Bluee

If you base your own satisfaction on official compliments that happen to make it down the line, then you're setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. You know if you did a good job. You also know if you didn't quite knock it out of the park this time around. Plus night shift gets virtually no kudos; doesn't matter how many lives you save or how many hands you hold :)

Previous Job: 1. Texas, Central 2. 0 - 2 years exp 3. ICU 4. $23/hr - $25/hr 5. Night diff approx 21%, weekend 10% 6. Non-union. Terrible health insurance and other bennies, highly abusive work policies 7. There's no cheaper living than in the South. But then you have to live in the South. New Job: 1. Oregon, Portland Metro 2. 2 years exp 3. ICU (though pay is specialty-agnostic) 4. $36.40/hr 5. $5/hr for 12h nights. No weekend diff. 6. Union. Super ultra platinum deluxe health insurance, ridiculously good work policies and bennies. No cancellation, OT shifts are double time, holiday bonuses, decent 401k/TSA, decent pension. 7. As west coast living goes, Portland has the cheapest cost of living compared to San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. And you get to live in an awesome place.

What Dranger says is correct. His perspective is a humble and pragmatic one. To believe that oneself has "a calling" for nursing or subjectively has "more compassion" than someone is is an idealistic and egotistic perspective. Neither approach is wrong, just different from each other. A nurse who is overly idealistic is going to be at a higher risk of burnout. A nurse who is so humble and pragmatic, that they come off as unrelatable and mechanical to their patients, will also be at a higher risk of burnout. So find your happy medium. Focus on qualities like critical thinking, work ethic, interpersonal communication, and empathy for the human condition. If you can knock those out of the park, you really will be the best nurse ever! :)

INTJs can succeed and excel. Do not let that personality typing doubt you. Of course, you will never quite feel that you're like the rest of your coworkers, or the rest of most people for that matter, but that's fine. You'll still feel like yourself :)

Sad times indeed. People know that they can be fired and replaced at the drop of a hat, at the emotional whim of a manager. Staff morale is at all time lows, and its toxic. Brow beating at staff meetings because of low Press Gainey scores does not help either.

What's with some of the fatalism regarding INTJ and nursing? That an INTJ is likely to make a subpar nurse? Hogwash. The test's classifications have limitations; each classification is most accurate and valid when you score highly in each of the categories. If you score low in a category (i.e. close to zero, close to the midline), your personality trait is likely to fluctuate and possibly never be that strong in either direction. Example... I'm an INTJ. I took the full version test in adolescence, which does a good job of weighting for each category. I'm a profound IN, with a strong J, but my T is close to the midline. In practice and life, I'm usually a very rational and logical person (typical INTJ), but I'm also able to flip a switch and crank up the empathy (typical INFJ, counselor type). So I'm an INTJ, but also an INFJ. A lot of things can be faked or acted, but not empathy or rational thought. Play to your strengths while not pigeonholing yourself too hard. Empathy is not a requirement for nursing, as shocking as that sounds. You don't need empathy to critically think. You don't need empathy to assess the medical problems of your patient. You don't need empathy to feel good about yourself after doing an awesome job. In fact, a lack of empathy should afford you with a persistent clarity of thought that many another would be envious of

Horribly Contrived And Pointless

Are you able to relocate? Take note that the majority of your classmates, with babies and families in tow, are unable or unwilling to relocate. That gives you a competitive advantage. Go to where people do not desire to live. They will welcome you with open arms.

My first death still lives with me. No pun intended. WW2 vet... severe night terrors... may his soul rest in peace.

wtbcrna for President! I don't have half the stones to be able to work in obstetrics; I salute those who do. And I would go tell that employer to go BFOQ themself.

Because only in L&D can you palpate another woman's fundus and not get arrested for it!

I second the neck-beard comment. This isn't the 70s anymore and we aren't computer programmers! Now I just wish I was more than just averagely follicly gifted... but I make do with what God gave me! Such is the life of man :)

People who say nursing is "feminine" probably have never worked as a nurse. You can't let the idiocy of others discourage you. The current job market is a total b****; it's extremely hard to get into [a good] nursing school AND succeed with flying colors; and there's no guarantee that the job market will be improved if/when you have license in hand. These are the factors stacked primarily against you. I would largely discourage the LPN route. Those jobs are even more scarce than RN, especially depending on the state. It also puts you at risk for getting 'stuck', say if you get burned out of doing school and just can't make that last leg of your RN school journey. RN or bust; this is from a purely pragmatic perspective.

Looks like ICU, ED, Psych, and Flight make up about 50% of nurses who happen to be male. Not bad! ICU for me. Eventually I'll make the transition from Level 3 to Level 1.

Isn't it somewhat normal to experience anxiety symptoms before heading off to work? Especially if you've been off for awhile (six day stretch or more, like someone else said). I mean, there's a reason why we're paid to work. It's tough stuff and can be quite unpleasant. That's what the money is for. So, if you just spent a full week relaxing, enjoying your life and family, and having the best time of your life, any reasonable person would dread going back to work!