Why am I so depressed?

[freckles23]

Hi everyone. I come to get advice and to see some clarity in my situation from someone who has been there with my current situation now.

I am 23 years old, passed NCLEX in April and got a job at a subacute rehab/ltc facility. Previously while I was in school I was working for a hospital for 4 years as a CNA but they couldnt give me a RN position because they are trying to go Magnet. I told the nursing recruitment I am enrolled in a BSN program (even though I wasnt but I was going to apply right after if interview went well) so they would consider hiring me. But in the end I never got an offer.

My one friend got me the connection to work in this rehab and I have been there for a few months. I like it and the staff is super supportive and im learning alot but I feel I could be learning alot more. All my friends I graduated with got a job in a hospital somehow by a stroke of luck I guess but im still here waiting to get a call back. Im sort of depressed and not liking where I am in my job life right now. I want to be in a hospital setting and learn alot since im a new grad but im stuck at this rehab til something better comes along. Im not really sure how to see the light at the end of this tunnel and I just dont have any motivation anymore with nursing because I am not where I pictured myself. Please give me some guidance or words to get thru this. I feel stuck in a rut and dont want to dig deeper in this hole.

[Mavrick, BSN, RN]

You sound like someone who is lost without instant gratification. Count your lucky stars you even have a job as a newbie.

Read this site and you'll see there are plenty of nurses who desperately want out of the hospital setting.

Good luck.

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/what-if-nursing-1002567.html

Are these two an accurate example of the next generation of nursing? (A BSN and a hospital job didn't make her happy)

[Bluem67]

Well all hope is not lost. Like somebody said you there is much to be thankful for because at least you are not one of those RNs without a job. You are young, just be patient and continue to apply to that hospital. You will eventually get it.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I want to be in a hospital setting and learn alot since im a new grad but im stuck at this rehab til something better comes along. Im not really sure how to see the light at the end of this tunnel and I just dont have any motivation anymore with nursing because I am not where I pictured myself.

I notice a common theme surrounding posts from a handful of people who have recently entered the nursing profession. It seems that some people place far too much importance on nursing jobs, somehow expecting their work to transform their lives in some otherworldly transcendental manner.

Here's the truth: a job is nothing more than a job, whether it's at an acute care hospital or a subacute rehab center. It generates an income to pay bills and enable a more comfortable lifestyle. A job is an occupier of time and space. A job is not intended as a sole source of happiness or transformational redemption. No one ever laid on the deathbed and declared, "Gee, I wish I worked more hours when I was younger."

My point is to not depend on any job for your personal happiness. Cultivate an interesting life outside the workplace that you actually look forward to. Realize you're extremely fortunate to not be in the ranks of the newly graduated unemployed nurses. Good luck!

[KalipsoRed21, BSN, RN]

Totally agree! Here is a little Zen, be happy where you are and start planning where you want to be. To be honest your ADN is not going to cut it at any hospital you want to learn how to be a nurse at. It might have cut it if you were an ADN with 10 years experience, but you aren't. So be grateful that you have a job, a way to pay your student loans. If you don't have student loans thank your lucky stars and start saving to get your BSN. Your resume will look much better when you have a year or two of RN experience under your belt and a BSN.