maybaby9

Hi...I don't know who else to talk to because I feel so lost right now. I have been an RN for a little over a year...i am a charge nurse (only RN) on night shift. I have been completely miserable at this job ever since i've started with occasional times where I don't feel like I'm losing my mind. I didn't even really like nursing school, but kept going because I felt like it was something I should finish. Now here I am, I think I gave this position a fair amount of time....I dread going into work everyday, I'm either eating like a horse or not eating at all...laying in bed all day...I'm not doing well. I seriously do not want to continue doing any nursing in the hospital...or even nursing at all. I look at going back to school all the time, and am looking for non-hospital nursing jobs...but they seem to be so hard to find. I am desperate and I don't know what to do anymore. It is taking a toll on my entire life. Does anybody have any ideas or advice for me? I live in the Cleveland area if anybody has any ideas of good places to work. Thanks...

Hi...I don't know who else to talk to because I feel so lost right now. I have been an RN for a little over a year...i am a charge nurse (only RN) on night shift. I have been completely miserable at this job ever since i've started with occasional times where I don't feel like I'm losing my mind. I didn't even really like nursing school, but kept going because I felt like it was something I should finish. Now here I am, I think I gave this position a fair amount of time....I dread going into work everyday, I'm either eating like a horse or not eating at all...laying in bed all day...I'm not doing well. I seriously do not want to continue doing any nursing in the hospital...or even nursing at all. I look at going back to school all the time, and am looking for non-hospital nursing jobs...but they seem to be so hard to find. I am desperate and I don't know what to do anymore. It is taking a toll on my entire life. Does anybody have any ideas or advice for me? I live in the Cleveland, Ohio area if anybody has any ideas of good places to work. Thanks...

Hello, I've posted on here before early on when I was thinking about moving to Texas, and now my boyfriend and I are ready to take things to the next level....so I'm really starting to amp up my resume and ready to apply for positions. I'd be living in Fort Worth, and I really don't know much about places to work in the area. I have my BSN and have 9 months experience as charge nurse on a skilled nursing unit in a hospital. I am interested in psych nursing, community health/public health nursing, correctional nursing, and long term care. Where are some good places to find jobs like that? I really don't care about money, I want a job that I care about and makes me feel like I'm really helping others. Even just names of places are helpful, I'm a pretty good google searcher I've looked on websites but would like an in on where are good places to work. And how does it work if I don't have a Texas license right now? I obviously will be getting one...but will they accept my resume before I have it? And also, what do people think of the Fort Worth area? Everytime I've been out there I love it, everyone is so nice and it's just beautiful. Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it!!! :nuke:

I am a fairly new grad completely miserable in my current job (I'll spare you the details as to why, but I am to the point of extreme depression,anxiety, not eating, not getting out of bed, having a counselor recommend I find another job, family/friends telling me I'm acting like a totally different person), and have found some other nursing jobs that interest me and excite me. How do I go about applying for other jobs while I still have a job now? I don't exactly want to announce I'm looking for a new job, but I'm nervous about applying and having a prospective employer possibly call my work before I'm ready to give fair notice. I really don't want to be a "quitter" or a bad employee, I just really cannot take it anymore. If a prospective employer sees that you are currently employed by someone else, do they usually at least wait to call them until after they interview you or at least speak with you? I just don't want to be surprised one day if management comes up to me and is ticked off because I'm looking for other options. Any ideas/advice are greatly appreciated, I really didn't think I would be in a situation like this:uhoh21:

I have been working since July, and am still in orientation and I feel the same way!! I am trying to stick it out awhile until I decide what I really want to do, and not make an emotional decision. I dread work everyday, and am depressed ALOT, it has effected my life so much and I am feeling drained. You are doing what I feel like I eventually need to do, but I am a complete DOORMAT sometimes and am just plain scared to disappoint others and look like a quitter/failure, even if I'm miserable. I am happy to hear it can be done, and you won't be black balled from other jobs that you really want. I'm hoping to get into community or public health, I love teaching. I pray for all of us that are so unhappy....we all deserve to find out niche and be happy! A job just isn't worth being miserable. Anyone who can jab me into stepping up and taking control of my life, I'd appreciate the encouragement :wink2:

