Okay, this is a bit of a long story. I am still a relatively new nurse. i've been a nurse for 2 years, but have only worked like 1 year and 5 months. I graduated in one state and after school moved out of state to where my fiance' was finishing up school. I started on a step down unit that I had no desire to work in, but i needed a job and that's what i found being a new graduate. (in a smaller city). i never wanted to work the floor but they promised me after i got a years experience in i could change positions.
so i worked a year and 3 months, my fiance graduated school, and we moved out of state again. so i started the job search all over again. being new to the area, i started looking online for jobs. there were more hospitals here so i was able to find some positions. but once again, i heard the same thing at the hospital i now work at. if you work here on this unit for awhile then we'll move you to another after we see how you do here kind of thing. so i took a position working the floor. i have been working there for 2 months now. i never liked working at my old job, but i tolerated it. now i feel like i'm starting over. i worked nights before and i did okay. i had a schedule that was more blocked than the one i have now. i worked 6 12 hr in one week and then i had a week off. so it was easier to adjust i guess. i had a break for a few months now i am back working nights and i can not sleep. i work more of a 2 day off 2 day on 2 day off 2 day on kind of schedule. i am stressed all of the time. i feel like crying everytime i even think about going to work.
I don't know what else I would like to do, but i know i can't keep doing this. I feel like quitting every single night. I feel like the job is affecting my health. The people around me are suffering from my job. I am lucky if i eat more than 1 meal a day.
I have 2 degrees. i have a bachelor of arts in psychology and my bsn. i feel like there has to be something out there for me. i have thought about going back to school, but there are things about nursing that i truly love. i love the brief :wink2: moments you actually get to really talk to your patients without thinking of something else at the same time.
i guess *after my VERY long winded complaint story* i'm just wondering. has anyone felt like this? what did you do to overcome it? is anyone feeling like this now? I was thinking about applying for a school nurse position. it requires 2 years experience however and i don't have that yet. but i thought i could try for it. i enjoyed my community health rotation in school. how bad would it looked to a prospective new employer if i have only been employed at my current job for 2 months? any thoughts or words of advice would be appreciated :redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe
Oh, I know I'm unhappy with my job. It's a tele floor w/ many, many deranged, drug seeking, psychiatrically impaired, demented, falls risk type patients and it's killing me. I've been waking up w/ back and neck pain from all the lifting. I'm a zombie on my days off because the job is so demanding, and it's not going to work forever w/ my family situation, so I'm going to see how much longer I have on my contract and perhaps try to find a home health position, or perhaps at a military hospital.
I like nursing ok -- and many days I have a lot of fun at work and enjoy many of my co-workers. but I am just tired of being on a unit w/ all the gossip and drama and hospital paperwork. I need a break from it. May go back at some point, but I need to try something new. I feel the unit I"m on is getting stale ...for lack of a better word. I want more experience w/ better hours and something that fits my life a little better. I pray I find it when I go to look for it!
Our managers keep doing this unit satisfaction sessions, but the real problems never get solved. They'll fix small things and it's a lot of good window dressing -- but the reality of it still sucks. Always short staffed, equipment that never works, loud noisy unit, TOTALLY rude docs, always adding paperwork, no breaks, unsupportive co-workers, etc. I'm slogging through it now until my contract is up == and then, sorry to say, I need to move on. I wish I could stay -- but the work is, in a word, oppressive.
Your story sounds very similar to mine. I've been working on a large Oncology unit for the past 8 months. The floor dynamics are extremely brutal. I am an older RN working with young RN's and although I feel accepted for the most part, I feel I often am the one that gets dumped on ie: first admit, most patient load etc. My NM is relatively worthless and does not follow through on anything. She is only concerned about patient satisfaction surveys and berates us if they are not good. What she may not understand is that when the floor is understaffed both with RNs and NAs, pt. satisfaction goes down when call lights cannot be answered in a timely fashion etc.
I'm not very happy on my floor but the job opportunities have dried up in the past few months d/t the economy. My hospital has put our minute merit increase on hold, stopped contributing to our 401's, stopped hiring new RNs to replace the ones that leave which is quite often on the floor. We probably have a turn over of roughly 2 RN or so every couple of months. Guess that gives some indication of how unhappy most are with the floor and the management. There are very few jobs available at this time so there is no place to go.
My floor too has its share of drama and gossip. All in all it is not a very comfortable place to be. I'm hoping that something changes or I can find a different job within the organization. I'm just frustrated and never thought I would feel this way after graduating.
