SrnD

Not sure how to start this. I guess I would first like to say that I have immense respect for nurses of all areas and specialties, from the most advanced, specialized nurse to the "just-a-floor-nurse" nurses. I have posted previously about career decisions and advice, and here I am back again. I'll start by telling you that I am a young nurse, and have only been in nursing for 1.5 years, all of that time being either med-surg or med-telemtry. I realize I am very young in my career, so I am sure there are many who just want to roll their eyes immediately because I haven't "paid my dues", and I understand that. But I have always thought that if something is making you truly unhappy or causing a certain amount of grief, it is just not worth it. Like many, I come here today to basically complain about my job (that I realize I'm lucky to have at all), but also to ask for genuine advice, as I honestly don't know where else to go or what else to do. My woes are nothing that a little browsing on this board won't find you plenty of: the lack of support staff, the over-working, the madatory OT, disrespect and harrassment from higher-ups, doctors, family members, and patients, and so on and so forth. These everyday problems of a nurse have become too much for me to bear. I complain everyday to my loving and understanding husband, but he is unsure of where to guide me. The anxiety has consumed me. I have applied to over 100 other positions, both internally and in other hospitals and nothing has panned out. I have thought over and over again about leaving nursing all together to go back to a job with much less stress. I have thought about taking time off from nursing to see if it's something that I truly want to do, but fear that if I went that path, re-entering nursing would find me in my current situation (working a job that I try everyday to get out of). Obviously there are many different nursing jobs out there, but we all know they want more and more experience than ever before. To be quite honest, I believe the only thing keeping me in nursing is my financial responsibility. I know, I know. Woe is me, at least I have a job, the grass is always greener. Thank you to whoever takes the time to read this lengthy post, and an even bigger thanks to anyone willing to offer advice. The most thanks and blessings of all to all the nurses dealing with this same crap everyday.

thank you everyone for your input! i certainly have a lot to think about before i make any quick decisions. you can bet i'll be updating with any changes in the future. thanks again and happy nursing to all!

I've been working in acute care for about a year and a half, 6 months of that being med/surg, 1 year being telemetry/step-down. I told myself I would stick my current job out at least 2 years to gain a litte more experience and better qualify me for something else in the future, but I've been feeling so burnt out and on-edge (for a while now) that all I can think of is getting out now. I keep teetering on the thought of home health, although I don't know if that's consistent with my long-term goals in nursing(I'm currently ASN, planning on taking classes for BSN soon). I don't know how much longer I can take the never-ending stress of the hospital, especially in my current unit. I get palpitations from the moment I step onto the floor until the moment I leave. I've been looking for openings within the hospital and outside of the hospital in lower-stress environments to no avail. I realize home health has it's issues too (don't all jobs?), but from what I hear, "the worst day in home health is still better than the best day on the floor". Any advice/suggestions/stories/experiences would be greatly appreciated!!!

After almost a year and a half of being a nurse (working Tele now), I still feel the most awkward when going in patient rooms for the first time to introduce myself. I walk in, say "Hello Mr/Mrs. X, My name is X and I'm going to be your nurse until X today. How are you?" or some version of that. I know it sounds irrational but I just feel like a goof doing it, lol. I've tried different approaches, such as popping in quick before my med pass/assessment to write my name on the board and give a quick introduction, and I've also just done the intro/med pass/assessment all at once. I feel awkward either way. This feeling quickly goes away so I don't think it's a "people-person" problem. ack, I don't know. Just wondering if anyone out there feels the same or has any tips on how to not feel so awkward initially. Thanks!

aw sorry, I am not an ER nurse =/ I was just wondering if you ever worked in that environment before because it seems like people love it or hate it. I get the feeling I would love it, but the ER where I work now is a MESS, and i hear it's not much better at another hospital close by. but given the right place, I think it sounds awesome. and I totally hear you on feeling smacked over the head sometimes, lol. i, too, am a quick learner, but no one is super woman, and even fast learners need time to adjust. good luck though! i have faith you'll be wonderful in no time

congrats!!! have u ever worked ER before?

i feel the same. i guess i just don't want to admit that they might not want me, lol.

hmmm so here's an additional question: since the interview (it's been one week), i have mailed out the thank you's, called the manager and left a message (have not rec'd a call back), and have tried my hardest to wait patiently (kind of failing miserably). do you think i should call back in a week if i hear nothing by then? or will i be put on a "beware of stalker" list?

thanks everyone!

