New nurse and I hate it

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I graduated from nursing school at 35 this past December, and had a job lined up before graduation. Now just a few months into being a new nurse I hate it. I hate it so much I put my phone on silent all the time so I never hear my phone ring. I can't sleep the days before I go in. But since I'm a new nurse I don't feel like I have anywhere else to go but bedside nursing.

Specializes in Med Surg, PCU, Travel.

I cant say i love nusring at this point, but having an EMT background also and working in med surg is not great for me either. Lucklily for me Im on a vascular floor so the various wounds etc has kept my interest. I would die if i was in a strictly med surg tele unit. But you should either stick it out get your year experience then switch floors to a specility. Former EMTs like us seems to be drawn to ED, OR or trauma care for obvious reasons. If not you could try to switch med surg units find one like mine like vascular. I also floated and i also liked the trauma med surg unit. I am almost one and half years in my floor, and yeah about had it too. I'm looking to switch into a speciality by the end of the year will give me 2 yrs on med surg. Just do you time then find what you like. Some hospitals allow you to change floors with just 6 months in. Check it out first. Its just a matter of finding you liking

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Try changing units. I work geri psych and at an orthopedic outpatient surgery center and I like it. But I hated med surg and tele.

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Try changing units. I work geri psych and at an orthopedic outpatient surgery center and I like it. But I hated med surg and tele.

I'm planning on changing units. I just have to figure out which unit I should go to.

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Specializes in ICU, Military.

Fluffy1turbo, I've been a nurse for 12 years now and I still have sleep issues before I go in. At the beginning of my career it was me being unsure of my skills and if I'd be able to handle my assignment. As the years went on I became a very competent nurse, now I lay in bed and dread the 12 hour grind, being trapped inside the hospital all day and what admission ED is hanging on to til 1830 to roll through the door and keep me an hour late at work. Ive been in the ICU my whole career and was so burnt out at 34 y.o. I joined the Navy to do something different. Now I am counting the days til i can get back to a normal life and back to civilian nursing.

Hang in there, it may or may not get better, I definitely make good money as an RN so I won't be changing careers any time soon. It is what it is, some people love it and others hate it. I hate it.

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Specializes in Med Surg, PCU, Travel.
I'm planning on changing units. I just have to figure out which unit I should go to.

Do you have float / pick up extra shift privileges yet? After 6 months I was able to pick up shifts on other med surg units. I could get as little as 4 hours on other med surg floors that are short staff. Its s good way to find out what's out there. I also recently got floated to ED its rare to float a medsurg nurse there. It was boring cause they put me on the med surg holding section, basically people waiting for inpatient beds but I asked lots of questions and observed as much as I could. For speciality units, you have to do some job shadowing for free. Goof luck.

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Specializes in NICU, ER, OR.

Since it's your first job, is stick it out for a solid year, then... look into other specialties... it just might be floor nursing you don't like? I know if working as an RN on * any* floor, I just wouldn't... I'm not that kind of nurse, and I'd never pretend to be...it took me some time to come to terms that, this is OK... every area is not for every nurse...

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