MJPN2012

I am in a somewhat similar situation as you, so this is my story and advice. I started out as an LPN and I didn't want the responsibility of an RN. I happened upon a job in private duty home health in pediatrics and found that I really loved it. Since I loved "nursing" so much, I went back for my Associate's. I sadly mistook how different private duty is from other types of nursing. Being that I get to spend 8-12 hours with adorable kids and babies with complex, but mostly routine, medical needs. When I became an RN, I got a job on Med-Surg in a hospital one hour away. I also live in a very rural area. I hated working in the hospital so bad that I went prn after 5 months but worked there for 2 years. I also hated those clinicals in nursing school. So, I went on for my Bachelor's hoping that this would open more doors. I tried a different hospital and I still hated it. I hated the stress, being kind of bullied, the rude people, the worry of someone coding. When I started having panic attacks, I quit and didn't look back. I've done a ton of soul searching and found that it's just not the environment I thrive in honestly. So I never found another floor any more appealing either. Then, I tried regular home health nursing. I liked this but the company shut down and there is only one company that will cover my rural area (has no job openings). Where I live, the tiny hospital shut down and the doctor's office is for sale. There is no opportunity nearby for nurses, especially BSNs. Private duty HH is my in between job (still love it), but its not paying the bills easily and my drive is far. I am still happier than working in a hospital, but I consider from time to time if I could manage it again with some therapy lol. I'm also recently married w/o kids yet and husband works swing shift, so our schedules aren't in the same galaxy. So my honest advice is to do some soul searching. If you thrive best in a team environment, you might be well suited for a lot of jobs. I've found that I'm introverted and goal-oriented, and like more long term tasks that I can watch improve over time. The Meyers-Briggs personality test helped get me started. As for rural opportunities, there are usually nursing homes, MD office, home health, the local health department, or private duty HH. I've considered getting more case management experience to qualify for a work at home job in the future... I've written you a book, but I hope I've been some help.

Thank you guys! Buckeye.nurse: I do private duty with children and love it! They just tend to pay low. Living rural tends to limit my opportunities with kids. Those units are all in the big cities just a bit too far away. And wound care nurse sounds like something I would really like! It's always been in the back of my mind. I might be able to find one of those jobs. Maybe I'm missing my creative outlets because I haven't had the funds to enjoy them, since I've been spending so much time trying to figure out what I want to do. *Cue light bulb*

Hi all, I've recently realized how much of a creative person I am and am trying to incorporate that into my nursing career. I've seen a couple of threads on this but they're over a few years old and thought I might get some updated ideas. As for my interest in the topic: I got into nursing very young. I became an LPN by age 19. Now 6 years later with a BSN and with 5 years of experience, I think maybe I went into nursing more because my family wanted me to than I did. Now that I've grown up, I've learned that I'm a really creative person and feel so smothered in nursing without expressing my creativity. I've really hated most of my jobs although I do enjoy the art of wound care and IVs lol. I still enjoy my patients but really want something different, maybe out of the box (I've worked med-surg, PDN, and HH case management). Open to any suggestions!

In trying to better understand why I don't like any nursing job I've had, I started soul searching. Yesterday, i took a personality test (a real, paid-for type). It described me to a T! Basically, my personality is more introverted and imaginative. This is completely true. It also said that one of the least compatable occupations for me is nursing - go figure. I really believe this is why I can't find my niche. I get into a job, its going ok and then it tends to go downhill quick. The only job I've loved is PDN but once I got a BSN and was still making LPN pay, I moved on. I've tried HH, med surg, and some teaching. Has anyone else experienced this personality dilemma? I seem to always love half of my job and hate the other half (i.e. documentation, management, scheduling, hours). I just want to find where I fit and am the best I can be in that area. I also live in a rural area, so not all opportunities are easily available to me.

Looking for up to date info on nurse's experiences with working at home. I did some research and it appears that I could be making a better salary working from home for an insurance company (utilization review, or case management) and I think I would love the work! I'm currently in case management HH (pay per visit) and my pay is in the lower percentile for RNs in my state. The pay is just a perk though, I mostly want to do this for my happiness. I have a BSN. I am a homebody, a bit of a free spirit. I went to school online for most of my schooling mainly because it just worked for me. I'm a great nurse, my patients love me dearly. But I'm happiest working alone. I can accomplish so much more and at the end of the day, I feel happy with myself. The only job I've ever loved is private duty HH (work alone with a complex HH pt for 12 hr shift), but the pay is too low and there are no benefits. I have never been able to tolerate a job where a manager is dictating my every move. Home health case management has worked best for me but I've even found that it doesn't fit my personality either, and I'm starting to burnouts really quickly. All I want is to find my niche in nursing. Can anyone relate?

Anybody else have an Associate of Science and/or Associate of Arts degree on top of your BSN or RN? My RN is an applied science degree. Wondering how I could get some use out of the others or if they're only purpose is to look nice on a resume? On a side note, it seems like I went through all of that education just to use my nursing "skills". What about all of those research and writing requirements?

