nurse burnout

[mntcra]

I have been an RN for 12 yrs and fed up with the profession right now. I have done mostly Telemetry and GI/Pulmonary lab in the hospital setting and getting really tired of it. I would love to do anything that is not bedside care at this time. I have applied for Case management, bariatric coordinator and diabetic educator but have had no luck. I have a BSN and a MS in nutrition but still no luck in finding the right kind of job. I believe after awhile, you get tired of how the hospitals treat nurses and the added responsibility they lay on you. Even working in Magnet hospitals are not any better, they want you to get involved in shared govenance and career fairs or make posters, and they continue to ignore patient/staff ratio's--instead of 5 to 1 they still consider 6 to 1--it is an act of disrespect and they do not care who knows it. I think nursing has gotten harder over the years and I am sick of it. I am willing to get away from bedside at all cost-the pastures may not be any greener but at least I am making a choice and trying to preserve what I can out of this profession. There are many things a nurse could do in this profession, but you have to find your niche and have thick skin sometimes, it is not going to be easy anywhere you go, but you do have choices.

[rn4ever?]

Well the say that the worst thing about having a job is not having a job! If you need the money to pay off stuff, then you have to hang in there. Don't pick up extra hours (if you always do), just work regular schedule. Also, take your days off when necessary. Do something fun and enjoyable and don't think about work when your off. Hopefully, that helps.

Used to work with a nurse who refused an assignment and got fired that same night. It wasn't an unreasonable assignment. But nurse x didn't want to go because it wasn't nurse x's turn to float. Supervisor thought that skill-wise, nurse x is the best person to send floating. nurse x flat out refused and got fired. less than a year later, we found out that nurse x passed away. apparrently, when nurse x lost that job, nurse x wasn't able to find one anymore. nurse x wasn't also able to buy the medicines nurse x needed (nurse x had serious health conditions). We were reading the obituary and discovered that nurse x was highly educated and qualified. But that very sad thing happened. So hang in there.....

[carolmaccas66, BSN, RN]

OP can u work as a dietician?

[mntcra]

Thanks for all the nice comments, it means a lot to feel like I am not losing my mind. I have a couple of interviews but we will see.

To answer this last question about becoming a Dietician-You must be accepted into an internship and then take the RD exam. I did not get accepted into the internship post BS and even MS- my grades were good, but the competition is high with fewer internships available--this was in Oklahoma in the mid 90's. I am sure it has picked up since then, but I am more fond of nursing now. I would like to use my nutrition background with my nursing experience at this time in my life though.

thanks