What if nursing doesn't work?

CaffeinePOQ4HPRN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Aug 5, 2015

Pretty much just that honestly. I've only been a nurse three months but already I'm starting to fear that I may not always be happy with it. I don't want to be on my feet for the rest of my life. I think I'm going to try for another year and see how I feel after that.
After hearing about what my fiance does regarding programming I might just try that lol. But I would really like to try doing nclex prep/nurse teaching because I feel like I would understand that better.
I'm in LTC right now. I tried med/surg and I wasn't fond of it. I originally wanted to be a peds nurse with rehab care but im not even sure how to start tackling that or even if I would enjoy it as much as I think I would.
I start my LTC job by myself tomorrow and I'm just not feeling very confident about it right now and my family has noticed I've not been very happy being a nurse since I graduated.
Maybe things will fall out and I'll love it! But at this point I'm just a bit unsure. Blame age, inexperience...I just hope for the best right now cause I need it to work out until I can go back to college.

This could just be your "growth period" and you need to give it some time. If you can stand it, try committing a year and in the meantime research other options/apply for other programs. If you still feel the same way after that, at least you will have some options and feel like you gave it your best shot. In the meantime, try self-reflecting to discover your strengths and research how you can harness those into a new career direction. Maybe bedside nursing isn't for you. Because you have the BSN you should be able to apply for non-bedside positions. I really hope you find your way. I am completely empathetic as to how this kind of uncertainty can be troubling and produce anxiety...especially after investing so much time, energy, etc... into becoming a nurse. But forget all that and focus on the positive: if you decide you want to transition away from the nursing profession at least you discovered it now, and not after suffering for 25+ years on your feet at the bedside.

I'm leaving nursing, for many reasons and one of those reasons is I also don't want to be on my feet for the rest of my life. I know a lot of nurses who (in spite of proper body mechanics) have experienced so much physical wear and tear over years and years of bedside nursing... many have knee and hip replacements.

NursesRmofun, ASN, RN · Aug 5, 2015

*Bedside nursing is a tough career. I hear about people going into teaching and getting their MSN and Doctorates to teach or do research...but I wouldn't be happy doing that. I'd rather be bedside...however, my legs and back may give out eventually. When I stop doing bedside nursing, I really hope I can get a UC position or something inside the hospital non-bedside.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Aug 5, 2015

In the movie Used People, Shirley McLaine has a great line.... "Happy doesn't last - give me depression any time, now there's a mood that sticks around for a while" Truer words are rarely uttered, right?

Happy is a your reaction to a thing, it is not a guaranteed result of the thing itself. When it comes to how my job affects me, I aim for contentment rather than happy.

Aurora77 · Aug 6, 2015

If nursing doesn't work out, find a new career. Maybe my perspective is different since nursing is my second career, but it's possible to change to something completely different. It's a terrifying leap of faith, but worth it.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 6, 2015

I am going to go against the grain and state that at three months, you can have a good idea of whether or not you like or dislike your job (not the field, though). I have been in my position for three months now, and I am unimpressed with the low morale, lack of professionalism and the severe/dangerous understaffing and work environment. I am literally counting down the days to when I can transfer.

Not all of nursing sucks. Put in your year, enjoy your earnings and transfer to a different specialty. That is my game plan.

ladyvp05 · Aug 6, 2015

My sister became a nurse, and after her first week she went back to the school to apply for a completely new major b/c it wasn't what she thought it would be. She went back to dchool. And got her masters degree in mental health counseling. After getting that degree, and working only 10 months in that field she quit b/c its not what she thought it would be. Now she is stuck with all this student loan debt still chasing that "perfect" dream job.

DrKim · Aug 6, 2015

The answer is "anything you want!" I know nurses with MBAs that have gone into management, consulting, project management of research trials and pharmaceutical sales. The beauty of nursing is it's flexibility. This is your career. Make it what you want. If you want to pursue business full time and still work a few per diem shifts, you can do that too. This is a good problem to have, trust me.

emmy27 · Aug 6, 2015

I am going to go against the grain and state that at three months, you can have a good idea of whether or not you like or dislike your job (not the field, though). I have been in my position for three months now, and I am unimpressed with the low morale, lack of professionalism and the severe/dangerous understaffing and work environment. I am literally counting down the days to when I can transfer.
Not all of nursing sucks. Put in your year, enjoy your earnings and transfer to a different specialty. That is my game plan.

Not disagreeing with this entirely, but do know that 24/7 operations like hospital units have cultures and personalities and seasons of their own, all of which are subject to change, and especially when you're new, it's possible to be in a place of dreading work and feeling like it's hopeless and then through a combination of you and the place evolving, find over time you tolerate or like it- the worst parts get better (or you adapt), you become a part of the team, you learn the unofficial aspects of the place that make it unique. Great units can go downhill over time, too, or you can outgrow them. Staffing issues are rough, but they also ebb and flow in all but the very worst places- even a small amount of turnover can create temporary stress in a unit that translates in to low morale and exhaustion, but it's rarely forever. It takes time to hire and train new staff, though, and because staff rarely give more than a months' notice before leaving, there are almost inevitably coverage gaps even with the best management and commitment to staffing, and this happens on virtually every unit at some point. These things tend to resolve over time, on a scale of months. When you're new and you're stressed trying to learn everything and you have no frame of reference for all of it, though, it can seem like someplace is just a nightmare of impossibly bad management and low morale.

I've had jobs where I regularly went home crying in the first few months that later became delightful- and jobs that were a delight gradually devolve in to going home crying. There's nothing wrong with your plan to move on, but keep an open mind. Your workplace might really be irredeemably bad- but you also might be surprised how you feel about it in a year.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 6, 2015

Not disagreeing with this entirely, but do know that 24/7 operations like hospital units have cultures and personalities and seasons of their own, all of which are subject to change, and especially when you're new, it's possible to be in a place of dreading work and feeling like it's hopeless and then through a combination of you and the place evolving, find over time you tolerate or like it- the worst parts get better (or you adapt), you become a part of the team, you learn the unofficial aspects of the place that make it unique. Great units can go downhill over time, too, or you can outgrow them. Staffing issues are rough, but they also ebb and flow in all but the very worst places- even a small amount of turnover can create temporary stress in a unit that translates in to low morale and exhaustion, but it's rarely forever. It takes time to hire and train new staff, though, and because staff rarely give more than a months' notice before leaving, there are almost inevitably coverage gaps even with the best management and commitment to staffing, and this happens on virtually every unit at some point. These things tend to resolve over time, on a scale of months. When you're new and you're stressed trying to learn everything and you have no frame of reference for all of it, though, it can seem like someplace is just a nightmare of impossibly bad management and low morale.
I've had jobs where I regularly went home crying in the first few months that later became delightful- and jobs that were a delight gradually devolve in to going home crying. There's nothing wrong with your plan to move on, but keep an open mind. Your workplace might really be irredeemably bad- but you also might be surprised how you feel about it in a year.

I can only speak of my place, but according to other coworkers (who are ALWAYS complaining about the unit), it has been like this for almost two years. Seasoned coworkers state that if their lack of BSN didn't hold them back, they would have left already. Others, including travel nurses, have stated that this unit is perhaps the most poorly staffed unit they have ever come across. Floats have called off after finding out that they would be floated to my floor.

It is that bad. But there are some things that I enjoy about it. The teamwork is great, I don't dislike any of my coworkers, unlimited overtime and wonderful scheduling are big pluses, and it is the coveted acute care experience that many employers desire.

I don't see things getting better in the year I plan to stay here, plus it is far from what I want to be doing in my nursing career. But you gotta start somewhere!