LadyPhantom

Thanks for all the replies and advice! I am still seriously thinking about switching, I told my hubby I would make my decision by the end of the week, after I talk with my manager and see what shifts are available at night. I hope I can handle the switch over, it has been YEARS since I worked nights, and I am usually in bed early

Ok, I have been working on a BUSY Med/Surg Tele floor for almost 8 months now. I am doing much better than I was a few months ago, am holding my own and actually feeling more confidant about my abilities. But I am thinking of switching to night shift on this floor for a couple of reasons: my schedule would be more compatible with 11p-7a (could be home when my kids get home from school, and be at work while they are asleep), and it pays considerably more. I do have some concerns though: being able to adjust to sleeping during the day and staying up all night is a big one, and the fact that night shift nurses on my floor have many more patients than day shift (sometimes I can barely handle the 4-5 patients I have on days....I cannot imagine having 7 patients!) If anyone has any advice or experience with switching from days to nights I would appreciate it.

That is why I wanted to write this. I have done my fair share of posting negative comments on this board about my experience and frustration with being a new nurse. I think it is important to express the good as well so that others who are feeling what I did will know that there is hope. Thanks everyone for the encouragement and hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season!

It's been 7 months since I graduated and started working as a Staff RN on a Med-Surg/Telemetry floor and I am finally starting to feel better about my job. I am even starting to *gasp* enjoy it. I have had a rough 7 months, with dreading going to work every and hating it while I was there and not being able to sleep. But over the last couple of weeks it has just started getting better. I don't know if it is my attitude towards my job that is better, or the fact that I am now a little more comfortable at work and with the other staff that I work with, but it is so nice to finally feel this way. I have still had bad days, a couple of really bad ones, and I am exhausted right now from working five 12 hour shifts with only one day off in between, but I am starting to remember why I wanted to be a nurse in the first place. :balloons:

I once thought the same thing. I was 27, recently divorced, moved to another state for a man I met on the internet, had two kids, got pregnant with the 3rd, and had a "good" job as a correctional officer. But I always wanted to be a nurse, and I hated being a prison guard. So I went for it. It took me 5 years to get an Associates Degree in Nursing, going part time for a while so I could work. But I am so glad I stuck with it. Even on my worst day nursing (and I am new and slow, so I have quite a few bad days) it is still better than being a correctional officer. Now I am married to the man I met on the internet, we have three great kids, and I am working as an RN. Our life is finally coming together like we hoped it would. So follow your dreams, don't get discouraged, and GOOD LUCK!

Definately the RN. I went to a college that did the LPN to RN program, and graduated with my LPN but went straight back into school for only two more semesters and graduated with my RN, and I am so glad I did. Some of my classmates stopped after getting their LPN and started working, intending to take one year off and go back, but unfortunately none of them were able to get back into school this year...sometimes life gets in the way. I thought about taking a year off and starting work as an LPN, because I was so worn out from school and family responsibilites. I am so glad now that I didn't. I make $7 an hour more as a new-grad RN than my classmates (who work at the same hospital) as LPN's with one year experience. So if at all possible, I would recommend you go for the RN...more pay and more opportunities. Good luck!

Sorry to hear you didn't like teaching. Do some more research before you decide to go with nursing. I really believe that nursing is a career you must WANT to do, not for the money, not for the job security, not for the flexibility, but because you WANT to be a nurse. Even then, it can be a difficlt and demanding job. Much more so than I thought. I have always wanted to be a nurse, was so thrilled when I graduated 6 months ago, and in the last 6 months have been frustrated, stressed-out, disappointed, and overwhelmed. The thing that keeps me going is that I know that I am helping my patients. Nursing is a demanding job, physically and mentally. The shifts are long, the mental strain is difficult, the time factor (never enough of it) is hard, dealing with demanding patients, worried families and arrogant doctors is frustrating, and to top it all off, you have to work weekends and holidays. There are great aspects of nursing too. There is no better feeling in the world than knowing you made a difference in someone's life, even if only for a little while. Being your patient's advocate, teaching your patient how to care for themself, or just being there to listen to your patient and knowing that you helped is extremely rewarding. If you know anyone who is a nurse or a nurse's aide, ask them about it. Go to your local community college and speak with the director of the nursing program, ask questions and see if maybe you can "shadow" a nurse for a shift at your local hospital. I know the hospital I work at allows that. Good luck in whatever you decide. Sorry if I sound negative, I don't mean to. Maybe I am just still really new at this and still feeling overwhelmed.

The two good days I had were the ones that I didn't get behind on meds, actually opened my charts before 1pm (halfway through my shift), didn't piss off any doctors (I seem to have a knack for that...lol), actually felt as if I had some idea of what I was doing instead of running blindly, actually got to eat lunch and go to the bathroom at least once during the day, and didn't have to stay over for at least 30-45 mins trying to finish things. The bad days: when I walk into a mess and immediately have to start the process of transferring a patient to the unit, while another patient is an elopement risk and trying to sneak out the door, and another patient is confused and combatative. Or when I am so totally behind on meds and I have 3 doctors waiting at the nurse's desk to talk to me, and the phone on my hip won't quit ringing and I have a family member who needs me to explain something the doctor told them and I can hear one of my patient's calling out my name in the next room and I get a call that my other patient is confused and walking around naked and fighting with the CNA's. All this before 8am. The day just never seems to get better for me after that. And that is just one example But I am hoping that things will get better with time and experience.

I graduated on May 12 and started working on May 14. I never worked at any type of nursing or even healthcare job before I went to school, so my only "experience" was my clinical rotations in school. I always worked retail sales jobs, worked as a daycare worker while my kids were small (free daycare), and as a correctional officer for a while. I got hired on at one of the hospitals I did 3 of my clinical rotations at, and I had a good preceptorship after I was hired (over 3 months) and I work with some really great nurses who help me a LOT. I have some really bad days, some "ok" days, and have had two really good days in 5 months. I am a nervous wreck before I go into work and an exhausted mess when I get home from work. I am hoping it will either get better with time and experience, or that I will learn ways to deal with the stress. You should be able to get a job when you graduate. I found that in our last 3 months of school, we had 6 different hospitals and 4 nursing homes cater lunches and/or dinners for us and try to get us to come work for them. We were very actively recruited. Also, I do wish at times that I had some type of healthcare experience before I started working as a nurse. I think it would have helped some, but I don't think it has held me back any. I just ask a ton of questions (everyday!) and thank God for the great nurses I work with who never get irritated with me and always help me. Good luck to you!

I have been working on a Med-Surg/Telemetry unit since I graduated in May. I actually had a good orientation, but since I have come off orientation I have been so overwhelmed. Some days I feel so stupid. I am always behind, on meds and charting. Some days are better than others, but I have never felt so sick and anxious before going to work at any of my other jobs. I have always wanted to be a nurse and it has taken me a long time to get my degree, I thought when I graduated that I would really be happy. But I am not. I am so miserable when I have to go into work. Thank goodness I work 12 hour shifts so I only have to be there 3 days a week. They are always asking me if I want to stay over or come in for overtime, and I always say no because I just can't stand the thought of being there any more than I have to. It is really sad to think that I wanted this job for so long and now I hate it. Hopefully it is just the Med/Surg floor that I don't like. I am trying to stick it out to get some experience so I can hopefully move on to something else.