I was blessed enough to interview for a PACU position at a magnet hospital near home last week. I thought it went well, and at the end i got the "we'll be contacting you very soon" line. it's been a week, I have sent the thank you cards the day after, and even called today and left a message inquiring about the status of things. basically, I am just on edge and haven't been able to rest easy since before the interview. Today I check the hospital's job postings online and the position I applied for has been removed!!! what are the chances that I still have a shot at this? Do you think I would've been contacted to let me know if I wasn't chosen? I have really been feeling called to PACU/OR. AHHHH I guess i just wanted to vent and I know you all have been in this spot before. All I hope is that I get my call returned by tomorrow and get a clearer picture of where I stand in the process. thanks for reading my vent!

Hi everyone! I was just wondering, do most PACU nurses use a "brain" like in many other areas? I've only ever done floor/tele nursing and I know i NEED my brain to keep my shift together. Just wondering how it works in other areas. Thanks!

wow, thank you everyone! i will definitely be applying for that job and will let everyone know if i get it!

I have been an RN on a telemetry floor for approx. 4 months at a hospital. my hospital has a policy that you can't transfer within until at least 6 mos. in a position, however, i was reading the MR policy on that and it said under certain circumstances, a transfer may be made. there is a new RN position open in the OR for days and I would kill to have it. if it were you, and you really wanted the OR day job, and you knew if u didn't apply soon it might go to a new grad (it's new grad season soon!) would u apply for it, even though you haven't been in uyour current position for 6 mos?

for those in the OR: did u enter that area right away or work for some time in other areas of nursing first? i've heard it's very difficult for a nurse to come into the OR unless she or he started as a surgical tech. I was just wondering because i think it seems like a place i might like to work (I just started on a telemetry floor, so I'm cardiac for a while).

everyone has missed the fact that the lpn was the team leader while the rn (like it or not, a higher license) was put to do the cna's work. and as the OP stated NUMEROUS times, she had no problem taking the cna role for the shift, but under the particular circumstances, had an issue (that the supervisor disregarded). everyone in healthcare can complain except for the nurse, right? when the secretary is swamped, the nurse has to pick up some slack. when the cna is swamped, again the nurse picks up slack. but when the nurse is swamped with RN only duties, well, no one picks up his or her slack - do they?

i work nights and hate it, partly for this reason!!! even my family, who sees first hand that i get VERY LITTLE sleep, if any some days, seems to think i should be able to be on their schedule. in fact, nights ppl probably need MORE sleep than those working other shifts because of the toll it really does take on ur body/mind. ppl don't seem to get that working nights is COMPLETELY different than working other shifts, especially if your not a night owl.

i loved my nursing school (a 2 year college) and really felt they did a wonderful job of preparing us. most of their graduates share that sentiment. what i liked about the program was that they didn't baby us. we were held responsible for a lot of information and work in a short amount of time. it was hard work but definitely doable. also, i myself always learned a great deal from having practice scenarios. for example, the floor i work on had a mock code for the new grads/residents and i honestly feel like in a real code i would be slightly more calm than i would be had i not seen the mock one. i do wish though that we had taken on a larger patient load to help with time management. our max at senior year was 2 pts. i would've liked to go up to 3 maybe to gain more experience.

i am in ur same boat! been nursing for a little less time but equally as miserable. let me know when you find the right answers?!!

thanks everyone for the replies! right now my hospital is just offering 8's so that's what i work. to those who asked, when i said i wanted to transfer to a different unit, i meant one specifically with an evenings opening. there are actually only two of us nurses on my floor that are full-time nights. the others are part-time, per diem, or almost full-time (anywhere from 50-70) hours a pay period. i still don't know if i will go for a transfer, try to meet with someone to talk, wait to try a different facility, or what, but i do appreciate all of the input and empathy!

