Wrong Job or Wrong Profession?

[maryk7]

I am a new graduate RN and have been working at my current job for 2 months now. I am done with my orientation and work a 2-3 split on nights on an acute floor. I love my coworkers and love the drama free vibes of night shift, but that's about all I like. I've been miserable and exhausted and feel terrified of messing up every time I come in to work. I feel like I never see my husband (only been married for 10 months) or my family and when I do see them I am too tired to enjoy it. This 2-3 split makes it impossible to ever get used to one schedule because I am constantly going from sleeping during the day back to sleeping at night on my off days. I have been crying constantly and already want to find another job where I have better hours. I would do anything for an 8 hour job. I love my patients and love caring for them, but acute care isn't my favorite. I prefer stable and routine. I'm beginning to wonder if I chose the wrong profession and feel like I will never be a "good nurse". I know 2 months is too soon to move to another job, but I don't know how much longer I can stand to he miserable. Advice please!!

[undefeated-lvn]

if you're looking for something more stable/routine there's always long term care and also private duty....being a nurse is challenging but one thing I encourage is to put on a poker face never show distress on your face to families or patient...and if you feel you need something slower pace or feel this is putting your hard earned license at risk then its better to immediately find another job and remove yourself from any dangerous sitiations whether you're doubting your career the fact still remains you have worked too hard to let your degree go by not removing yourself from a bad situation. Even if I were you if you can I would probably go prn with them until you get comfortable at least your not bound to having to work a prn request. But if you cant its understandable but please look for something lesser acuity

[llg, PhD, RN]

Having only worked 1 job for a short period of time ... you don't have enough evidence to decide that the entire profession of nursing is not right for you. You can only come to that conclusion after you have tried a couple of different types of jobs and given each one a good, honest try to make it work.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Having only worked 1 job for a short period of time ... you don't have enough evidence to decide that the entire profession of nursing is not right for you. You can only come to that conclusion after you have tried a couple of different types of jobs and given each one a good, honest try to make it work.

And a good, honest try is about a year.

The first year of nursing is miserable -- almost everyone feels stupid, afraid of messing up, discombobulated because of the hours and totally, abjectly miserable. They cry before work, after work, and at work. If they work eight hour shifts, they're POSITIVE their life would improve if they worked 12s. If they work 12s, they're convinced that 8s are a better gig. (Being at work five days a week is it's own special hell!) Give it some time. It gets better.

[Mavrick, BSN, RN]

Obviously your expectations have not correlated with your reality.

My nursing class EXPECTED to get the night/split/off/crappy shifts and were delighted and proud to brag that they had a job in a hospital!

We have worked our way up to the great/cushy/dream jobs. I have to keep my bragging about my great job to a minimum but I have many experiences of the mud in the trenches before I got here.

Adjust your expectations and you too shall find a suitable place.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Obviously your expectations have not correlated with your reality.

My nursing class EXPECTED to get the night/split/off/crappy shifts and were delighted and proud to brag that they had a job in a hospital!

We have worked our way up to the great/cushy/dream jobs. I have to keep my bragging about my great job to a minimum but I have many experiences of the mud in the trenches before I got here.

Adjust your expectations and you too shall find a suitable place.

Ain't this the truth!

[Kareegasee]

Anything can seem impossible when you are tired. Wait until you have kids I'm guessing sleep deprivation and the lack of time you have for normal activities and family is largely contributing to the doubt you're experiencing about your current job. I've never worked nights but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't work for me either. My advice to you is to look for a day shift position. My first job out of college was working as an RN in a nursing home ("skilled nursing facility"). Talk about stable and routine. Don't give up. Get a nap, get some coffee, update your resume, and remember that if you don't like one area of nursing, there are always about 10 factors about it that can be changed at any time that will give you a completely different view. If you don't like the company, find another one. Don't like the hours? Well the good news is that nurses work 24/7/365. Don't like holidays or the hospital setting? Work in an office. Work in the ICU and have a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio. Look into travel nursing! (Usually need 2 years of experience.) Change your patient population. Don't give up in the nursing field, just find the job that works for YOU.