RN feeling discouraged, can't find niche

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How long does it take an RN to find her niche department? I got my BSN after no prior med exp. Went straight into NICU new grad position after finished accelerated BSN. I loved teaching the parents, but I never could get over my fear of screwing up and it affecting a baby. Now in Psych. Liked it at first, but get tired of feeling like it's a revolving door and worrying about my safety in a takedown, etc. Feeling discouraged now as I have never felt very confident in my skills in the 2 years I've been an RN. It doesn't help that I wonder if I have ADD inattentive type b/c I occasionally make mistakes, have difficulty remembering what was said, time med given, etc. Am I just expecting too much of myself or is nursing just not for me? I like helping people and don't want to do harm.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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Specializes in Post Surg.

i would try a few different areas before quitting nursing. what about a clinic or community health?

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

No nurse can remember every time of any med they give, I have a brain with different times on it and i will make notations of PRNs that I gave just to help me. Getting organized can take a while, if that's the only issue you don't like with your jobs, it sounds more like your confidence is just taking a hit. It takes a while I think to get comfortable and feel confident in your ability and skills.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

I'm in a similar boat. I say just change jobs every year until you find one you like. There are so many enrivonments. Try something like corrections or join the military (not good if you want to quit though). The book "What Color is your Parachute" is an excellent guide to career change. Once you know what you are looking for might make it easier to find. Keep going...

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Specializes in Psych Charge RN/ Med Surg/Float Nurse.

Have you tried PostPartum? That way you'd still get to teach parents, but wouldn't have as much stress. PP nursing is pretty low key, most of the time. Of course, you do get the occasional hemmorage and what not.

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I worry that I'll have this same problem. After almost a year in critical care I'm thinking of switching to psych but now I'm even more discouraged.

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Specializes in I like everything except ER.

You might like teaching. I had a job where I trained HHA's. It was fun at times. Not much pressure. I have also worked in every area and like to change direction every few years. Psych home care visits are also good. The fear of making a mistake could be due to a lack of experience.For me the most important thing is if I get along with the staff.

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let it for the chance ad i know you will find the niche that you feel comfortable for you

Nursing Lectures

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Specializes in pediatrics.

You mentioned that you are concerned that you may have ADD (without the H?) This is a more common type of ADD in girls/women - have you thought about getting tested? Also, have you considered home health care - working with kiddos that need RN level care in their homes? Working with one client in their home might be a good fit. With all the neonatal survivors with chronic health conditions - vents, trachs, etc., this is a growing need in the community.

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Specializes in DD, Geriatrics.

Stick with it. Nursing is the best. Confidence will come. I remember being scared for the 1st year or two. Ambulatory care might be good or my specialty, developmental disabilitiies. It allows some hands on, some teaching. I also did staff development in LTC facilty, that allows for awide range of experiences. Please don't give Up!

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Specializes in Ambulatory Care, Case Manager.
How long does it take an RN to find her niche department? I got my BSN after no prior med exp. Went straight into NICU new grad position after finished accelerated BSN. I loved teaching the parents, but I never could get over my fear of screwing up and it affecting a baby. Now in Psych. Liked it at first, but get tired of feeling like it's a revolving door and worrying about my safety in a takedown, etc. Feeling discouraged now as I have never felt very confident in my skills in the 2 years I've been an RN. It doesn't help that I wonder if I have ADD inattentive type b/c I occasionally make mistakes, have difficulty remembering what was said, time med given, etc. Am I just expecting too much of myself or is nursing just not for me? I like helping people and don't want to do harm.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Funny that you mentioned about possibly having ADD; it's as if I was the one writing this post. I, like you, am trying to find my niche after getting discouraged at my last job. I was at my ideal job except I wasn't prepared for the toxic environment of staff backstabbing and gossiping, patients being non-compliant and pain management patients threatening to sue you because you couldn't give them what they wanted.

The older that I am getting, the more I wonder if I have slight ADD. When I was younger I had a difficult time with some of the subjects. In my last semester in Nursing School I tested for having a Learning Disability, but not ADD. A lot of people who know me consider me as very smart, but to be honest sometimes I feel dumb. Sometimes I can be a klutz, I lack concentration, I realize that I interrupt sometimes while the other person is still talking, I make mistakes when I consider myself very meticulous, can be impulsive, tend to be disorganized and my brain feels like it is in a fog sometimes. I have problems with hearing loss as well. I don't know if it's related, but I read that some people who are hard of hearing say that they feel "dumb".

I would suggest that you get tested or read about ADD and find out how you can manage your symptoms. I found this book called "Living with ADD- A Workbook for Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder" by M. Susan Roberts, PhD and Gerard J. Jansen PhD. Try volunteering too. Maybe that way you can find out exactly where you are meant to be in your career. Good luck!

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Thanks everyone! I had to laugh b/c the areas that some of you have mentioned (working w/kids in their homes, kids with developmental disabilities, postpartum, etc) are all areas that I'm interested in! How ironic! Just not sure how to get the jobs in these areas since I dont' have a ton of experience and my pediatric exp is just NICU and nots peds. And my NICU exp is only 10 months so I don't have the golden 12 months. I've applied for a few postpartum and L&D jobs and have not gotten them. I assume it's b/c I didn't have enough baby experience. Not sure how to get more exp if no one will hire me in those areas to get the exp.

My son has severe ADHD and I now realize that I have some similiar issues as him. I feel dumb b/c if two much talking or noise is going on I can't concentrate. I feel dumb b/c I came into nursing at almost 40 years of age and the younger ones seem to catch on quicker than I do. I've been considering getting tested for ADD, but wasn't sure if getting put on stimulant meds like my son takes would cause me not to be able to get jobs (since my current job asked me about ALL the meds I was taking prior to hiring me).

Thanks again everyone for taking the time to provide some advice and comfort.

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