GrumpyOldBastard

You are not alone.  It took me about 16 years to find the right nursing job.  I then put 22 years in there!  If I had paid attention, and let go of my ideas of what I “should” do versus what I was good at and enjoyed…. I would have been a lot happier earlier.  Of course, battling depression every day (since my teens) didn’t help me make good job choices.  
I learned that it was absolutely OK to admit that some of the jobs that I thought I “should” be good at… I absolutely hated.  
I learned that for me… having my time was more important than making lots of $$$.  So I accepted a lower annual income… to enjoy huge amounts of time off (with benefits).  
I found that I could make a positive impact on nurses and patients doing what I love… not doing what I “should” do.  
I learned that the setting/context can make the same patient population either a good experience or a living hell.  
I learned that the modern American hospital is fundamentally a toxic place for nurses.  There are exceptions… but overall, hospital work is becoming more impossible every day.