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The author of the post came to this forum for help and she has good intentions. We are only hearing one perspective of the story. No she was not being bullied but harshly criticized. It might be true that she has a poor nurse mentor but she has to remain professional. She is already taking those steps by responding rather than reacting. Best of luck.....

DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED!!! All of what you have listed, I was there! I was stressed out when I was in clinicals that I went outside the hospital and wanted to drop out completely. My mentor nurse berated me for the same things and the Charge nurse came in to berate me some more. My nursing clinical instructor who had been around for only one week out of the four continued to berate me after the meeting and I took time for a walk. As I was walking I really considered if nursing was what I really wanted to do. I asked myself some questions..... HOW DO OTHERS PERCEIVE ME??? WHAT CAN I DO DIFFERENTLY TO CHANGE THIS PERCEPTION?? HOW PASSIONATE AM I ABOUT NURSING??? OR HOW BAD DO I WANT THIS? With these questions answered I told myself I had to adapt to the environment and be extremely organized. I developed a spreadsheet that was one piece of paper back and front so I always had the answers to every question on a patient. I did a lot of observing and less talking. I was criticized for lots of things but never attempted to defend myself. I didn't need to. I took initiative even though I didn't want to in this chaotic floor. In the end everything came out a lot better. Its all about personality and tact. While most of the culture of nursing has changed being a student nurse has still remained the change. Some older nurses still eat their young! Find a good mentor nurse who can change your attitude/perceptions and offer you advice that can help you in other clinicals. THINK LESS ABOUT GRADES IN YOUR CLINICAL AND MORE ABOUT HOW YOU CONDUCT YOURSELF. Best of luck, you will make it through!

I love your reply. I don't advocate leaving as many jobs as you did but try to stay at this position at least a year or two and find nurses who can mentor you. I have worked regular and travel nursing assignments in my last 13 years and I have been criticized for my military reserve training and traveling assignments during interviews and jobs. I don't list all of my of my employers that would be way too long. Some of my employers were private facilities and most have closed up shop so its impossible to get a hold of them. I have relished the opportunity to work in different settings traveling. I have always finished my contracts except for one when it threatened my license and I was very upfront with the agency about it. While my resume recently does not reflect a long stint with one employer I have great relationships with leaving and would work for them again. I have geared my nursing to my lifestyle and my health. I can't handle much stress theses days it really affects my body and I make a point to care extremely well for myself. I agree with others when they say that maybe you should not look to go back to school unless you really want to get out of floor nursing. If that's the case go back to school full-time. Nursing is a big field there is plenty of things to do without being a floor nurse. It is one of the toughest jobs and you have to maintain self-control even when things are wrong. Every nurse has been a situation that is out of our control but please step back and know it is our response to the situation and NOT OUR REACTION THAT SETS US APART! BTW I recently had a verification for my employment in the military for an on-call position and they wanted me to submit tax records OR PAY STUBS from 2001??? REALLY? This too much! Legally I don't think that they can request this. BEST OF LUCK.

I've been nursing 13 years and have worked so much that I am headed for a burnout. The increasing amount of work that is placed on nurses today has been overwhelming. I agree with most of the people who find themselves lost in their jobs and have no sense of who they really are. I'm a nurse who strives to be thrown into different settings and enjoys mixing it up with different jobs. Spent almost 20 years in the military but never find myself staying more than 2 years in a position lately. It used to bother me but it is better for my health to not get stressed out in my job. I would suggest working outside of your specialty and decreasing your hours. Don't give any thoughts to listening to what others think about when you should retire. The choice is yours. Hopefully you can focus on yourself and not just finances. Your journey has been unique. Be kind to yourself. Lots of luck in your decision.