Cfitz

Dani, I feel for you girl. I was in your shoes in August-October of last year. And I wasn't pregnant OR hormonal (ok, maybe a little hormonal...). I felt exactly the same way you describe - anxious, felt like I didn't know anything and couldn't keep up, overwhelmed, etc. Then I went on nights and stopped sleeping and it all went to hell in a handbasket. I ended up quitting though because it was too much for me. I DON'T RECOMMEND THAT. I have been unemployed ever since, besides doing flu-shot clinics and working a clinic PRN (VERY PRN - almost never). It is the worst possible time to be looking for a job now - ANY job. So I really recommend you stick with it and do the best you can. It will be really, really tough, but it IS doable. Just try to keep telling yourself that it WILL get better (and it will) - you WILL get the hang of it more every day - and once you have 6-12 months of med-surg, you can pretty much write your own ticket. Almost every job I've applied for requires at least 1 year of med-surg, but they say they will accept a nurse with as little as 6 months. But I only had 3 months (and it was OB) so I'm pretty much qualified for nothing. It's been a very tough road. Listen, if you can get through this, you can get through ANYTHING! Once it's over and it's all water under the bridge, you can be soooo proud of yourself for seeing it through. Med-surg sucks (I think so anyway) but it's great experience! I wish you the best - please keep us updated, ok?

Thanks so much for your input. Hey, at least you have EXPERIENCE now!! If I had experience I could easily find a job on days. Good for you for not only hanging in there and doing it, but for recognizing it just isn't for you. There are people who swear by nights, and I'm glad. We need night nurses just as badly as we need day nurses. I'm just not a night nurse myself. Still looking for a job on days...

I had posted my resume on a few online nursing job sites. Today one of the recruiters called me and, although I don't have enough experience to work for them (they need a min. of 1 year) he told me that it is very, very typical for hospitals to do a hiring "chill" (not exactly a freeze) at this time of year, and that every year jobs open up again in January. So definitely take heart and keep the faith. He thinks it will be "easy" for us to find jobs after the first of the year. I'm banking on it!

I agree with everything you said latenightnurse, except I had one problem that I couldn't overcome. I could NOT sleep during the day, period. I was trying to adjust, but over and over I was having to work 12 hours (at a new, very difficult job) on no sleep - zero - none, or 1 to 2 hours max. I was starting to get very messed up. I lost 20 lbs in 3 weeks' time because I was nauseated constantly. I was starting to go loopy. I wish so much I could have made it work, but a person can only take so much of not sleeping before something has to give. Unfortunately it was my job. : ( I'm still unemployed and it's been almost 2 months. I'm glad you found a way to work it out. I would have preferred night shift had I just figured out a way to sleep during the day. I tried everything starting with chamomile tea, then moving to skullcap, then on to melatonin, then I tried Ambien. I couldn't even sleep on AMBIEN! So I have come to accept that I'm "one of those people" who just can't do night shift.

It's been 2 months since I resigned and I am having the same issues as you LadyQT. I have applied to so many places, including several units at the hospital, and nothing. Not a single word. I am quite disheartened but am trying to stay positive and keep the faith.

Thanks Addie! Keep up that positive thinking. I'm thinking positively as well. Something will come through, I know it will. It's a horrible time to be looking, but I do believe something will come through. I'll be patient if you will!

I'm having the exact same problem. When I say "I'm no longer working on the birthing center" they all say "Ohhhhh, really? Why? It was such a great thing for you!" or something like that. I'm SO tired of it. Now I just say "I can't sleep during the day so nights didn't work out." But inevitably the next question is "so where are you working now?". Uh... nowhere. Then I get the pity look. That's the worst. No one is hiring in my city - and I'm thinking this is the way it is in much of the country. Let's just keep praying that something presents itself to us soon!

I, too, am thinking I need to jump into a med-surg position instead of going straight into a physician's office job. I need to learn skills. I need EXPERIENCE! The hospital is not where I want to be forever, but it's the best place to learn everything a nurse needs to know including time-management (my biggest challenge), prioritization, nursing skills, etc. I think my ultimate goal (at least right this second, haha) is school nursing. I will need at least a year experience to even be considered for that though. Here's hoping we all are in a much better place at this time next year. I_Scream - I wish you the very best in your new position! I think you'll do great. You know more what to expect now and you can really be prepared. Addie, you and I are both seeking a job at one of the worst possible times - bad economy and holidays - not good! But hey, I know there is something out there that is right for us. We just need to be patient and have faith. I_Scream, I am on facebook as Christy Fitz - look me up!

