badmanRN

I find myself in the same predicament. I'm almost a year into my nursing career and working on a med/surg with telemetry floor and very unhappy. I have a few more months before I can transfer within the health system I work so I wondered if anyone had some advice on how to stick it out without burning out.

Thankfully I have a sympathetic PCP who gave me a few more days to feel ready to get back to patient care. I think a few more days will put me in a better place and I will have been on my new medication regimen for more than a week (had been tapering out some meds and building up others). I am very hard on myself and doubt my abilities as a nurse and that is what I really need to work on. I was fine when I was on nights but days have thrown me for a tailspin confidence wise. Any recommendations on how to build back my confidence?

I am going to start the FMLA process. I just don't want to use it as a crutch for going back to work too soon.

As a grad nurse we had to sign a contract that said we would stay on a certain unit for a year after orientation, so I am in this position until at least September. I did a few months on nights and it didn't agree with me. I was irritable and fell asleep driving home twice. Although my switch to days has been marred by my current health condition, I'm hoping that by the time I go back to work I will be better equipped for days.

Currently I am on days but could have the option to go back to nights if I think that would help but it would be about six weeks until I could go back to nights. I would have to work days until then as I can't afford that much time off. Both days and nights have their pros and cons for me and I'm having a hard time deciding.

I've done traditional CBT therapy in the past but it's not something that I feel works for me. I'm just worried about going back to work before I'm ready. I want to be a good nurse. I worked hard to get to nursing but I'm questioning whether I have made the right choices. I think bedside nursing is not "my kind" of nursing and I feel stuck in my current position. I can't apply for anything new until September. I think I would love being in the OR.

I haven't found any. I work for a large rural system and they have bought up all the hospitals in the area and those not associated do not have a behavioral health department. At this point I don't know that I could afford an IOP. I have already burned through my PTO and am looking down the barrel of unpaid time so I need to be back to work within the next two weeks or so.

I do not have a psychiatrist at this point. My PCP and I agreed on medical management. There is an IOP at the hospital I work at but I am not a candidate because I am not a danger to myself or others. I have been looking in my area for counsellors but mostly have been getting voicemails.

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately my employers already knew about my anxiety and depression. I have worked there for almost 7 years (mostly as a phlebotomist) before I became a nurse. I return to my PCP this week to see if I am at a point to return to work, but I am unsure. My symptoms, although improving, are still severe. I am worried about going back to work to soon as I work in an extremely hectic med surg with tele unit and normally have four patients. I feel pressure to go back but I also don't want to go back too soon. It's a delicate balance and I'm not sure I'm ready for that balance.

Hi all. I am a new grad nurse who is currently signed off work for a severe bout of depression. I am afraid to go back to work as it seems work has exacerbated my depression over the last few months. Anyone have any experience getting through a severe depression and successfully integrating back into the unit? Any help is appreciated.