Nursing BURN OUT!!

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Do nurses "burn out" as quickly as most people say or is it just a rumor meant to scare everyone off!

How do YOU personally avoid getting burnt out??

Specializes in CVICU/SICU.

It probably is a great resource. I'm beyond that. I hope to be out of nursing soon...my license is up for renewal in October, I won't be renewing it.

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I suppose you are just in the wrong profession. I wish you the best in finding something that suits your needs..

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Specializes in CVICU/SICU.

Thanks :).

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Did you sense any signs looking back while you were in school that the profession was not for you that you should have been more cognizant of?

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.
It probably is a great resource. I'm beyond that. I hope to be out of nursing soon...my license is up for renewal in October, I won't be renewing it.

I hear you, but I advise you strongly not to give up your license yet. I did not renew mine when I got out of nursing some twenty years ago when I was pregnant with my first child and moved to a different state. Even though I did something else for several years and didn't need that license for all that time, I wished I had at least kept current with my license and continuing ed because when I did return, so many changes had occurred that it was a tremendous learning curve for me for a spell.

My state used to have an "inactive" status and so I had my license put on that status for a while. I guess the BON eventually dropped that status so I don't know what a person might have to go through if the license simply expires and the person did not have a license in another state. I had to do a refresher course---which I needed---but I don't know if there would have been additional requirements had I not been placed on "inactive" status.

Renew it at least once and see how you feel after you have been out for a while. You may want to return to nursing when you have done something else for a while. And if you don't, that's fine----nursing is not for every person and sometimes a choice that is right for us at one time in life is not the choice with which we want to live the rest of our lives. I just would hate to see anyone give up a license for which one has worked so hard and then have to go through the hassles of getting re-licensed again should one decide to return to nursing.

I wish you the best. It sounds like you have been through hell and I am sorry it has been like this for you.

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Specializes in CVICU/SICU.

Thanks for the kind thoughts and wishes :). No, I didn't realize that nursing wasn't for me while I was in school. I finished most of my BSN, and passed my CCRN as well before I finally reached the point of no return. I won't flog a dead horse listing all of the things that I found wrong with nursing...that has been covered on this site and others ad nauseum. The problem was that I found very little RIGHT with nursing. When you begin to dread going to work, it's past time to find something else to do :).

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Would any of those who say they are burnt out not be a nurse if they could go back in time...or would u advise someone else to really reconsider?

I would not do it over again, I am currently making approx the same salary I was making before I went into debt to go to nursing school, and my workload/stress level has skyrocketed while my job satisfaction is completely depleted, not to mention; no quality time with my kids/husband and practically non-existant benefits!

I have and will continue to advise people to reconsider and get more information on what nursing truly involves before making it a career. I went to nursing school because there was a "nursing shortage" with promise of sign on bonuses and even loan forgiveness, I don't even have health insurance!

Since becoming a nurse I have changed jobs more frequently than I ever had in the past, I finally realized that my pattern was I could last a year before getting completely burnt out and finding a new job, whereas before nursing I worked for 6 years at the same job only leaving because I graduated nursing school. That can't be good for my resume ;)

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I went to nursing school because there was a "nursing shortage" with promise of sign on bonuses and even loan forgiveness

*** There wasn't a nursing shortage. The "nursing shortage" was pure false, self serving, propaganda put out by those who stand to gain financialy from a glut of nurses. You see when there are many open nursing jobs (not the same as a shortage of nurses) employers have to be NICE to their nurses. They have to offer them benifits, good pay and decent working conditions. Well that all costs a lot of money and affects the bottom line. Obviously if there are 20 nurses lined up for every RN opening there is no need to treat the nurses decently, increase their pay or offer them benifits. So employers created the false "nursing shortage" propaganda to attract people to nursing who otherwise would have never considered it. At the same time they used their money and influence to get tax payer money (nurse's money) to dumb down and greatly increase the size and number of nursing programs in order to crank out as many grads as possible. Whole new programs like direct entry masters and Accelerated BSN were created to attract as many people as possible. They have been well on track to achieve their goal of a glut of nurses. The Bush depression in about 2008 only moved the glut date up a few years, but did not create it.

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