Hello all! I'm a new RN and have worked at this hospital for about 6 months now on a crazy busy med/surg floor and have been doing full time nights for about 4 months. At first, the nights thing was going okay (it's my first job working nights) and although it was difficult it was doable, so i had hope that it would continue to work out. but as time goes on, i'm beginning to feel more and more burnt out and seeing as this is my first nursing job ever, that really scares me. I don't believe it has been affecting my performance at work but i worry that it eventually will. I have been applying to other hospitals but have heard nothing so far. I even spoke with my manager about the possibility of decreasing my hours since i thought maybe that would help, but she didn't really sound like she was going to take much action on that and is known to be a little flaky anyway. so i've been thinking of transferring to another position, maybe one with slightly less hours or a different shift but i'm a little confused as i'm so new to all of this. do i talk with my manager again and let her know i'm going to put in for a transfer or do i just do it? should I let her know that between full-time, nights, and my personal/family life it's too much right now? i'm not sure what do to...i love nursing and i know it's going to be stressful pretty much no matter what but i really don't think i can go on like this much longer =(

Hello all! I'm a new RN and have worked at this hospital for about 6 months now on a crazy busy med/surg floor and have been doing full time nights for about 4 months. At first, the nights thing was going okay (it's my first job working nights) and although it was difficult it was doable, so i had hope that it would continue to work out. but as time goes on, i'm beginning to feel more and more burnt out and seeing as this is my first nursing job ever, that really scares me. I don't believe it has been affecting my performance at work but i worry that it eventually will. I have been applying to other hospitals but have heard nothing so far. I even spoke with my manager about the possibility of decreasing my hours since i thought maybe that would help, but she didn't really sound like she was going to take much action on that and is known to be a little flaky anyway. so i've been thinking of transferring to another position, maybe one with slightly less hours or a different shift but i'm a little confused as i'm so new to all of this. do i talk with my manager again and let her know i'm going to put in for a transfer or do i just do it? should I let her know that between full-time, nights, and my personal/family life it's too much right now? i'm not sure what do to...i love nursing and i know it's going to be stressful pretty much no matter what but i really don't think i can go on like this much longer =(

thanks for the replies everyone! you've all been helpful! i recently found out in PA where i am, a school nurse needs a bachelor's (i'm ADN) and a school nurse certification, but at least now i know what i need to do to get where i want to be. i now have an even better reason to get that bachelor's. thanks again!

i'm not seasoned at all but in your boat. new nurse, new to nights. i love the pace of nights on the floor but my schedule at home has taken a bit of a beating. i'm lucky in that i don't have kids to come home and take care of after work so i usually have no major problems getting in a good amount of sleep. also, i highly recommend going to bed as soon as u get home, as the later u stay up, the harder it is to fall asleep and actually sleep well (for me anyway).

I'm a brand new RN working in a hospital on a med/surg floor but my dream is to someday work in school nursing. I love the idea of working with kids in a school setting while getting to be a nurse also =) Anyway, I'm sure the process for getting hired/finding work as a school nurse is a little different than for hospital jobs where you can easily go online to the hospital's website or something. So how did all you school nurses find your jobs? And for those who are actively in the process of looking for a position as a school nurse, where/how are you looking exactly? Do you call the schools/district? Thanks in advance for your time!

Hello! I'm a brand new nurse still on orientation, working nights on a med/surg floor. Unlike many of my former classmates in school, I didn't mind the idea of starting my career out in med/surg, and even though I've only been doing this for a few months, I like med/surg and totally see the benefits of getting the experience before going elsewhere. Even though I've been liking it, I can tell it's not where I want to be for too long. However, I didn't get much of a chance to see many other areas of nursing in school besides the given peds/ob and psych clinicals. we also had a clinical day of hospice and home health nursing. my worry is that I won't know where I want to go after my obligatory couple years in med/surg. I know i don't want: psych, hospice, or home health anytime soon, but as for other specialties or units, I'm torn! I liked the CCU and OB (mostly just the nursery part, though), but I also find myself thinking that the OR would be a cool place to work, as well as thinking about NICU. I just don't know and don't want to get stuck on med/surg for the rest of my life when I know there are other things out there I'd love, but I just don't actually know what they are yet :/ Anyway, I know I'm probably getting ahead of myself...thanks for reading this and/or any advice anyone may have!