My NM is relatively worthless and does not follow through on anything. She is only concerned about patient satisfaction surveys and berates us if they are not good.
You must work where I do. This is ALL our manager cares about. That's it. They were good the past couple of months and it's all she talked about. That and paperwork. I mean -- nice gal, but it just doesn't seem like true "nursing." You could be the worst nurse ever, but as long as the patients like you, you're IN.
In our area there are supposedly some home health jobs, and jobs in military care facilities. I feel for folks who have only the hospital jobs to go for.
I feel these managers are like mind numbed robots. I wonder if they receive bonuses for high ratings?
I am in a similar situation.I took a FT job at a med surg floor to get hospital experience. It's only been 4 months and I am miserable, I cry all the time, but especially during the days that I have work. I work nights which I like. My problem is that our floor, which is mostly medical, the acuity is always so high and most of our pts are complete patients. It is a 6:1 ratio on average. I've been soooo depressed, and I am trying to stick it out so i can get that 1 year exp but I am not sure how much longer I can go. I feel my health is deteriorating exponentially. I know I should secure another job before I quit this one but I
am thinking that I should put my happiness and health first before staying at a job that I hate.......when I talk to experienced nurses they all tell me that a new grad doesn't "feel comfortable" in the nursing role until more than a year on the floor...but is the way I'm feeling normal?? I don't think it is.....
I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling miserable working at a hospital. I've only had 10 shifts with a preceptor. I made the mistake of applying to ICU, basically because that's where all the jobs were, and I really needed work/income. I now see why they always are hiring a lot of nurses.
If your lucky enough to get a lunch there's barely time to eat it. I've lost 4 pounds already. I'm an emotional wreck. The nurses there are very....I can't even describe it. I don't think I'm cut out for this type of nursing, it seems like you have to be a stronger personality than I am.
I'm scared to ask for a switch though, I don't want to jump from a frying pan into a fryer, and at this point I have no idea what would suit me. When I went through nursing school, I didn't really notice any "favorite areas". Augh!
just want to add to this post--or vent to this post rather. i am a nurse who has already hit that 'golden year ' mark and i still feel like potential employers see that as 'skipping' around the job market! i am thoroughly depressed and totally hate the environment i work in. to be honest if i had less than six patients on telemetry that may be a start and these pts are not 'soft tele' either. i feel better, yet worse that there are relatively new nurses out there that feel as sick about work as i do.
i have been experiencing physical effects of stress that alarm me my heart races/ my bp is up . nothing is worth such a threat to ones health..but what now??
How long did it take you to find a new job? I am in a similar situation, and misrable. I feel trapped. I have less than a year of experience so that really limits where I can go, but if I stay where I am, I will go crazy:(
Smiles&Prayers - I will be graduating in August, and was just reading your posts about when you accepted your position in the NNICU, then read this....I am very curious. Could you please PM me (I cannot yet send PMs)?? I would really like to see what type of experiences you've had... Thank you!!!
if ur not quite sure and not happy about everything try to have a holiday or vacation for a month or two. Relax for a moment and enjoy life. Then think of your future with your fiance and soon to be kids..it all depends on u which makes u happy. =)
SoundofMusic
1,016 Posts
Oh, I know I'm unhappy with my job. It's a tele floor w/ many, many deranged, drug seeking, psychiatrically impaired, demented, falls risk type patients and it's killing me. I've been waking up w/ back and neck pain from all the lifting. I'm a zombie on my days off because the job is so demanding, and it's not going to work forever w/ my family situation, so I'm going to see how much longer I have on my contract and perhaps try to find a home health position, or perhaps at a military hospital.
I like nursing ok -- and many days I have a lot of fun at work and enjoy many of my co-workers. but I am just tired of being on a unit w/ all the gossip and drama and hospital paperwork. I need a break from it. May go back at some point, but I need to try something new. I feel the unit I"m on is getting stale ...for lack of a better word. I want more experience w/ better hours and something that fits my life a little better. I pray I find it when I go to look for it!
Our managers keep doing this unit satisfaction sessions, but the real problems never get solved. They'll fix small things and it's a lot of good window dressing -- but the reality of it still sucks. Always short staffed, equipment that never works, loud noisy unit, TOTALLY rude docs, always adding paperwork, no breaks, unsupportive co-workers, etc. I'm slogging through it now until my contract is up == and then, sorry to say, I need to move on. I wish I could stay -- but the work is, in a word, oppressive.