Hey there Texas Nurses :) I currently live in Ohio, and am possibly thinking of moving to the Fort Worth area at some point in the future, I was just wondering what nursing in that area is like--where are some good hospitals or other facilities to look for jobs at? I'd really prefer to be getting into HHC or public health, psych, community health...although I am a new grad with only some experience in the hospital so far. How is pay for new grads in the area? Any other tips or advice would be very helpful!! If you're from that area, is it nice, do you like it? I'm just looking for somewhere new (and WARM!) to move to, I need a change of scenery!! Thanks! :)

I still feel the same way as I felt before, I'm really not into what I'm doing, and I'm literally losing my hair and somewhat depressed. I'm trying so hard to stick it out and just give it some more time...because I am in a new grad program right now, and they say they "want" you to stick around for a year after the program is completed (I did not sign a contract or get paid any additional money, it was just something written on a paper and was told to me when I was hired), but I just don't know if I can do that...I am going to try to stick with it though. But isn't that completely horrible of me if I leave before they "want" me to? I'm afraid if I do at like the 6 month mark or so I will be treated like crap those last couple weeks before I leave, I am scared I won't be able to find another job if I leave this one because it makes me look bad. And all at the same time, I just think all this headache is not worth it to me, my sanity is more important. I feel like I'm at a road block. Some days I can be somewhat positive, but most I feel like I just need to get out. I'm even considering moving, I'm just not happy where my life is at right now. I just needed to vent some more, I appreciate everyone being so supportive and understanding.

Hello Ohio Nurses! I've been working almost two months as a new grad in a hospital in the Cleveland area...and it's just really not for me. I have 8-10 patients every shift (I do have a preceptor that I can run things by and will help me when I need it), and I don't feel like I can give GOOD care that I feel each patient deserves. It's very discouraging to be running around passing 23927389213 meds and charting and all those other tasks when I can't be there for a patient that is crying or vomitting or just needs someone to talk to...even just for 5 minutes. Let alone the fact I don't think it's very safe, or allows me to really put the "big picture" together. Alot of the time, I feel like I am just going through the actions of being a nurse, but not having time to digest and really investigate charts to understand my patients. I'm getting burnt out and depressed quickly...I've lost weight, don't sleep much, and my hair is falling out like crazy. I'll get to the point now....Public Health Nursing is something that has always appealed to me, I really like the idea of educating and working out in the community, having some self direction, and feeling like I really make a difference. Plus nurses I've met that work in PH or do community health (another interest of mine) seem much more happy and positive about their work, I WANT TO HAVE THAT!! I know no job is perfect, but if I had a job I felt passionate about, I really feel it would make some of the stress worth it to me. What I'm looking for is if anyone can tell me if it's completely impossible to get a job in this field without a ton of experience, (I'd be willing to stick this job out for a little bit longer in order to get one that will make me happy), how I can get my foot in the door, and where exactly I can look for these jobs. Any other ideas or advice would be really appreciated. Thanks so much.

thankyou so much for the advice. it's good to know i'm not completely crazy feeling this way!

I had (and still have) that dilemma in my own mind! Have you ever shadowed a Rad Tech? If you haven't, find someone you can shadow and work with them for a day. See if you like what they're doing. Talk to students in the program, and people already in the career. Hear what they have to say about the positives and negatives. If you like what you see and hear, maybe you should consider making a change. Life will be much more fulfilling if you're doing something that makes you HAPPY :) I am a nurse right now, but am planning on either going back to school for rad tech or dental hygiene. There's no problem with changing your mind, it is VERY common today. Let me know how everything works out, good luck!

Thanks everyone for the posts and support, I really appreciate it..and am trying not to be hard on myself. I am about to start an "internship" for new nurses, which is 10 weeks......I am going to stick with this unit for now, and hopefully after that I will be feeling better...I'm trying to be positive, especially because they ASK you to stay on board for like a year after the intership is done. I'd feel bad cutting out if it's still not a good fit for me, but other people I've asked said it's not a huge deal. Any thoughts? Thanks again everyone.

