nursing because there are so many other opportunities with that degree besides bedside nursing. I only have a little more than six months experience doing bedside nursing. My first five months were really hard and I could tell I was not a good fit where I was. There wasn't any way I was going to be able to stick it out for a year. I applied somewhere else doing the same speciality and I love it! I realized that I just didn't like the high level of acuity nor the negative environment of my old hospital. The good thing is that you currently have a job so finding another one is easier than to try to get a job while unemployed. There are many ideas listed above of other options in nursing. The good thing about what you are doing with getting bedside experience is that when you possibly find a future job in nurse management or infomatics, you have a frame of reference. In the past, I worked with MDs and nurses but I found that because I didn't have a nursing degree or bedside experience, I wasn't as respected as part of the team. You will have that experience and understand better what happens on the "front line" so you will be able to make better choices if you work on the business side of the medical field. In the meantime, get your BSN and don't quit without having another job to go to. Also join a professional organization for your field (or at least ANA) and go to the meetings or conferences to network. Many jobs open-up that way... Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

In most hospitals after 6 months you are allowed to transfer to a different area. Mother baby or new born nursery is a total relief from oncology. That would not have been my first pick as a new grad. Oncology is very depressing and pediatric oncology is saved for experienced nurses who can brave the sick children and mournful faced parents every day. Not my piece of cake and I have 25 years of experience. Infusion clinic is usually run in a hospital or clinical setting and 24 hour stay or same day surgery. This is if you want to stay with the same company as you are working for now. Since you have business under your belt, try insurance companies, as in case management for workman's comp or disabilities. Now lots of companies want 2-3 years of experience, but don't dispar change floors and I feel you will slowly see that you did make a good decision in becoming a nurse you just did it for the wrong reason. Everyone has family members that have illnesses that are life changing. That doesn't mean you go out there and change the world. You go out there and change the way you think about how they were treated and how you can change that experience for someone else. He ping someone to birth a baby, hip surgery, CVA

appedectomies, cataract surgery, pacemakers all need nurses. Find your niche, and get comfortable. Learn all you can about that area. Learn all you can about the disease your patients are dealing with, so you will be able to help them transition through this change. No more pity parties, you started down this road now get with the program and help others with bigger problems than yours. Every day you are not a patient but an advocate is a good day for you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Sweetheart, I also went back to school after a career in business and love nursing AND I do not do bedside nursing. I do Dialysis in the acutes in hospital setting. If you go to any provider in your area, you will find that many will hire new grads without experience. Then the sky's the limit!!

Good Luck. BTW, I am 62 yo

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion