dear3535

Portland, OR, my hospital starts at $26.99/hr.

Hi everyone, Just wanted to say hi and little update on my life here in Portland. Some of you might remember my story.. I lived in Portland about 8 years and moved down to Bakersfied, CA, last year for my first nursing job with a sign-on bonus and relocation assistance of $10,000. I just wanted to stick out for a year and come back with a year of nursing experience under my belt, but in reality I was so miserable & hated nursing esp. the med/surg floor where I worked as a night shift RN. I also was having lots of health troubles related to working the night shift. And.. I decided to quit and moved back to Portland after 7 months of experience. I luckily got another job right away in a big teaching hospital once I moved here. That was my last try on the med/surge field, but so far it's working out well for me. First of all, working a day shift helps a lot. Also, the patient load is resonable.. I start with 3-4 patients but they don't give me more than 5 patients. We also have a great team work, and everybody tries to help each other out. I can actually have a lunch meal break, EVERYDAY, amazing.. I hardly have to wait for MD's call because I just page them and they put orders in the computer.. There's a dedicated IV nurse on the floor who starts IV's. CNA's and secretaries actually do their jobs, which every little support like that helps make my day so much easier. So far, I'm grateful to have this job.. Med/surg is not my greatest attraction but I'll give it a try a little bit longer & learn as much as I can. For those of you who hate your work environment, please do try other places before giving up. It's not us who are crazy - it's the aweful work environment that make us nuts.. I still have to pay back about 4,000 dollars to the hospital in CA as I broke the contract, but I have no regret in quitting. Well.. that was my update.. Hope everyone's doing well. ^^"

Wow.. kellerpatty, you described the exact my work environment.. that's how I spent my night's at work day after day.. it's sad.. really sad.. I do not hate nursing and enjoy working with patients - but poor condition of nursing environment with hardly any support is driving me away from nursing.. Well, today is my last night at work.. As being a nurse, I have tremendous respect for all nurses - I personally think that it is above and beyond of we give to our patients.. I wish we could get more support..

Hi there.. I totally understand what you're going through and I'm in the same boat. I'm also a new grad and have been a med/surg nurse for six months, but I'm quitting at the end of this month. I'm excited about getting my life BACK, although I won't have much money to live on. (I have to pay back about $ 8,000 for relocation assistance and sign-on bonus) Well, I was fairly healthy woman of 30 years old till I got this night shift position. As a night awl, I thought I would handle working the night shift – yet, working the graveyard shift was not what I imagined. I had share of stress in my life before but not to the extent of ruinning my health. Too much of demand and no support.. Being a new nurse is hard as it is, yet adding the physical stress of staying up all night on my feet for 12.5 hours, sometimes even without a break, certainly wrecked my circadian rhythm. I've been having a hormonal imbalance for six months, insomnia, depression (which I didn't even realize), chronic fatigue, dermatitis, and now I am diagnosed with GERD (Gastroesophageal reflex disease) – none these problems existed before I took the job. Even my attending doctor tells me either to quit the job or switch to a day shift in a less stressful environment.. There's no way I'm going into the day shift in med/surg unit, knowing how stressful it is also. I'm taking a few months off and will try to look for a less stressful type of nursing job, maybe doctor's office or outpatient.. (I hope there's such a place..) I'm not sure yet.. I used to be compationate about being a nurse and helping other people.. But now I'm realizing that I can't even take care of myself, let alone my family.. If it continues to be miserable, I'm considering quitting nursing all together.. I really hope something works out for me.. Good luck to everyone and sending my huggs.

Thanks for all of your comments - I read them all. I've been so miserable but somewhat relieved to know that I'm not so crazy after all and many of us are having similar issues/problems.. About three months into employment (including 9 weeks of OT), I work in busy med/surg unit at night and my life is just out of whack.. It's usually okay when I don't have to think about work, but whenever I do I get emotional and cant' stop crying.. (almost everyday.. ) I guess I'm depressed too.. Being a floor nursing is not what I imagined when I was in nursing school.. I just want my health and sanity back.. Where is my happiness..?? I used to be a happier person but all I have now is feeling of resentment, sadness, and hopelessness.. I moved from Oregon to California simply because I couldn't find a hospital job in Portland for three months. My husband even quit his job because of me and came down here to support me.. Now I'm finding myself hating my "nursing job" and wanting to quit it everyday.. Is there such a nursing job that is less physically & emotionally demanding and less stressful..? I don't care even if I get paid considerably less. Even working at a grocery store sounds good to me.. Since I signed the contract, I have to work at least for a year - otherwise I have to pay back 6,000 dollars of relocation assistance fee. What have I gotten myself into..? I want to have a baby this year but I don't know if I can carry a healthy baby under this much stress and compromised immune system.. I wanted to be a competent, compassionate nurse but I can't even care for myself now.. I'm so drained and burn out already.. I try to do my best while at work, but life gets miserable outside work.. My mind must be doing some kind of trick on me.. I wish I were stronger.. I have no choice but stick to it for a year and decide then.. Sorry for rambling on.. I hope everyone is doing better than me.. I still have tremendous respect for nurses.. Best wishes to you all.

Hi my name is Jay. Nice to meet you all ! I graduated from a nursing school in March 2006 and I just finished 9 weeks of orientation and on my own for two days. I have to tell you that being a med/surg nurse is not what I imagined esp. working at night, but I have no choice as I got stuck here at least for a year.. I hope I make it through...