Published
I have been nursing for 7 months now (age 33, second career). Today I absolutely HATED my job. I hate the way docs talk to & perceive nurses, being chronically understaffed on our floor, constantly ambulating pts to the bedside commodes or cleaning up their feces/urine in bed, dealing with needy families/pts & unnecessary dependency, all of the phone calls, having to discharge a pt without the correct MD orders written or without social work having been consulted (MDs are clueless about what pt's need arranged for discharged, or how pts are even going to follow-up with care without the right insurance), having missing drugs in pyxis, and all of the rush rush rush.
I was inspired in nursing school, but now absolutely hate the reality of this job. I've learned a lot & feel competent, but I'm beginning to not care so much about the pts. They are really annoying much of the time!
Big question -- are other areas of nursing REALLY that much different than med-surg? Can I really choose another area where there are fewer of the aforementioned problems & greater job satisfaction? Please don't tell me to change fields -- I can't afford to right now, and I also don't want to see all of those years of preparation wasted for nothing.
Need advice!