thinking about turning in my resignation letter tomorrow....any advice?

Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM · Sep 9, 2012

Med-Surg, to me, is one of the most difficult areas of nursing. They don't get any respect because it's not a critical care or specialized unit.

However, you have to be VERY knowledgeable to be a med-surg nurse...I can tell you now I would fail miserably at that job. That department is the "catch all" for everyone in the hospital that doesn't fit neatly into another unit. You never know what you are going to get.

My advice is to try another department before you resign. You have 4 years under your belt. I went from the hospital to a clinic and ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. I never thought I would find my 'true love' again. But I did.

itsmejuli · Sep 9, 2012

It would probably be a good idea to have a new job lined up before you hand in your resignation.

Yeah, acute care nursing is not my cup of tea either. A few months ago I started a new job as an aid supervisor in something similar to an ALF. (I'm in Canada) I really like this job.

There are many avenues nursing can take you, explore your options before you give up your job. Unless of course you've got plenty of money to cover your bills.

texasguyrn · Sep 9, 2012

thanks for the comments guys....

texasguyrn · Sep 9, 2012

thanks for the replies

cat t · Sep 9, 2012

please don't resign. Try to look for a job in clinics, home visits or in pediatrics, maybe you'll like it. Or maybe just try to work on your floor as a part timer so you won't loose your benefits. What your suffering from might be just a burn out, or else you wouldn't have lasted 4 years in the service. congratulations for the 4 years!

kookiepumpkin · Sep 9, 2012

I feel your pain. I wrote my resignation letter one night shift when I just couldn't hold it together anymore. I felt that we were understaffed , had unstable patients , a lot of float nurses, admits, nobody cared about us.... I look back now when it gets almost unbearable in my new job and remind myself of the hardship that followed. i wanted to do travel nursing for a while until I figured out what I wanted to do. I was diagnosed with BC during pre-employment physical for the next job. Thank god for COBRA! I was off for Tx's for almost a year. Plenty of time to think. By the time I was ready to go to work again, I changed my specialty from Tele to Onc. It wasn't easy to get a job after such a long absence and entering a new field. I never want to be in that position again.

My recommendation to you: go to your Employee Assistance Program person, see if you can get some medical leave for burn-out, see a therapist to help you sort out where your unhappiness and not caring about your patients is coming from. Maybe registry or travel assignments are a better way for you in the meantime because you know you're not stuck in the same place for long.

Good luck!!

If you can't change something, change the way you think about it.