I've been a nurse for 6 years and I'm pretty decent at it. I've achieved pretty quickly, got the good jobs, won awards, and even saved some lives. Sounds like I should like my job. What I've learned here lately is that the social obligations and demands of nursing WEAR ME DOWN. Being forced to be cordial with co-workers, nice to all your patients/families, basically having to talk when I don't feel like it at all. And I've found the MOST draining thing is to put on that fake act and smile like the cheshire cat for 98% of your shift just to please the masses. Don't misconstrue this, I care about people and I genuinely enjoy helping them; it just comes at a price I wish wasn't so high for myself.
I need some advice from my fellow introverted nurses....
Lastly, there's a quick poll question below if you don;t mind....thanks!
I am definitely an introvert myself. I put in my time in the trenches, and now use that knowledge in a nonclinical setting. I find working telephone triage nursing gives me the buffer I need to protect myself.
No one sees me while I am working, so I can wear any face I want to. People can imagine anything they want to. Plus each interaction lasts anywhere from 5 minutes to 1 hour (longer time frames are not the norm, but can happen) and there is a limit to how many family members I must interact with at each encounter.
You have your baseline for clinical skills - now put all that excellent nursing knowledge to good use working for you elsewhere in a job more conducive to your personality type.
A telephone triage nurse job from home sounds like something right up your alley. I love it.
I am the same! My most difficult task at work is calling a Physician, I feel the dread prior to picking up the phone. It doesn't matter how prepared I am mentally and SBAR wise, I still stammer and say "um". I hate it!!
Im also an Introvert. But my work requires me to get along with colleagues, patients and relatives. But I still manage to enjoy still I can do some tasks alone especially when your the only one handling the ward.
Now in my new work, there are works that I do alone and they could not understand what Im doing.. Haha!!!
Wow. I feel your pain. You should try the double whammy of being a profoundly shy introvert. I know this may not be what you want to hear but you just have to figure out a way to bust through it. I found a niche which really worked for me. A relatively low stress environment in the health insurance industry. I was a telephonic health coach with a Medicare population and once I got over the fact that I would lose skills by doing this work, it was perfect. You just have to allow your ego to move out of the way and once you can accept that you will still be a real nurse, you have it made. Not all positions in that industry are low stress and I found that case management could be even more stressful than working on a floor. Try to get an in with an insurance company or vendor and don't be afraid to move around until you find the one that works for you. Though you'll always have to deal with people on some level this could be one that works.
Psych nurse here...I'm an INFP. Yes, the amount of energy expended can be punishing. I happen to be a good psych nurse and feel elated when I know someone has not committed suicide bc of the interest I've invested. Introverts can be very compassionate listeners who can perceive conditions quickly and flex/invent quick intervention to save lives. . . I'm a deep thinker and won't take no for an answer when a life is at stake, but it is more exhausting than words can tell. . . As rewarding as it can be, I want to be able to live my life. . .burn out is hot on my rear and I can hear a faraway forest calling my name where I can paint, draw, write, and do photography. . . Giving is living, but not to the point of burnout. The system abuses our good intentions. Onward. . .
While I am personable with my patients & families, I try to be more task-oriented while at work. I work 12 hr nights in an ICU, so if my patients are awake & coherent, I try to make a plan for the evening, letting them know that I will have meds but will also try to give them time for sleep as much as possible. I enjoy my coworkers,& may engage in social conversation during periods of "down time", but I'm at work TO work,& I've often stopped talking mid-sentence to check on my patients.
I have many co-workers who socialize together outside of work,& while I've been invited in the past, I rarely attend, because I NEED alone time away from work so that I can recharge & function, I have other friendships to facilitate during time off,& honestly, I see work people 3xs a week already! (& I've been up front with co-workers about this).
In the past I've found it a bit draining, on top of my regular list of things to do in a shift. I'm naturally an introvert, but work has opened me up for the better of the team.
But I feel like I must greet patients and their families at least. This doesn't mean having a half hour conversation without them. They know I'm always busy, and they appreciate when I take the 0.05 seconds out just to say 'Hi, how are ya?'. In my opinion for even an introverted person, its not too much to ask for. Put yourself in the other persons shoes.
What I won't do though is be fake. Because I feel like patients and their families can sense that. Coworkers can as well, and nobody wants that kind of environment for 8 plus hours. Or to anticipate and dread working w/ certain people... How can you be a member of the team who is unapproachable?
Maybe it's because I've worked in that location for 6 years and the coworkers, pts, and family know eachother very well.
Introvert/extrovert, which ever you are......being nice to patients, families, co-workers does drain most people (probably not just nurses!) I am not an authority on mental status, but it may not ever improve for you. I've been an RN for 31 yrs and a CMA/CNA 5-6 yrs prior to that. As I'm aging, I'm "drained" more and more at the end of the shift, but I continue because nursing is part of me as a person. Good luck.
UnbrokenRN09, BSN
110 Posts
That's mostly why I went to nights. I felt better instantly.