Sometimes I just feel terrible

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · May 17, 2014

I just feel like I wish I had more time to do the little things. I love bathing patients and really spending time with them but I just don't get a chance to do that anymore.

Welcome to Allnurses.com!

Many nurses feel similarly to you. Perhaps you would have more time to do the "little things" in a healthcare specialty such as home health or private duty, where you have only one patient at a time versus juggling multiple patients in an acute care hospital setting.

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · May 17, 2014

Acute care is really different than LTC.

Perhaps you would like to think about skilled nursing, home health or even another LTC facility, or even hospice care.

Not all nurses are chomping at the bit to be in acute care, and others perfer a longer term care situation.

Best wishes!

Brekka, ADN, RN · May 17, 2014

Hello, welcome to AN! You've worked at a nursing home for 8 years, was it as a nurse or CNA? 8 years is a long time, what made you want to leave?

I had worked at an Alzheimer's unit as a CNA long ago for several years, and decided I wanted to become a nurse so that I could do more for my patients and spend more time with them. Unfortunately I learned that although I do get to do more for my patients health wise, I actually lose the time I get to spend with them. Nurses don't necessarily have time to bathe and dress patients like CNAs do, that's why we have them. The higher up you go healthcare career wise, the less time you get with your patients.

And yes, hospital nursing is very different from nursing home. Working in LTC/Rehab center I see the difference well. While I may have up to 3-4 times as many patients as I would have in a hospital, they're generally not as sick as they would be in the hospital (it has and does happen).i enjoy the fact that while I don't get to always spend a lot of time with them, I do get to see them for a long period of time and get to know them more than I would a patient staying for a few days. I do get to feel connected with my patients and their families in this way. Although it doesn't help your time issue, it may help you get to feel like you connect with them more.

I did my preceptorship in a nursing home while in NS (apparently not a lot of students want this), as I hated any kind of hospital nursing. I enjoyed where I worked, though it was too far from my house to consider full time after graduation. Once I graduated and passed my NCLEX, I applied at nursing home and rehab facilities in my area, and got employed right away. I still do most everything a hospital nurse does anyway. Few nurses really want to go into geriatric care, but it is at some times more rewarding than you could get from any other area in nursing. Again, you probably won't connect with your patients in the hospital the way you would in LTC or rehab.

Not being cut out for hospital nursing doesn't mean you're not cut out for nursing, you just need to change the scenery and try a different area. If you're willing to look around and try other areas, you may find just what you're looking for, and why you were called to be a nurse.