The_Optimist

Nurses give up too easily! I hate nursing!” This is not what I expected.” I wish I had never gone to nursing school at all...” And whatever else popular refrain there is. So you graduated nursing school and started working, only to discover that nursing isn't exactly what you thought it would be, or your cup of tea. And your next plan is to bail out of it, right? Wrong! Where, is your backbone of steel? So nursing is not your cup of tea or what you thought it would be, that's okay. But, do you allow your blood, sweat and money go down the drain without an exit plan. No, you come with a strategy of how to make things work for you. You refocus and remind yourself that nursing is only a job, and one that you would need to do well, ( as with any other job) to deserve your pay. And then you work at it- give it a little time to be absolutely certain, that it is NOT what you want and THEN come up with an exit plan of where next you want life to take you. Be sure to be frugal and save up while working on your exit strategy and this time, network, network network, in the potential career path, that you would like to go on. You don't want to get a rude awakening when you have a repeat. Peace :)

Management sets the tone, but team members could show some accountability and resourcefulness.

Nursing is just a job For some it may be a calling,all well and good but for most, it is simply just a job. When you learn to look at it scientifically without having too much expectation of suddenly becoming all altruistic or Nightingalish”, you would truly have a better time and go at it. Common Myths (& facts) in Nursing Myth: Becoming a nurse means becoming angelic overnight Fact: Nope! If you were Dracula before nursing school, you will still be Dracula after nursing school (and if you weren't, you'd become one!:) Myth: Everyone is pleasant in nursing Fact: Nope! Nursing is a job and like all jobs you get the good mixed in with the bad Myth: You suddenly feel called to a purpose Fact: Nope! Nursing is a job , a darn good job that pays the bills and keeps up whatever lifestyle you have is all it is. Myth: You become a martyr Fact: Nope! You still have choices and it is up to you to decide whether you want to be stepped on or not. So understand that nursing is just a job. When you put things in perspective, you find that you have a clearer sense of what it is that you do or don't want. Peace;)

Is It really management? Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country? If you have been in nursing or even healthcare for any amount of time, then chances are that you have heard this before, It's management”!” But, is it always management though? Please do not misunderstand the idea behind this. It is not to make a case for management because surely, there are managements that should be blown out of existence…like yesterday. The idea behind this is to self-reflect- is it always management? -Is it management when one nurse decides to gossip about another instead of uplifting that person? -Is it management when you decide to take 20 normal saline syringes or alcohol pads for one single lumen q6h flush? - Is it management when you call in to get back at the charge nurse or person that irritated you the shift before? -Is it management when you label that patient or that patient's family as difficult” loony” or some other name, when all they wanted to do was be an advocate for their loved one? - Is it management when you act less than stellar when you think no one is watching you? And many other things…so just before you decide to use that very popular refrain, It's management”, stop and think real hard, Is it REALLY management”? To tie it all in with what John F. Kennedy's quote Ask not what your Country can do for you, ask what you can do for your Country” How have you in your own way done one thing a shift for the betterment of all? TASK: How can you today, perform one simple gesture for someone at your work place, that might have a ripple effect!

Do not go into nursing if you have poor time management skills Do not go into nursing if you refuse to prioritize Do not go into Nursing if your sole purpose is to be a martyr Do not go into Nursing , if you are unwilling to be flexible Do not go into Nursing, if you fail to see the bigger picture Do not go into Nursing if you do not understand that Nursing is a business Do NOT go into Nursing school if you suddenly have a rethink of your "dreams" from reading this thread.

Pls go to Nursing school for the money; just be sure to bring your best efforts and work ethics to it:up:

Totally nothing wrong with this statement; it is the poster's opinion and she is entitled to it. Just like the atheists are entitled to theirs.

Never have been in a union working environment; jury is still out on that.But I wondered about the timing too- just went union in September and bust in December. If you have a good lawyer, you can find a loophole in almost everything!

I think Levitas meant for you to speak with your charge nurse. Also, I know it does not look like that right now, but see it as a compliment to your excellent time management skills:yes:. "It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it."

I am never one to say no to any person's goals but they HAVE got to have some passion for whatever it is they want to do.May I suggest that you get a pen and paper and jot down the pros & cons for your goal. Look at it very critically and go from there. Hear other people's opinions and suggestions. Whatever right decision you make will give you peace and that will make you go for it in the long haul, regardless of circumstances. All the best.

How does one respond to this?With humor! You kill me:)

This seems like a case of miscommunication.Sorry about that:no:. But this should be easy to solve. September was not too long ago, when you got the refund and since, you are working towards nursing school and saved it up, you should be able to just give them back the refund. Yes?