I've always worked continuous care home health with peds patients requiring 24/7 nurses so I work with one patient for months or years at a time. I would make more money on a visit to visit basis but I've always had a fear of walking into an uncontrollable situation, like a hostile family member or something. I just have that fear. Do you ever see any situations like that?

Update: Anyone have any suggestions on positions that afford more leeway in your nursing practice? For example, in some office positions, you do the work at your own pace. I really think I would prefer something like that. I hope that doesn't sound dumb. Does that exist, with decent pay?

I've been having this internal struggle for a while. Even made a post or two about it previously. I've been an RN for 1.5 yrs now with that much med/surg experience. I hated the first Hospital I worked at bc of overwork, chaos, and high pt loads. I like the hospital (med/surg) I've been at now for a month, I like the employees, I like the docs. But even now, I have a gut feeling that this isn't what I want to do. I LOVED nursing before I got my RN (was LPN) and before I started work in the hospital (previously did home health). I also really dislike the schedule I always get at the hospitals. All of this causes me to become depressed and dislike my career altogether. But I do need the money the hospital offers. Has anyone else ever felt this way? And what did you do? -Sincerely, a bummed out Nurse.

So, I've been working at a medium sized hospital for one year, on med-surg, but after 5 months I went prn and have worked 1-2 days a months while I finished my BSN. I never have found love for the hospital that I'm at. 1-2 days a month is enough. They are constantly very understaffed and can't keep nurses. The morale and teamwork seem terrible and I don't actually feel like I'm learning much from the crazy workload that only allows me time to follow orders and get my work done. I wish I had the time to actually get to know a patient and provide better care. But at this point, I don't know if it's the hospital, the drive, or med-surg that I dislike more. I need to experience something else to compare. I'm wondering if I would like my small town ER better, for the closer drive and better reputation. It's critical access and they actually only have the ED, until they expand. My main question is, is my experience enough to prepare me for that position? Should I tough it out and prepare better? I also have a few years of home health experience if that helps me any..

Just a suggestion, but maybe a different type of home care. I have worked for a home health company for 3 years that provides continuous care for pediatric patients. I decided after 2 years that I would work in a hospital, and found that I hated it compared to my home health job. It may be different in your area, but we have several companies that provide continuous care. I pick my own schedule and I work 3 12s a week, but I could work whatever I want. I care for one patient all night. These children are often on ventilators or have g-tubes and need 24/7 care. If you could find something similar, you may be happier until you find a more desirable position for you.

Thanks for the help. Ive been heavily considering the surgical med/surg floor at our hospital and it would keep me in the facility. I've also considered case management but I'm afraid I enjoy my hands on skills too much, just not the price I've been paying to use them. And if our hospital had such a long term care floor, I would love that! I live in a rural area and am somewhat limited on my options. I may try out the surgical floor but I don't see how it will be that much different..

I'm just wondering what my options are for a more "predictable" job that pays well. I've worked med/surg for almost a year and it's not for me at all. It was my first RN job (home health LPN for 2 years prior). I'm finding that the anxiety of what could happen on my shift plagues me days before I'm even scheduled to work my measely one night a week. I don't know why I'm like this. Any ideas on a predictable job I could look for that pays decent? I need a change, at least for now. Considering dialysis, clinic nursing, wound care, and other similar areas. Any advice on which is better?

Posting for some advice. I've been working med/surg for almost a year. I dislike it so badly that I went PRN a few months ago and only work one night a week now. I'm at my wits end trying to figure out where to go now. I'll have my BSN in a few short months as well. I'm wondering if maybe the hospital just isn't for me. I don't like the routine care. I really really hate the hateful patients and code greys, being stuck with a pt who hates me for 12 hours. I've had panic attacks over those a time or two. I leave work too exhausted to pick up any more shifts for the week. I dislike the morning rush, when something always goes wrong and day shift thinks you're an idiot for being flustered and behind. And calling docs who have no time for the floor nurses. I enjoy starting IVs and wound care, using all of my skills. And i enjoy some of the patients and interesting cases. But I'm overall miserable in this position and it's not getting me anywhere to only work one night. Sorry for ranting. So, would urgent care maybe be a good option? Anybody had these problems and what was your solution? I haven't seen any RN positions for clinics in my area but I can keep a watch out. What might be some other other options, hospital or not? I've been back and forth for months on where to go.

So, for 6 months I've worked med/surg/tele at a medium-sized hospital. This is my first hospital job. I worked peds home health for a few years before the hospital, and still work it prn. I'm hating med/surg.. I handle the workload well and enjoy the work of nursing but I'm just not happy working this floor when other floors in the hospital are much more employee-friendly. I'm tired of being so walked-on by patients and employees and being around so many people who hate their jobs.. So any advice on the pros of these floors? I get excited when I think of working NICU, working with more intense problems in a population of sweet little patients. Or, there is the stepdown unit where I could get more experience with adults. I think I could technically handle either unit but idk where I would be happier.