I'm sorry there are others like us out there, but I am glad we are not alone. Nursing is a TOUGH job! I am also very laid back in my demeanor, and that has not translated well to keeping up with a very trying, fast-paced schedule. That's why I'm praying I can find a nursing job at a physician's office. NOT that offices can't be insanely busy - I know they can - but it's just different. It's more my pace.

Huh! Post-prandial hypotension is a really good guess! I wouldn't have thought of it, but it's a definite possibility.

82 is exactly the age I would have guessed. My husband and I both commented this morning about how he looks much older than his stated age.

Thanks Melinurse - and I will return that favor to you, too. This nursing thing is a lot more challenging than I ever thought it would be, but I think we can all succeed if given the right opportunity. I wish you the best!

I know what you mean. But it doesn't help to worry about what has already happened. Just keep moving forward and looking for the "right" thing for you. I feel certain there are enough options in nursing that something more suited to you (and me and the others here) will turn up.

I can see your point, too, actually... I'm wondering if a "VERY fast-paced" floor is the right thing for me, also... I am 44 years old, not the younger, perkier type of new grad. It may not be ideal to start on a really frenetically-paced floor. I can see myself learning a ton, but also burning out really fast....

Thanks - I think so too. It may not come as quickly as 3 12's but I do think I can still learn it.

You sound like a really good nurse. Everything you described sounds HARD! All the admits and discharges alone sound like a ton and a half of work!! But I'm trusting that with some time, I will get the hang of it and it won't be so hard. Thank you for the excellent rundown of what you do!

Hi, I am a new grad, having done 8 weeks on a Labor/Delivery floor and having to resign as I was hired on nights and it nearly killed me (long story short, I couldn't sleep during the day, AT ALL, and had to leave). Fast forward a few weeks and I'm really wanting to get a job. For awhile I considered never stepping foot in a hospital again (touch of ptsd I think) but I'm realizing that I need some broad experience and to learn some skills or I will never really have many options in nursing jobs. I've applied at many specialty physician offices but am having no luck. I have found a part-time day shift job opening on the surgical floor of our hospital (2 12-hour shifts per week). I'm considering applying because it will be good experience. I didn't get a ton of experience on the surgical floor in clinicals and I'm wondering what a typical day is like. Nursing is bloody hard and stressful, but I think doing it 2 days a week would be good. Will I learn the job with only 2 12-hour shifts per week? And if you don't mind, give me a rundown of your typical day (or night). THANK YOU!

Sounds good - I'll keep pluggin away if you will! I'm thinking of looking for a hospital job again but the thought of it is churning my stomach. Maybe I'm just not cut out for hospital nursing? I don't know. I'm hoping one of the physician offices will call me but so far... nuttin. I guess we'll see. I'm thinking about psych nursing too. There is a part-time position open at a local hospital for adolescent psych nursing. I have a special passion and love for teenagers, and I know it would be hard, but I think it might be more up my alley. I guess we'll see!

I_Scream and LadyQT - move over and let me in this boat with you! I too quit my job after only 8 weeks, but it was mostly because I switched from orienting on days to orienting on nights and ARRRGGHHH!!! It was like hell. I was not sleeping at all, lost 20 pounds in 3 weeks (that can't be good), I was shaking and crying and a wreck. I knew I couldn't do it anymore. A person can only go so long without sleep, then they die or something I've heard. (haha) I was hired as a new grad on the Labor & Delivery floor - the only unit I ever wanted to work on. The work was long, hard and tiring, but I was gradually getting it. Some of the other nurses were ******* from hell though and that didn't help. But others were great. I believe I would have gotten it well in a few more months. But nights... I just couldn't do it. It was literally making me sick. Not everyone can do nights, and I've come to the realization that I am one of those people. I just can.not.sleep during the day, period, even with AMBIEN! If you can't sleep on Ambien, you can't sleep! So here it's been about 2 months since I quit my job (begged to go on days PRN or whatever they could do - they said it wasn't possible). I've been working flu shot clinics here and there and I actually enjoy them. I love the interaction with the (healthy) public and the social aspects of seeing 100 people a day. I've been trying to figure out if working in a hospital is really what I'm called to do. It doesn't feel like it. So I've put in resumes at many of the specialty physician's offices in town but have not heard a word back (except for one office that called to tell me they had nothing at the moment, that was nice). I'm feeling a bit desperate now. I'm questioning whether nursing was a bad choice for me. I don't feel "called" to it anymore. I am actually having negative feelings when I think about it - anxiety, sadness, etc. That can't be good! I hope (and pray) you both find a well-fitting job for you. I will pray for you two and I hope you'll pray for me, too. He knows what He has called us to, and I believe He will reveal it to us when the time is right! ~Christy

