dst4ever91

I have my bachelors degree in nursing. I wasn't sure where I wanted to go in nursing after that. I didn't just want to jump on the bandwagon and pursue FNP because my heart was not there. In my area so many nurses are pursuing FNP. My last job was in MICU. I realized that I was not happy working in the hospital setting, at least not full time anymore. I was just waiting and praying about my next move in the nursing field. I worked in med-surge for 3 years and ICU Step Down and ICU for 5 years. I had become miserable in the hospital setting. A nurse educator position became available and I was asked to try this position so I visited the school(LPN Program). I decided to give it a try. The pay cut was mind blowing but after I got over the shock, I had to think about my quality of life. I have learned things about myself that I didn't even know because I was always so stressed working days and sometimes nights (when the night shift was short) holidays, and weekends. I could never plan anything because the schedule had to be put in so far ahead of time. So I said all that to say that money isn't always what's most important. Don't get me wrong I miss having the extra money but I was willing to modify my spending and lifestyle for quality of life. I am so much happier and at peace within myself. I plan to begin my masters in education this coming fall. The school that I work for is a state school and they pay for 1 course each semester and if I want to take a second course they will reimburse me for it once I have passed it. I hope this helps.

I was a stay at home mom for about 12 years. My husband was a naval officer so we moved around quite a bit. I decided to home school our children. I wanted them to have a strong foundation on which to build and I wanted them to understand the love of Christ Jesus. However, my husband and I separated and I had to go to work. I started with CNA school and progressed to phlebotomy. I eventually graduated from nursing school with a BSN. I was so excited about becoming a registered nurse. I had no idea what it would really be like. The first few years, I really enjoyed working as a nurse on a med/surge unit. After 3 years I decided to move to another hospital where I worked as an ICU Step Down nurse. I eventually moved to the ICU. I realized that I was burning out when I started to have chest pains. I went to the ED but my troponin level was negative. I started having nightmares about working. I started to dread going in. I lived for my days off. I started asking the Lord to rescue me from this job. I felt like I couldn't take it anymore. Every day at work, having to be the nurse, the CNA, transportation, secretary, too name a few hats that we wear in the hospital. Because in the ICU we have 2 patients so no one thinks we need the support of ancillary staff. I found myself being short tempered with the other nurses on the unit. I found myself, just not being me. So I continued to pray to be rescued because I have to work. My husband and I reconciled after 10 years of separation and both of our kids are in college right now. He could not completely understand how miserable I was in my job. Before I even started looking for another job, a nurse educator position came available. It was offered to me by a nurse that I know. I am now serving in the nursing field as a nurse educator. I feel like God answered my prayers. It is by no means a perfect job and the pay is much less but I can go home without my back hurting. I can go home now without dreading coming back the next day. I have always been a student and identifying with the students comes natural to me. The wonderful thing about nursing is that there are so many areas that you can work in. I'm looking forward to success in this new area of nursing. So, if you are experiencing burnout the first step is to admit it. It took me a long time to admit it because I never imagined myself away from the bedside.

I have to agree that so much emphasis is placed on a test that will decide your future. If you will become a nurse or not. I realize that this test is important. I did not realize that it is changed every 3 years. I found it to be super stressful and anxiety eliciting when I took it in 2010. However, my nursing school prepared us with the HESI exam and you could not sit for the NCLEX if you didn't perform well enough on the HESI. I found the HESI to be harder than the NCLEX when i took it. But from the first day of nursing school to the last NCLEX was always in the forefront of my mind. So I'm not sure what the answer is as we continue to focus so much on this test. I am a new nurse educator for practical nursing students and I have a lot to learn but all the buzz is about passing the NCLEX-PN.

Becoming a nurse has changed me in a lot of ways. I had no idea how sick, as human beings, that we can become. Working in the ICU opened my eyes to a lot of things that nurses have to do. In the ICU we serve in multiple roles. We are the nurse, the nurse assistant, transportation, lab, and sometimes the secretary as well. I have enjoyed taking care of patients and then one day, I decided to try something else in nursing. I became a nurse educator. I really enjoy it. the pay cut is hard to deal with sometimes but overall my life is so much better. I still have to deal with stress. However, no ones life is in danger of being lost. I would have never imagined not being at the bedside but I'm loving the education side. However, I do plan on working at the bedside PRN. Nursing has made me a better person and a stronger person. It opened a world to me that I never knew existed. Just bringing a smile to someone's face because you did something for them that they could not do is very rewarding. Teaching patients to take better care of themselves when they will accept that information is also extremely rewarding.

Yes, I was exposed to tuberculosis while working as a phlebotomist while I was in nursing school. I showed up positive when I had the skin test performed. I am much more careful when working on the floor as an RN.