Nursing Reality shock?

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I was just wondering if anyone has experienced feelings of uncertainty regarding nursing after working so hard for years to become a RN? I have actually been in the nursing field for over 25 years......done the "scenic route" of nursing as I call it. I was a nursing assistant for 20 years, a medication assistant for a year and a LPN for 5. Now, recently after striving hard to become a RN I am starting to question if I even want to do it anymore? has anyone else had feelings similar to this?

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I have been an LVN for 3 years, and sometimes I feel like I am getting burned out . But I think that it mostly has to do with I am working 40 hrs a week at one job, 16 to 24 hrs a week at a second job and going to school to finish up my last 3 classes so I can go into the RN program. I am just tired and sick of working graveyard. I was off for most of this month due to family illness/death. It felt so good to get to sleep for 8 hours a night! I usually get 3 days in a row where I only get 4hrs sleep and work sixteen, add in drive times and I am up for over 20 hours. Occasionally if I have a mandatory meeting I am up for 35 hours. It gets hard sometimes.

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WOW.......it seems clear that you have a valid reason to feel the way you do. I think maybe a good part of what I am feeling is aprehension over actually practicing as a Rn after becoming quite comfortable in the role I am currently in.

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I too worked very hard to get my RN and am now frustrated because I can't even get a job. I have a bachelor's, associates, PCT, LPN, and RN license and yet I get no response to any jobs. And I recently moved to St. Louis no less, where there are tons of hospitals! I have called nurse recruiters, sent numerous followups, even applied for positions that aren't necessarily in the areas I like because I desperately need a job. It's hard to accept that I worked all these years and now can't even be gainfully employed.

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Congratulations on becoming an RN. Remember why you wanted to do it in the first place. AT your first job you'll know the people you can rely on to ask questions if you're unsure. You'll also know the types to steer clear of. After so many years in nursing you'll have an advantage over the new grads who didn't have this experience.

Sometimes I have doubts about whether I really want to do this but mostly they can be put down to bad management and I didn't have a good day.

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Hello Nurseguy. Have you been in clinical practice during the past 3 years? If not then that is probably why you can't get a job.

If you have been in clinical practice and you have a BSN and a ASN then could it be that you are be discriminated against because you are male?

I have to say I am a Male RN and I have been away from clinical practice for 13 years. I too did not hear from recruiters or get phone calls back from endless applications. It was only yesterday that I got a job. But I had to go about 40 miles from the center of town (Atlanta) to find a job. I was beginning to think that being a male RN was hurting my chances for employment even when employed nurses and one doctor was telling me that the hospitals loved male RNs.

I was one of the original pioneers in nursing for males in the 70s. We were made fun of, had jokes made about us and always got the worst of the worst assignments. And yes, we suffered discrimination. It has been a real pleasure to see so many men join the ranks of nursing. I hope that percentage increases.

I think reality shock comes with any application of a new title. Even after leaving nursing and climbing the ladder in the corporate world I would walk into my next office and sit at my even bigger office desk and ask myself "is this it?" I worked 24/7 and went to school all those years for this? Am I nuts? Then, you get to work and find that you enjoy what you do or you change that you do not like.

Your career as a RN will be what you make of it. You get to choose. Make it positive and rewarding. There is no better job than one where you help people. Good luck!:twocents:

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It's Me, thanks for your encouragement. And, yes, I have been in practice as an LPN for the last 2 years and just got my RN this December (I don't have a BSN, my bachelors is in Sociology). I had a great experience at my job as an LPN and really enjoy being a nurse. I would hate to think it's related to discrimination but I'm starting to wonder since it seems my resume isn't even getting a second look. I thought I might have a slight disadvantage because I'm going up against people that have BSN's but I was hoping my LPN experience would somewhat makeup for that. Although I was an LPN, I basically did the job of an RN where I worked and I feel very confident about my skills. If I don't find something soon I will probably have to settle for some random job that I dislike.

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Hang in there Nurseguy. My guess is that you are up against the Graduate Nurse syndrome that I am finding prevalent right now. It appears to me that you are being viewed as a "new grad" because you are a new RN even though you have the LPN experience. In a lot of the more major areas I am seeing a lot concerned by new grads that the communication path is not open with hospitals right now as the hospitals are looking at their numbers and needs. Declining elective admissions (profit) and the need for nursing staff (costs) are on parallel tangents, both straight down. One of the hospitals here in Atlanta had a job fair and over 100 experienced RNs showed up! They hired a bunch of people. I am sure the local new grads are worried to death about where they are getting jobs in June. Keep plugging away though and I am sure you will find a job that meets your criteria. Good luck!

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