I am currently working flu shot clinics in western NC and making $15.50/hr through Maxim. It's not much but I am really enjoying the work. It's easy and I love the interactions with people. I worked the birthing center of our hospital as a new grad and had to leave after several weeks of trying to work nights and being physically unable to sleep during the day. It was a tough lesson and really did a number on my confidence, so this has been a nice way to practice nursing without feeling overwhelmed. I am applying for jobs in MD offices as opposed to the hospital and am confident something will come through. For now the flu shot clinics are a good thing.

What are your work hours?

Holy schmoly, you are me. I can't get over the similarities in our stories. And I agree with you 100% about the stress and slave labor. It is RIDICULOUS. I just don't think the hospital is for everyone. I know good and well it isn't for me. I said it before and I'll say it again - I'm not killing myself for a JOB. The pay is decent (but not decent enough) but it's not worth my sanity, my health and my family's wellbeing. It's just not. I'm in the process of seeking other ways to work as a nurse. I pray something comes through or I'm afraid my nursing days are over before they began.

I feel ya, big time. I am constantly amazed at how similar so many of our stories are. At this age (44) I realized working in the hospital is just not for me, although many my age and older do it, and do it well. It just wasn't my thing. I'm looking in other places right now and I am cautiously optimistic about finding something else. I just know He has something for each of us. I had to leave before it "got better" because I was getting absolutely NO sleep and couldn't function like that. But if you are able to sleep during the day then yes, I do believe it will get better for you with time. Hang in there - I think I might have quit too soon, but I can't imagine going on no sleep for more than a few days... I hope it gets better for you.

Let me preface this by saying that I am a total noob and only worked on our birthing center for 6 weeks before leaving because I couldn't handle working nights (no sleep). I hated it. I have a long way to go and lots more to experience before I can say definitively if I hate being a nurse. I sure hated our birthing center though. It was not one bit the way I thought a "birthing center" would be. I am all about holistic nursing, they were all about medical interventions and a very medical birth. All I did all night was vitals, assessments, charting, changing beds, charting, vitals, assessments, charting, changing beds, charting, doing the garbage, charting, finding out when the babies last ate and for how long or how much, charting, checking and rechecking orders, charting, making sure the nursery was doing what they were supposed to be doing for my babies, charting charting CHARTING. The charting was freaking ridiculous. I understand the CYA aspect of it, but it was insane. I got to spend about 1 minute teaching the patient breastfeeding or newborn care or postpartum care or whatever. And that's where my strength is. So I'm going to try to find a job where I can really offer new mamas that teaching. I did enjoy the newborn care I got to do - hearing screens, bathing, assessing the baby, etc. I would always try to steal a few minutes after their baths to snuggle and hold them tight. That was worth the hell I went through not sleeping for those weeks. If you enjoy vitals and assessments, and don't mind insane amounts of charting, you will enjoy a typical L&D floor.

Everyone has had great ideas, thanks. I will be working flu shot clinics for the next 2 months, so that's something. It will give me a chance to think more and try to network more too. If nothing else comes up, and even if it does, I may decide to offer my pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and newborn care teaching to our local crisis pregnancy center- a pro-life organization that counsels girls and women who've decided against abortion. I can't think of anyone who may be more in need of someone who can really teach them this stuff. I think this may be what I was "supposed" to do. I am blessed to be in a situation where I can offer my services for a very reduced rate (or free). I can't believe I never thought of it. :loveya: