Terrible night shift experience, med-surg to ICU questions

[Cjules, BSN, RN]

Hey everyone!

This is my first time using this websites forum, and I'm here looking for some general advice / other similar personal experiences!

I became a nurse because I was obsessed with my anatomy / physiology based courses and I love helping people in need! Throughout nursing school I was striving to get into critical care clinicals whenever I could.

Right out of school I got a great opportunity for a night shift transplant services position at a magnet hospital in town. This position was an awesome opportunity for me to build a wide array of basic nursing skills with an awesome team around me.

After about 7-8 months on my new night shift position, I started feeling anxious / depressed about going into work, lost my motivation, didn't feel challenged, etc. All the things that I never expected nursing to cause me to experience, and I credit it to the night shift schedule.

I have since left nursing (temporarily) to start a separate business. Now, 10 months later I'm wanting to get back in there and try to get a job in an ICU,

My two questions are:
A) Has anybody else had a similar experience while on a night shift schedule, and found that a day shift position had made a huge difference in their job satisfaction? 

B) Are there any previous Med-Surg nurses out there who have found that the ICU was a much better fit for them?

Hope this wasn't too long, any feedback is appreciated!

[RNperdiem, RN]

I can't really answer about day versus night shift because I am a career day person.

Compared to med-surg I really prefer ICU. Call bells about did me in back in the med-surg days. I applied for and OR position in another hospital because there are no call bells there and patients are unconscious. That and dealing with CNAs.

I was offered ICU, and was given a proper orientation, good working conditions and supportive coworkers. Still here 21 years later. Bad days still happen now and then; that is part of nursing. But I eat lunch every shift, call bells are a rare occurence, and dealing with one or two patients for me is preferable to taking care of six.

Next job you have, just be aware of the emotional slump most nurses hit several months in when the honeymoon phase of the job wears off and life feels like a hard slog. It is like that when you are new and have a lot to learn. It gets better, you just need to work through the slump.