Very stressed (2.5 years into it) - please help

[IcanHealYou]

Hey everyone,

Another nurse here stressed out from the profession, to be specific, beside nursing. I really need some guidance because i feel as if I have lost a piece of my soul that I will never get back. I still love nursing. I love impacting people's lives and having the knowledge and experience that I have now, but I just can't handle this stress anymore.

I started off on a medicine floor and worked there for 1.5 years. Now I am in the medicine ICU and have been here for 9 months now. My attitude has changed. I remember once I was an extremely tolerant, stress free person. I have never been so discouraged in my life.

I have read many posts from other sites of stressed nurses on the floor. Main stressors being paperwork, poor managmement, workload. I can handle irrate family members, needy patients, even management (to a point). I'm not stressed by any of the paper work, patient care, or having to wear MANY hats with this profession.

My BIGGEST stressor are fellow co-workers. Giving report is where I get my biggest stress. I HATE getting talked to by a co-worker about something I didn't do or questioning me as if I was an idiot. Most of the time for petty things. I am not one for confrontation, especially not at the work place. I have noticed this culture EVERYWHERE in bedside nursing. It's disgusting that fellow RNs act this way. I do my best everyday but it's never enough. Someone will complain about something. When you've had a long 12 hour shift about to leave and having someone tell you basically "You didn't do your job" or "You didnt do your job well" is extremely discouraging. I would mull over these things for DAYS.

All this is leading me to not want to come into work and leave bedside nursing. I just can't take it anymore. RNs deal with too many people and to get attitude during report from a fellow RN who KNOWS how things are, is just ******. It's horrible. I'm a grown man and I have never been stressed from "bullying", but all this is taking its toll on my mental health. I'm still a young nurse and there is definitely a lot that I do not know, which is what makes me feel like crap when I get talked to.

I am thinking about doing something outpatient but staying with the medical center. I love working with people especially during times of great need. The politics are killing me. Does anyone else here find this as a stressor? Have any of you moved to OP settings and felt great happiness? I love nursing but I need to find a way out of this stress. PLEASE HELP! Thank you for your time.

[IcanHealYou]

I'm sorry to here this man. Our institution actually has started an anti-bullying campaign to raise awareness about these things. I hope things get better for you. Your mental sanity is worth a lot.

[Metalchild]

Your work place sounds extremely toxic!

but aside from the toxic work place, i find nursing in itself stressful especially if you are a responsible and caring person. I feel like crap when I miss a med! So yeah, I compensate and balance my life by partying more than ever. good thing I live in Vegas so that makes partying easy. I don't "party" with co-workers either. and i'm going to school for NP so i'll never have to get treated like a grunt.

[xtina15]

I learned early on that there are some coworkers who will always, and I mean ALWAYS, find something you didn't do or give you attitude during report. You could have had the craziest shift and still have managed to finish 99% of everything and then they will give you attitude about the fact that forgot to put SCDs in the room (even when there weren't any clean ones on the unit). I want to/need to stay in my current position at the moment so I get by by remembering my work ethic and how much I know I care about my patients. There are just some people who will never be happy with you no matter how hard you try.