New nurse and I hate it

sailornurse · Mar 22, 2016

Welcome to AN, I see this is your first post. What type of unit are you working on? How much orientation did you get? Are you on days or nights? 3- 12 hour shifts? BTW-if this is your real name please change it for your own protection. Can you be more specific as to the issues? otherwise we can not offer advice or suggestions to help you.

Fluffy1turbo · Mar 22, 2016

I'm on a tele unit with 10 weeks of orientation and lots of classes to help prepare me for all I need to know for the unit. I've worked as a CNA and an EMT in the past and thought I'd love nursing, but so far I haven't had a single shift where I can even say I sorta liked it. The hours aren't a problem since I've worked 12s in the past. I'm on nights and for the most part I sleep well during the day and prefer nights over days?

sailornurse · Mar 22, 2016

OK thanks for the basic info. What stresses you? Is it the type of patients, the volume of tasks, the pace or? I spent about 8 years on tele units & I loved it. What is the number of patients you usually get? And with your CNA & EMT background you sure have some experience to build on. Even though the orientation period is over, as a new grad recognize the learning curve is about 2 years & that's for med-surg let alone cardiac/tele patients. Are you taking ACLS soon or already have it? Is it medications/cardiac drips or ??? that is frustrating you? Make me a list with the issues that bother you the most on top and lets see if other posters & I can help you.

Fluffy1turbo · Mar 22, 2016

I'm now sure what specifically is stresses me out. I'll have to think about that a little.

badmanRN · Mar 23, 2016

I find myself in the same predicament. I'm almost a year into my nursing career and working on a med/surg with telemetry floor and very unhappy. I have a few more months before I can transfer within the health system I work so I wondered if anyone had some advice on how to stick it out without burning out.

RRRRS808 · Mar 23, 2016

Im on the same boat and I have decided to go into outpatient nursing. The timing of me coming on board on a critical unit with lack of training places my license and my patients safety at risk. Its sad and I have been unhappy the past few weeks and This unit is definitely not for me. I have anxiety prior to starting work and the lack of sleep is very toxic to my health. I hope everything works out for everyone in here.

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Mar 24, 2016

You can quit. Nothing is going to change unless you make it change. Good luck.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Mar 27, 2016

I'm now sure what specifically is stresses me out. I'll have to think about that a little.

Just being new or in a new role stressed out many people. The transition from CNA, EMT or nursing student to nurse is as big of a challenge as from grocery clerk or CPA to nurse. While money is an enormous responsibility, nurses hold money AND people's lives in their hands. And even though you've worked as a CNA and watched what nurses DO, the only way to understand the tremendous responsibility that nurses have is to actually BE a nurse.

The first year of nursing is so difficult that Allnurses even has a forum devoted specifically to that transition.

Most of us hated nursing our first year or so on the job. I know I did. But as you gain knowledge, experience and critical thinking ability your attitude about your job and the nursing profession as a whole will probably change. Hang in there. And remember that to GET through it, you have to GO through it. All of us went through our first year of nursing and came out the other side.

It's OK if you still hate nursing once you've become competent (at about the two year mark), but at least you will have a more clear idea of what you hate about it.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Mar 27, 2016

I find myself in the same predicament. I'm almost a year into my nursing career and working on a med/surg with telemetry floor and very unhappy. I have a few more months before I can transfer within the health system I work so I wondered if anyone had some advice on how to stick it out without burning out.

It takes about two years to become competent in Med/Surg. Most people find that as they become more competent, they enjoy their jobs more. But anyone at any stage can learn to enjoy their jobs more just by looking for the positives about your job and enjoying them. If you've got a great team to work with, a manager who is fair and who is willing to work with you, a patient population that is especially interesting to you, flexible hours that enable you to take that martial arts or photography class or just great pay and benefits, focus on those. It sounds trite, but focus on the positives. You're learning new things every day -- focus on that.

There are many different causes of burnout -- it is helpful for you to identify yours and work to change that particular aspect of your life. While you cannot always (or even often) control your hours as a brand new nurse, you can learn to make changes in your life to accommodate the hours you have to work. If you have to work weekends when your friends are at the lake, it's very difficult to see that as a positive, I know. But you can meet your friends for Tango night at your favorite club or take that scuba class with your best friend on Wednesday nights and schedule some open water diving on the weekends you do have off. It's crummy to have to work Thanksgiving when your family is getting together, but work is the perfect excuse to avoid old Uncle Gilbert who is always nasty to you.

Happiness isn't having what you want; it's wanting what you have. You can take that approach to your job and it will make a gigantic difference.

Before you transfer to another department, make sure you know exactly what you're transferring into and exactly what you wish to get away from. Many many newer nurses make that first transfer and then discover that the grass wasn't any greener.

Good luck.

barrelrcer · Mar 27, 2016

I see this a lot with new nurses and the number one thing you need to focus on is changing your attitude towards your job. Being a nurse (especially a new nurse) is not easy by any means, but having a bad attitude towards your job can make work miserable for not only you but your patients and coworkers. When we as nurses get wrapped up in our day to day duties we seem to forget why we got into nursing in the first place, to help people. Focus on your patients and that is where you will get your satisfaction from. You can make a huge difference in someone's life in that 1, 12 hour shift.

beckster_01, BSN, RN · Mar 27, 2016

I will add that the new nurses I have worked with that we're CNA's actually have unique challenges as they enter nursing. I won't say that it is a harder adjustment, but it is different. You might find that you expected a natural transition, but moving from a task oriented mentality to understanding and caring about the overarching picture that you see as a nurse is a difficult jump. My advice is to trust Ruby. The only time I recommend a job change before your first year is if the unit seems unsafe, but you have a good orientation period and it sounds like they are making sure you are prepared for the job. So stick it out until you understand your field and your options a little better.