I am a new RN, and have worked on Med/SUrg for a little over a month. To make a long story short, I'm not very happy, don't like working in the hospital, and feel like I'm pulled in 289328392 directions (I am assigned to 10 patients every shift.) I know I supposedly need med/surg experience to get a public health nursing job...but is this necessarily true? I'm willing to get more schooling/training in order to get a position in PHN. I will try to stick with my current position, but I have a strong desire to educate and be out serving the community. I feel it would really give me a sense of purpose and enjoyment in nursing....something I don't feel at all. Where would I look for such jobs? Knowing that I at least have some options would make me feel at least a little better. I live in Ohio if that helps at all. Thanks for any advice, I'm really feeling lost and discouraged right now.

I've been reading around on the boards, and I see alot of new nurses feel the same way I do. The thing is, I was never really that "into" nursing, even during school. I graduated in May, and have passed my boards and have been working in a hospital for over a month. Everyday I wake up and have to go to work, I seriously just want to cry. I know I'd be nervous doing ANY job or career for the first time, but I don't even enjoy hospital nursing that much. I LOVE people and teaching, but I HATE the hospital setting. I have 10 patients and feel pulled in 8492374324 directions and feel like I never really have a grasp about what is going on with them, or that I am putting it all together...I kind of feel like an overly anxious medication dispenser. I know I need to stick it our for awhile and see if it gets better, but I am dying to figure out some kind of plan to either change my nursing career path, or change into another profession completely (even attending community college to become a dental hygientist, radiology tech, or who knows even something random like real estate agent, human resources). I don't care about money, I just want to be happy. But I feel like a failure if I DON'T do nursing, and worry about how I will pay off my nursing school loans while I get training. Maybe getting another type of full time job that is not stressful and leaves me enough time to study??..Basically I just WANT to like my job, and if I'm lucky, even LOVE it...I know I am a hard worker, and a loving, compassionate person... I just feel so lost, miserable, and like a failure because I spent all this time in school to get my BSN, and it's something that doesn't even make me happy. If I am going to stay in nursing, maybe a community health job, public health,parish nursing, or any outpatient care positions would be better, but I know those jobs are hard to find...and am not really sure how to go about it...I could use advice about all of this! I know this post is all disorganized, long, and emotional, but nobody really understands how I'm feeling...my new grad nursing friends like and some even love their jobs. I appreciate any responses or advice.

I've been reading around on the boards, and I see alot of new nurses feel the same way I do. The thing is, I was never really that "into" nursing, even during school. I graduated in May, and have passed my boards and have been working in a hospital for over a month. Everyday I wake up and have to go to work, I seriously just want to cry. I know I'd be nervous doing ANY job or career for the first time, but I don't even enjoy hospital nursing that much. I LOVE people and teaching, but I HATE the hospital setting. I have 10 patients and feel pulled in 8492374324 directions and feel like I never really have a grasp about what is going on with them, or that I am putting it all together...I kind of feel like a overly anxious medication dispenser. I know I need to stick it our for awhile and see if it gets better, but I am dying to figure out some kind of plan to either change my nursing career path, or change into another profession completely (even attending community college to become a dental hygientist, radiology tech, or who knows even something random like real estate agent, human resources). I don't care about money, I just want to be happy. But I feel like a failure if I DON'T do nursing, and worry about how I will pay off my nursing school loans while I get training. Maybe getting another type of full time job that is not stressful and leaves me enough time to study??..Basically I just WANT to like my job, and if I'm lucky, even LOVE it...I know I am a hard worker, and a loving, compassionate person... I just feel so lost, miserable, and like a failure because I spent all this time in school to get my BSN, and it's something that doesn't even make me happy. If I am going to stay in nursing, maybe a community health job, parish nursing, or any outpatient care positions would be better, but I know those jobs are hard to find...and am not really sure how to go about it...I could use advice about all of this! I know this post is all disorganized, long, and emotional, but nobody really understands how I'm feeling...my new grad nursing friends like and some even love their jobs. I appreciate any responses or advice.