Overwhelmed

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · May 8, 2012

I am sure that your family is concerned about your ability to continue in nursing - especially if they have borne witness to all of the effort and expense that it took to achieve your goal. Potential employers may be reluctant to consider hiring you based on your track record. Nursing is a difficult job - and getting more so with increasing Federal regulation and shrinking reimbursements. Employers are very concerned about 'wasting' money on orientation for staff who are not going to remain with the organization.

Anything is difficult when you first begin. Try to have more faith in yourself and your ability to succeed. Think about the people you worked with. Chances are, they aren't any smarter or better suited to nursing than you. Why were they able to stick it out & you weren't? Maybe because you had family to fall back on? At some point, you are going to have to get back in the nursing 'saddle' and give it another go. In your next job, make sure you tap into all the resources that are available for you. Don't hesitate to talk to your supervisor or educator if you are having difficulty. The HR department also has resources to help you cope.

In the meantime, make peace with your family. Always assume positive intent when they offer unsolicited 'advice'. They love you. They will be there for you no matter what happens.

butterfly_kisses9188 · May 8, 2012

Both my parents are nurses and I only have full support from one parent, even though they both admit to having the same issues. One was the exact same as I was, which is why it is confusing as to why they reacted differently when I decided to quit. I never in a million years expected for it to be easy. However, I don't think I should have to be reduced to tears everytime I went into work. I tried talking with supervisors, etc. I think there need to be a lot of changes made in general. This is the first time I ever quit anything related to nursing, so it's not a pattern. When I talked to a potential employer, they completely understood becuase they've had several come from my institution with the same problems. I have no doubt I can continue nursing. However, there is little compassion for nurses who suffer from what I went through. I am not sure what you meant by "Why were they able to stick it out & you weren't? Maybe because you had family to fall back on?" I was also suffering from panic attacks ,which from what I have witnessed is not well received from some nurses. Most nurses suffer in silence. I don't think anything is worth a decline in health (physical,emontional,mental). I also don't believe that it is right for nursing to have become so overwhelming that some do have to quit just to escape and regain their sanity. I may be perceived as a whimp or whining, but it doesn't have to be this way. Just my opinion.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · May 8, 2012

Families... friends...anybody.. that has NOT walked in your shoes, cannot possibly understand the stress of the profession.

Take care of number one... that is YOU!

It sounds like you started out in a difficult place. I applaud your decision to move away from that so soon.

You are a quick learner. Your family should support you, if they are not.. that's their problem.

Just curious.. what position does the family member ,who is a nurse, hold?

Feel free to PM me.

JZ_RN · May 8, 2012

I feel the same. I cannot leave me job because of the financial situation, but frankly, some days I would rather jump off a bridge than go to my work. Walking on eggshells, working with incompetent people and other nurses who are terrible. No one speaks English there basically. Management struggles when they have to come work a day, makes horrible errors, can't staff for crap, yet we are all getting written up and treated like garbage over every little thing. No help, all alone on nights, 53+ patients, undersupplied.

I want to help patients but my job makes me want to crawl under a rock.

So no, don't feel guilty. I am losing my mind, I wish I could quit.

butterfly_kisses9188 · May 8, 2012

Thank You for the replies. I struggled with the decision to quit due to finances as well. My husband works, but his work has been slow. I had a hard decision to make, but felt that staying would do more damage than good. I didn't want this experience to taint my whole outlook of nursing.

JZ_RN · May 8, 2012

Good luck in whatever you do. It's hard to leave a job when there's not another guaranteed, but if I don't get another job soon I am going to have to do the same for my health and mental sanity. I think you did the right thing. I just got written up for something another nurse said she did, then when I checked it was all weird and confusing (because of what she told me) so I tried to fax (at 2 am) to get help/clarification but since no one got back to me... So tired of being the whipping boy while management gives us more work and less staff. They have zero respect for us.

butterfly_kisses9188 · May 8, 2012

I am so sorry you are going through that! You are not alone. I pray it gets better for you. I wish I had more nurses to lean on at work and then I wouldn've have had to leave so suddenly.

allnurses Guide · May 8, 2012

There are definitely better places to work. I am a new grad too, at my new job the same amount of time as you were at yours. Last night was a HORRIBLE shift for me and I cried on the way home, but I still feel I gave excellent care, got great support from my colleagues and still love my floor. Sometimes it is just going to be rough. If every night was like last night I am not sure I would last.

The only problem here is that you are now back in that place of being an inexperienced new nurse and finding a job is going to be hard, let alone finding a "better" job. I am sure you already are aware of this. Hopefully you'll be able to find something soon. I wish you the best of luck.

SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS · May 8, 2012

If it helps, even my family members who are nurses or other public servants (and have since left those backbreaking jobs) seem to have forgotten what it was like to work in the trenches, have to sleep during the day, and ruin your back and your sanity to serve others.

It's kind of easy to forget...the mental fog of working night shift, is like versed for the memory. I call that "the lost years." Must be some kind of coping mechanism.

nurseontheway · May 9, 2012

I just recently switched jobs and it isn't easy. At my last job we had an hour lunch and it seems as if the Nurses barely get a minute at my new job.... However, sometimes we have to make sacrifices so we can learn and advance. I know what it is like to work in a toxic environment. That is why I left my last job... Hang in there and I hope that you will find something better.

ladytopaz · May 9, 2012

I know exactly how you feel! I too left a very stressful nursing position at a hospital and my family acted like I had committed a huge crime and that I was looking for an 'easy' job. It wasn't until my mother was a patient at a hospital where I worked that she realized exactly what I had been talking about! Not enough help, call lights going off and no one answering them, meds being passed late, and working short every day! Hang in there. If nothig else than for your own sanity!! You did the right thing for you and good luck on your job search !!!