Still struggling....

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I have been an L & D RN for about 9 months. Prior to that I had been a post op RN on a busy in-patient floor. And hated it. One, because of patient population/understaffing. Two, my anxiety was awful. I’d cry going to work and often cry leaving work 2 hours late sometimes. Then I got my dream job in L and D or so I thought. I thought my anxiety would get under control after now being an RN for over >2 years and being in my favorite speciality. I know it takes time to get use to this. But my quality of life has been affected, my relationships and happiness. I cannot shake the anxiety of going to work. The night before and day of I’m so nervous and irritable towards my family. If it’s a calm day at work, it’s eases a bit but I feel like I’m constantly terrified of what’s next and on edge for the whole 12 hour shift.
I’ve had a few months off of L&D on light duty because of injury but working in a sedentary desk RN job with very minimal stress (but boring). My moods/anxiety at home have been a lot better! So I guess my question is- if my heart isn’t 100% should I be looking for an office job or something, more predictable and less acutely anxiety provoking for after I am cleared? Not mention, a less physically demanding job. I really don't want to be in my 40s-50's unable to move already having been dx with DDD. I feel like so many people just love love LD nursing. I've been told I am doing well as an LD RN and I get along with my co-workers, but I’m not sure if it’s worth my mental health to keep pushing along to this point. I know if I leave this position, the opportunity to get hired back is very minimal which makes it even more risky. Not to mention, I have never had a M-F normal hours job which would also be a big change.
Thoughts?

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I hate to leave posts to look up abbreviations...I can't figure out DDD???

Irregardless ambulatory out-patient surgery centers are relatively easy. Monday through Friday, no call, no holidays. Maybe your OR skills aren't too rusty and you could apply there?

Because it is ambulatory surgery the patients are relatively healthy and out the door 1 - 2 hours after surgery.

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41 minutes ago, brownbook said:

I hate to leave posts to look up abbreviations...I can't figure out DDD???

Irregardless ambulatory out-patient surgery centers are relatively easy. Monday through Friday, no call, no holidays. Maybe your OR skills aren't too rusty and you could apply there?

Because it is ambulatory surgery the patients are relatively healthy and out the door 1 - 2 hours after surgery.

My best guess is degenerative disk disease? ...but I'll never understand why people use obscure abbreviations in their posts.

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Yes. It is degenerative disc disease. I wasn't aware of how obscure it was as that's how my Orthopedic Specialist and the majority of the medical professionals I have spoke with, have abbreviated it.

But thanks for your reply about different options to explore.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Oncology, School Nursing, OB.

I also worked on OB for almost a year and although I never experienced the feelings to the extent you did I was stressed and always on edge never knowing what was coming through the door next. A lot of people don’t realize just how stressful OB can be. A lot of things can and do go wrong in labor and a lot of those little babies can’t handle the stress of labor and one minute all is well and the next you’re rushing to the OR for an emergency section. I ended up getting a job as a school nurse and it’s like night and day. Sure you can have true emergencies but it’s rare. You’re dealing with a healthy population for the most part and ususally only have one or two “patients” at a time for just a couple minutes. However those jobs can be hard to come by and you do take a pay-cut. I think you would be much happier in any type of outpatient area. You have a couple years of experience at this point so you may be able to find something pretty easily at this point. Ask any of the OB dr’s you work with if they need a nurse. When I left one of mine told me she wished she knew I was looking for another job because she would’ve hired me and I know many Ob nurses that got an office job that way! Good luck!!

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Specializes in M/S, Pulmonary, Travel, Homecare, Psych..
On 3/23/2019 at 9:06 AM, Blue_Moon said:

I also worked on OB for almost a year and although I never experienced the feelings to the extent you did I was stressed and always on edge never knowing what was coming through the door next. A lot of people don’t realize just how stressful OB can be. A lot of things can and do go wrong in labor and a lot of those little babies can’t handle the stress of labor and one minute all is well and the next you’re rushing to the OR for an emergency section. I ended up getting a job as a school nurse and it’s like night and day. Sure you can have true emergencies but it’s rare. You’re dealing with a healthy population for the most part and ususally only have one or two “patients” at a time for just a couple minutes. However those jobs can be hard to come by and you do take a pay-cut. I think you would be much happier in any type of outpatient area. You have a couple years of experience at this point so you may be able to find something pretty easily at this point. Ask any of the OB dr’s you work with if they need a nurse. When I left one of mine told me she wished she knew I was looking for another job because she would’ve hired me and I know many Ob nurses that got an office job that way! Good luck!!

Yes.

They don't know. And no matter how much the instructors at my nursing school tried to educate the students on this reality, it never sunk in. I think people don't want to know.

L&D, as I understand it, is NOT the stress free island of nursing that everyone thinks it is. Some of my classmates did actually break into the specialty and only one of them still remains there (almost 15 years later).

Most jumped ship either during orientation or first year. The rest before five years in the field. Then the one stayed.

It'd be interesting to know where this myth that L&D is somehow..........immune to all the stresses in other specialties........comes from.

In my limited talks with people who actually work in L&D, what I find is: It pretty much mirrors every other unit. Mostly the same mix of happy vs unhappy.........mostly the same complaints................

That's just my experience through the eyes of others though.

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Specializes in Neuroscience.

Paperwork makes you happy, patients don't. Look for a job where you can do paperwork. If you don't have enough experience for such a job, continue where you are at until you do. The great thing about nursing is that there are different types of jobs for nurses. Best of luck in the job search!

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
On 3/22/2019 at 8:32 PM, RN_EKM17 said:

Yes. It is degenerative disc disease. I wasn't aware of how obscure it was as that's how my Orthopedic Specialist and the majority of the medical professionals I have spoke with, have abbreviated it.

But thanks for your reply about different options to explore.

This reply struck me as snarky.

Different specialties use different abbreviations. Some of the same abbreviations mean very different things in different specialties. Different geographical areas in the US use different abbreviations, and I can only imagine that different countries use different abbreviations.

As a US nurse of forty years, with degenerative disc disease of my own, I've never heard that abbreviation.

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I’ve heard DDD used several times before.

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Specializes in Nephrology/Dialysis.

You have not indicated that you have seen a doctor recently - and that is where I would go first. Anxiety can be treated and maybe that is all you need to be able to continue in this position for awhile. It may never be the job to end all jobs, but may get you through this phase. If all is well from a physical standpoint maybe it is time to change to a desk type job which can also be boring and stressful for different reasons sometimes. Take care of yourself first and see where that leads you.

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Hi everyone,

thank you for the responses. I am followed by my PCP for anxiety. Also, I do go to counseling. That's kind of why I'm at the end of my rope so to speak.

I don't think I was naive going into LD- I knew LD was stressful in it's own way. I just really thought my love for the speciality would soon outweigh the constant anxiety. Which I have yet to find true. I guess you don't know until you try ?

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