Will This Job Ever Get Better?

[badabinggirl]

I'll have been a nurse for 2 years in January, but I still feel nauseas and have anxiety attacks before going into work. I admit I was a slow learner--it took me a while to get a grasp on all the systems and how they affect each other, symptoms, etc. But I've been at the same job since I graduated and the last two years have been unbelievable. I've gained forty pounds, I haven't dated in two years, I drink more than I ever have, etc. Its just such a huge responsibility to have people's lives in your hands. Some of the nurses I work with, most of them older, don't even care enough to look at charts to get background info on their patients, check on labs, etc. It's like they rather surf the net than work. And the doctors treat us like dirt. That was something I was not ready for coming out of school. I hear its better in teaching hospitals. I do three 12 hour shifts on weekends. Won't leave this job, cause the pay is the highest I can find in the city, and I'm a single mom. Just wanted to vent, glad I found this site. Shew!!!!

[Katnip, RN]

After two years it probably won't get better.

I realize the money is important, but is it more important than your physical and mental health?

I still feel nauseas and have anxiety attacks before going into work.[/Quote]

I've gained forty pounds, I haven't dated in two years, I drink more than I ever have, etc.[/Quote]

If this job is affecting your life this way, you certainly are not in the right job. What good does the money do when your kids see you burning yourself out this way?

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

I know you said money is an issue, but you're stressed out, big time. Maybe in your town, there's a local mental health center, i'm thinking you might want to seek out help. I'm definitely not saying it's all in your head, i'm thinking that you might benefit from counseling. And the mental health center might base the cost on your income.

[FutureRN2005]

Just out of curiosity what area do you work in? Maybe a change to a lower stress area (if such a place exists ) within the same hospital would help. That way you would still probably make the same salary and maybe a different environment would work out better for you.

Good luck to you.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Run, do not walk, to the nearest exit!! NO job is worth what this one is doing to your health..........believe me, I know! I myself just walked away from one that paid almost $30 an hour for the very same reasons: I was burned-out, stressed-out, and emotionally wrung out.

Now, my husband is unemployed right now himself, we still have three of our four kids at home plus a son-in-law and our grandson, and I don't know where our next house payment will come from or what I'm going to do next. But I'm so relieved to be out of that job that I know everything else will take care of itself; my mind is clearing up, the depression has lifted, and I'm not even in half the physical pain I was before I quit. Also, I'm taking full advantage of our employee-assistance program right now while I'm still technically on the payroll, and I would recommend counseling to you as well........not only will it help you vent your feelings, but you may get some insight as to how you became burned out in the first place and some strategy on avoiding future episodes, as well as coping mechanisms that may serve you far better than overeating (which is a BIG issue for me too).

Best of luck to you.......Believe me, if it hasn't gotten better in two years, it's not going to.

Please let us know what you decide. We care!