1 year in and I want out

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I know there are alot of opportunities in nursing but in my heart I just don't like being a nurse. I have been hoping I would feel differently once I was out of school and on my own but I don't. I am planning on going back to school in the fall and going into early childhood development. I should have switched my major during nursing school when I realized I didn't care for nursing but with a young son I just wanted a job that paid more than minimum wage. I am now stressed beyond belief and all I do is yell at my family. I will continue working as a nurse while I continue my education but I can't wait to get out.

Specializes in Step-Down Vascular, Renal, ESRD.

I was a teacher for six years and went to nursing. To me, they both have the pros and cons. In teaching, you have to learn to get your rewards intrinisically-from within. You will use some of your hard-earned money for the classroom and students. You will go home and still be at work or stay after school writing lesson plans, progress reports, notes home, grading homework or papers and the list is endless-- and will not get paid for it.

Moneywise, for nursing I made $20k more than I did in my 6th year of teaching and last and this year my teacher friends got a $200.00 raise. (There isn't a typo in the preceding sentence.)

If you are going to teaching, go because you want to make a difference. Don't go because you think it's easier, believe me it's harder and you are not compensated at all for it.

I love coming home and doing whatever I want instead of planning or preparing. Take the advice of the previous posts and try a different floor. We all know you have put in a lot of study hours, time and effort to receive your nursing degree and nursing has more than what your floor is currently offering.

If you still want to go into teaching, then great. Just know it is even harder work than nursing and again your rewards come intrinsically because at times you don't get it from the administration and parents. You definitely never see it in your pay.

Good Luck!

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.

If you like kids, why not do as the others suggested and do school nursing? Going into a school or preschool environment isn't going to fix the problem of stress because kids are just as stressful as adults no matter how you are interacting with them!

I have heard of many teachers that left teaching because they found teaching kids too stressful.

Something to think about.

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Specializes in Pain Management, RN experience was in ER.

Why not take a position in education as a nurse? Many nurses go out and speak with children about their health and eating right/exercising. School nursing (you'd have the same hours as your kids)? Pediatrics? Oncology is a tough field! I just hope you're giving yourself a fair chance =(

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Specializes in Med-Surg, ER.

I'd like to add a couple of thoughts here. You worked very hard for the right to put the letters "R.N." behind your name. Even if you decide to go off and do something totally different, those two letters will, in certain places, earn you a great deal of respect. You can "be" an RN for the rest of your life and never set foot at the bedside again, or even do anything that most people would consider "nursing." Those two initials mean something to the rest of society - they mean that you are a professional with specialized knowledge. That knowledge is desired in far more places than just in direct patient care areas. Unless the basic problem is that you have a self -esteem issue related to being an RN and you've come to despise yourself for it, be proud of what you've accomplished and cherish that title.

Second, I would highly encourage you to maintain your license! Even if you do go off and do something totally different, your license gives you the ultimate fall-back position. You have a golden ticket that will ensure that you have the means to create income for yourself almost at will. Once you have a nursing license, in most places it's easy to maintain, but once allowed to lapse, it can be very difficult and expensive to get reinstated if you need it.

If you're suffering from burn-out, then by all means go and do something wild and different. Some time away might provide some perspective. You chose a high-stress area of practice and you might need some down time. Whatever you do, keep an open mind, and keep your options open. You never know what curves life is going to throw at you, and the more open and ready you are to face them, the greater chance you have of making them work to your advantage.

Good luck to you, whatever you decide.

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

My wife is a nurse and gave it up to be a sales clerk at a grocery store. Not everyone is going to love nursing. What a shame someone didn't help you with this issue before you spent all that time in the College of Nursing. Hope you find what leads you to happiness. In the mean time don't give up your licence. You may find opportunities down the road that are more to your tastes than oncology. Like it or not the pay isn't too bad for an undergraduate degree.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.

Yeah, why not just teach nursing? You don't have to go back to school, just teach at an LPN program.

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Specializes in OB.
Yeah, why not just teach nursing? You don't have to go back to school, just teach at an LPN program.

Do you really think that someone who hates nursing is the proper person to be teaching/mentoring new nurses? (Or have I missed some sarcasm here?)

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I think it is possible to teach nursing theory, even if a person does not like to actually practice nursing. I myself like helping people, which sometimes doesn't mean "nursing" as we know it. I get a lot more out of helping an elderly WW2 vet with making microwave popcorn (which I have done as LPN) rather than filling out three page incident reports for someone who slips off their chair in a nursing home. Nursing today is not like the old days, it's more technical and paperwork, so if a person likes taking care of people or teaching about pathology, it doesn't mean they "hate" nursing.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.
Do you really think that someone who hates nursing is the proper person to be teaching/mentoring new nurses? (Or have I missed some sarcasm here?)

No, I wasn't being sarcastic. Teaching and practice are two different things. She won't be at the bedside if she teaches.

Thanks for your comment.

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All our instructors had to do clincal supervision of students, regardless of what they taught.

Can't people here accept that nursing isn't for everyone? Why pressure someone into staying in a field they don't want to be in??

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Do you really think that someone who hates nursing is the proper person to be teaching/mentoring new nurses? (Or have I missed some sarcasm here?)

If everyone who went into teaching nursing because they hated actually hated nursing quit their teaching jobs- I think nursing schools across this whole country would be completely without instructors.

I hope I am making sense. I just finished a hellish night shift and I'm fried.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
If everyone who went into teaching nursing because they hated actually hated nursing quit their teaching jobs- I think nursing schools across this whole country would be completely without instructors.

I hope I am making sense. I just finished a hellish night shift and I'm fried.

I think you're saying that there are many nursing instructors who opt for that because they want to stay out of bedside nursing.

I suspect you may be correct.

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