Redeye

I have only been a nurse for 7 months. I am a navy nurse full-time at a very small hospital and I work med-surg at the local civilian hospital prn (about one shift per week) to gain more clinical experience. I am feeling very discouraged because I put so much time and effort into becoming a nurse and I am now realizing that I really don't enjoy it that much. I am not sure if it is that I don't like med-surg or just don't like nursing in general. Any recommendations from anyone before I start looking for another career? I have had some exposure to other nursing specialties but still don't have a clue as to where I belong. This second job is killing me but I feel that I will not be competitive as a nurse without the solid med-surg experience. Am I just not meant to be a nurse?

Have you considered joining the California Nurses Association? It is a Professional Nursing Organization/Union and they have done some serious legislative stuff for nurses. If there is not union representation at your hospital then you can actually help get it started. I am considering this route myself for Kings county. Check out the website at www.calnurse.org. It is a terrific website!

It is so true what you said "You have to wake up and go to that job everyday no one else." I am having increasing difficulty with every day I work, waking up and going to "that job". A med-surg job that I took to make myself feel better about my nursing skills.

It all depends on what your long-term goals are. If you are interested in one day getting an advanced degree in nursing (i.e. nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, case mangagement) or if you plan to one day move into management, a BSN is the way to go. If none of that is important to you, then the ADN will serve you well.

You can get a job as a new grad just about anywhere. What I would recommend is choosing a hospital whose employees seem happy. Ask around, maybe spend a day on the unit. Also, make sure they have an adequate orientation phase. You DO NOT want to be thrown out there on your own before you are ready.

Sismom, Yes, there are a lot of issues going on with nursing right now, and some of them bad. But what I have come to realize is that it is a blessing in disguise. Because of all of the complaining and griping I have seen on this web site, I have decided to commit to nursing all the more. Why? Because I feel that as a nurse there is something I can do to help bring about change in the profession. To be a part of that is down- right exciting! So I have committed myself to the cause of improving the nursing profession. I truly feel that there are things we can do. What an exciting journey it will be to transform healthcare and the nursing profession. I say stay in nursing school. You have the opportunity of a lifetime at your fingertips! I know nursing school is demanding, but consider getting involved with the student nurses association. Political activism is the key.

Has anyone ever considered that nurses are undervalued, overworked, and underpaid? Of course you have. I see it in every bulletin board on this web site. I am a recent grad from nursing school(May 2000) and in nursing school I always heard from my instructors that nurses always complain amongst themselves about injustices in the workplace but that nothing ever changes because no one stands up to take a real stand? I never really understood what my instructors were talking about until I actually got out into the workforce and witnessed it for myself. It is so true. And this web site is a prime example of it. Alot of complaining but no organized action. The nurses I work with are continually put into situations that compromise patient care. Usually one of two things happens. Either the staff nurse just takes up the slack and complains to her friends or she tells the supervisor how she feels and the supervisor (who is a nurse, by the way) says tough *$!%, deal with it. I'm sure this scenario is repeated in just about every hospital in the country. Are there any nurses out there who are willing to commit and dedicate time to improving the profession? I for one am in. I have looked around and have seen some success stories. Please respond to this bulletin if you think we can make some sort of difference. Or if you think I am completely off my rocker, I would like to know that too.

I am currently researching different nursing care delivery systems. Are there any nurses out there who have done contract nursing? How is it compared to being hired directly by the hospital? Pros & Cons? Working conditions, pay, job satisfaction, quality of patient care? I would appreciate any input.