Awesome!:)

@Madwife2002, I like that. I have no problem apologizing when I am wrong- it makes for better relationships. My work involves making some clear-cut decisions, which everyone has to live by. So I try to be doubly sure when I say stuff because they'd have a huge implication. And any time someone raises a question on new issues, I pedal slowly because hey, no one knows it all. Plus I don't want to have to eat my words.LOL

While there is some merit to this, you don't ALWAYS have to have been at bedside to excel in leadership positions. There are quite some different criteria to that.

@Zeus&Lincoln,I apologize for my earlier comment; I was wrong. Thanks for the reformatting:)

Saying thanks and moving on wouldn't hurt either. What's with the sensitivity, people? You did an amazing job of rising to an unexpected situation; positive reinforcement is always good for one's confidence level:).

When you hear the word, "burn-out", it is usually as a connotation to something negative. But have you ever considered that burn-out could sometimes be for the positive? How many people would have considered a change in job situation if they had not experienced a burn-out? Chances are, very few. After all, they would be so comfortable at their present place of employment that there would be no need for change? Right?We are rather quick and content to honker down at a spot (job) we feel is comfortable at the time and settle in for the long haul. But have you considered that even though that place may have seemed perfect at the beginning, that with time, you get bored and dissatisfied? It is also at this time, you are most likely to experience burn-out. At the beginning, you made the best decision you could have at the time and were happy with it. But as time went by, the burn-out settled in because it was probably time for you to reinvent yourself again. So have you considered that maybe, just maybe it is very possible that burn-out occurs for a positive reason, - -To either get you out of a routine rut - -To get you out of complacency (the biggest disease of progress) - -Open your eyes to new possibilities - -Have a rethink on your life's goals My suggestion is for you to consider the positive side of burn-out, don't just discount it as hare-brained talk. Take a moment to reflect, it could be your paradigm shift. For after all, burn-out could be your inner voice telling you to reconsider where you are right now and open your mind to new possibilities. Burn-out is not ALWAYS bad...

Not really. It is actually very commendable of the Mom taking time to do a prior research for her daughter. Otherwise how can she have effective discussions with her daughter on a subject she knows nothing about? I say: go Mom!

What's your biggest fear? That you wouldn't pass the RN? So you want to take the safer route of going through LPN school? To get over your anxiety, you will need to figure out the root cause. What are you most afraid of? Only after you have honestly and truly answered that, can you make a decision that you would be happy to live with.

Caleb,, you've got this. Number wise and determination, you read as having both. Keep your eyes on the target and keep plowing on. There will be easy days, there will be hard days, but on those hard days remember, "the rough is only mental" and keep going on. I don't know if you are a praying Christian but you can say a quick prayer and keep going. Dreams not written down are only ideas, but writing them down make them goals as it becomes more concrete for you. Use your power of visualization to imagine you in the place you want to be and work towards it. Surround yourself with positive, focused and ambitious people, things like that have a way of rubbing off on you; it keeps you grounded and focused. Enjoy the journey on your way to your dreams. And if they change, what next? Dream again and go with the flow.

Understanding that he has one year of nursing experience is all the more reason to simply explain the rationale behind your reasoning and not bring his ego into question. He might be a mature male of so many years, but in this nursing profession he is a nurse in his first year of nursing. Accord him that respect and respond to the concerns voiced. I do think you wrote it beautifully,:) coming from the point of view of the "silent" female who would rather not speak.

Caddywompus quoted only ONE aspect of usage for the ellipsis (...). This punctuation mark has dual purposes:). Uses of the Ellipsis 1. Indicate an Omission- The ceremony honored twelve brilliant athletes … visiting the U.S. 2. Indicate a pause in sentence flow- Juan thought and thought … and then thought some more. P.S- the omission could be either at the beginning, middle or end of a sentence/quote. Reference The Ellipsis

No, you are not failing miserably; you "failed" at the one thing.And that can also be debated. The ball was dropped somewhere along the line. We won't go into discussing whether or not the patient should have received the blood or not, right now it is about you. I am very grateful that your patient DNR or not, made it through, that could have been pinned on you. Try not to let your coworkers get to you and they will, if you let them. If you are able in future, try and hold your tears in and let it out in private so you don't give ammunition to your coworkers. There are some great pieces of advice from people on here.Hang tight...you will come through this.

Congrats on your new job. My advice? Expect nothing, go in like a sponge looking to absorb and process all valuable information,it does no good to absorb information and not be able to process it. On expectations? Have your expectations at home but set them aside. When you go into the ED, expect nothing. Expectations sometimes put you in the line for failure when things don't work out as you intended. Every situation could have a pearl of wisdom, you just have to find it; sometimes you may need to look really deep:). Be as helpful as you can without getting in the way. Don't go looking to make a pal on the first day, if it happens, it happens, otherwise be polite and courteous with all. Mazel Tov!