Not sure what path to take.

caliotter3 · Jun 5, 2017

Go down the list on the specialties splash page on this site.

llg, PhD, RN · Jun 5, 2017

I say, "Stop looking" for the moment. As you seem to realize, you need to make your current job work for you for a while. As long as you are focused on leaving, you won't be making a true effort to be successful (and happy) at your current job. That may have been part of the problem with your previous jobs -- you decided you didn't like them and quickly starting on planning your exit -- without giving them enough time.

Any time you make a big change in your life (like getting a new job), there tends to be a "honeymoon" period followed by a period of disillusionment. It's called "reality shock" or "transition shock" - and it usually sets in somewhere around the 3-6 month period after starting the new job. Perhaps you decide during that period that things aren't as wonderful as you imagined them to be ... and you start to think about leaving ... and stop trying to make a success of it. You start dreaming about other jobs and detach emotionally from the one you have. That destroys any chance you have of building a home for yourself in your current job.

Think about it.

Most homes are built -- not found.

NightNerd, MSN, RN · Jun 5, 2017

I say, "Stop looking" for the moment. As you seem to realize, you need to make your current job work for you for a while. As long as you are focused on leaving, you won't be making a true effort to be successful (and happy) at your current job. That may have been part of the problem with your previous jobs -- you decided you didn't like them and quickly starting on planning your exit -- without giving them enough time.
Any time you make a big change in your life (like getting a new job), there tends to be a "honeymoon" period followed by a period of disillusionment. It's called "reality shock" or "transition shock" - and it usually sets in somewhere around the 3-6 month period after starting the new job. Perhaps you decide during that period that things aren't as wonderful as you imagined them to be ... and you start to think about leaving ... and stop trying to make a success of it. You start dreaming about other jobs and detach emotionally from the one you have. That destroys any chance you have of building a home for yourself in your current job.
Think about it.
Most homes are built -- not found.

All of this. Every word.

I cam identify with your post. I've had three jobs in my three years, and this job has by far been the most challenging. I was desperate to get out a few months ago - not just out of the job, but out of nursing. One poster here told me that by giving myself less than a year at each job, I wasn't giving myself the chance to progress, and it's true.

You shouldn't have to spend years of your life being miserable, but nursing is something where you kind of have to get baptized by fire before you see what you're made of. I think that's the logic behind giving your first job a year before moving on (plus the resume thing). Concentrate on the little things you can do and learn at this job, and think about what you have liked about the work you've done so far. Is there a particular patient population you really like? What sorts of situations give you an adrenaline rush in a good way? What are you most fulfilled by doing? What job duties have you enjoyed the most - education, certain skills, etc.? Make a list and if, in a year, you still find yourself wanting to move on, you'll have a better idea of what to look for.

Nurse2014sk · Jun 5, 2017

Thank you so much everyone! Im going to try really hard. Im hoping for the best. I am also on night shift and that isnt helping me much. Hoping i can eventually get a day shift position and that changes things for me. Im going to try to change my outlook on this current position and am going to try to calm my anxiety.