What if I'm just not meant to be a nurse?

CrazyGoonRN · Oct 19, 2012

Change to a different area of nursing. Do 8 hour shifts instead. Don't give up on nursing until you have actually explored all that it has to offer :-)

loriangel14, RN · Oct 19, 2012

I agree.Don't give up yet.Maybe you just need a change. The great thing about nursing is there are so many different settings youm can work in. Don't beat yourself up for feeling stressed and overwhelmed.Think about what kind of setting would suit you better than the one you are in.

beeker · Oct 21, 2012

OP, I feel the same way! We need a support group. lol. I am about 10 months into my first job and I think I just don't like being a nurse. I get paid crap, my benefits are terrible, and I literally work myself ragged. I come home sore, tired, and beat down emotionally. I work nights, so my whole life is upside down. It is not easy as a new nurse to just "try another area" or "try 8 hour shifts" I wish it were! It is so hard to get a job without experience! It would be even harder if you have to explain away leaving your first job before the magic year is up. Then you are inexperienced AND a job hopper. I will be jumping ship at the one year mark if I make it. I am hoping for an internal transfer. But honestly, I just think nursing might not be for me. If I could afford to quit tomorrow, I would.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Oct 21, 2012

Unfortunately for all of us, the economy is contributing to the shortage of staff, shortage of jobs, and general dissatisfaction that many nurses are experiencing. I would also agree to hang in there for now, but think about areas of nursing you might want to pursue. Polish up your resume and start sending them out. I am also due for a change of scenery, which I am in the midst of planning as we speak. Good luck to you.

katiedid53 · Oct 21, 2012

I agree, do not give up on nursing yet. There is a honey moon phase and then real life nursing comes and hits you in the face and the reality of the profession becomes real. We have all been through this, really, you are discovering the real side of nursing, unfortunately you are not taught what the real world of nursing is like and so when it hits you in the face, you start to second guess yourself. I have been a nurse for 29 years and many times I have considered leaving the profession. It was not the nursing, but the politics, and pay and benefits or lack there of and stress and work load, etc... I then switched to another areea of nursing until I found my niche, do I still have days when I wished I was in a different profession, oh yeah, but when it comes down to it, I really do like nursing. I would recommend finding a mentor who has been in the profession for a long time to share you thoughts, concerns, questions and frustrations. There is so much that you can do as a RN, it does not even have to be in a hospital or LTC facility. Get you one year experience and look around for something else, it may be that you are working in a bad facility and you need to find a better work environment. Ask other nurses that work other places in other fields what they recommend for a good place to work. Good luck, I hope you find your niche in nursing, because when you do, you will fall in love with it.

Davey Do · Oct 21, 2012

It's like Ringo sang: "You gotta pay your dues if you wanna sing The Blues and you know It Don't Come Easy".

You've gotten some really good advice and support from the OP's, so now it's up to you, cantdoit.

Ew. I just now looked at your Username. Do Self-Fulling Prophesies run in your Predisposed Genetic Personality Templates?

Your Username reminded me of something Richard Bach wrote: "Argue for your limitations and, sure enough, they're yours". If you believe you cantdoit, you won't be able to doit.

Life's Little Instruction Book says (and I promise this will be the last quote): "If you go after Moby Dick, bring along some tartar sauce".

Good luck to you, cantdoit.

(Oh- and BTW: I'd advise you to change your Username.)

Davey Do