Pretty sure I just wasted 2 yrs of my life in nursing..

One of the other nurses here and wanted to give you some encouragement. I felt just like you when I got my first job in nursing and decided it wasn't for me. However, we needed the money so I looked into other options. I sort of "fell" into nurse pracitioner school and ended up getting a masters with a family nurse practitioner program. Truly, I did it to get out of rotating to nights!! I really can't say that I love it but it is tolerable-more money, better hours and lots of variety in job choices. My real passion now(besides my family) is fitness so I am grateful that I have the health background.
I guess my point is, try to look at it as a temporary thing while you take steps to move on-whether that be in healthcare or another direction. It is an accomplishment to become a nurse so you definitely have the smarts and determination to change any situation. Granted, now that you are pregnant it may not be a drastic change you can make but you still will always have opportunities/options!

Good luck and please don't let it get you down. Congratulations on your pregnancy--we just found out we are pregnant again with #5.

Take care,
Shannon
 
RE: Pretty sure I just wasted 2 yrs of my life in nursi...

Mu aunt and one of my best friends both have nursing degrees and neither are in the nursing profession. Instead they have used their degrees to get excellent administration jobs in local hospitals that they both love. These are jobs that most people aren't qualified for simply because they are not RNs. Don' be discouraged. Your degree could open so many doors for you in other areas that people like myself are not qualified for. Things will work out. It is my understanding that it is very difficult to become a nurse and you did that. If you can make it through that you can handle anything.:)
 
Janice,
First, good luck on your test. Second, I think you should give yourself a HUGE pat on the back for completing such an awesome accomplishment as nursing school. I am sorry that you are hurting and feeling like you wasted 2 years, but I don't see it as a waste whatsoever. I know several ladies that decided at the end of nursing school that they hated nursing. But they went on to attain very good jobs in other areas which no doubt was because of their RN background. My SIL went on to being a PE teacher. She loved science, anatomy, and health and fitness so she chose nursing. But she hated it and went on to become a health and P.E. teacher at a middle school and LOVES it. Please don't feel like you wasted your time or money.

Take care.
Lisa
 
Hi,
I have to say I totally understand what you mean about Nursing. I'm 34 and have been doing it for 7 years now and never once liked it. But it pays for stuff.
I mean, REALLY don't like it. But i like that I don't have too worry too much about the bills.
I have switched from ER nursing to ICU nursing and I'm finding that it is a compromise I am willing to put up with for the meantime vs. leaving the profession. You might want to try a specialty which limits the scope. Like say Coronary Care.
I find Medical ICU seems more interesting and have decided not to use my Coronary Certificate. I discovered CCU patients were walkie talkies ( aka ... can talk and mobilize ) and do not like that at all. I like having 2 intubated and sedated patients.
There are options like out of hospital jobs for sure but my suggestion is thin about specializing or get out while you can not like me!!! I was checking out becoming a technician...like ultrasound/MRI/Nuclear medicine...no actual prolonged bedside stuff.
 
Janice,
First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy! :)
I know that you went off your meds when you got pregnant, and I can't help but wonder whether some of your feelings of frustration and hopeless ("I just wasted 2 yrs . . . .") could be a direct result of that. For me, I notice myself getting that way if I've missed a few days of my antidepressant. (Left 'em home once when I was on vacation: NO FUN).
You're working on a tough unit and you'd be crazy to NOT feel overwhelmed. I used to hear IMEDs and monitors beeping in my sleep for first 6 mos. I worked. School teaches you the basics, but it's working that teaches you how to be a nurse.
If there's no specialty unit that interests you at this time, I'd encourage you to think about making the best of it, get thru your pregnancy, and back on your meds. Then, you might be able to more clearly see what it is you need to do: get out of nursing altogether, or explore other options in nursing.
I honestly don't know of any other degree or license that gives a person to flexibility. I could NEVER have worked part time at any other job when my kids were growing up and made as much money as I did. When I do think, 'oh it would be great to work at X", I check the hourly rate and realize I'd have to work at least 3times as much to bring home the same check. That's an eye opener to anyone who's not independently wealthy. ;-)
Good luck with whatever decision you make. You're in my prayers.
Valerie
 
Don't worry you didnt waste two years of your life. You just haven't found your niche in nursing. I am also an RN and my first year was miserable. I have now been a nurse for 15 years and have done many different things. There are so many things you can do with your degree and so many different places a nursing degree is a wonderful thing. You could not only work in hospitals, schools, for insurance companies, doctors offices, home health just to name a few. After my first year in nursing I went to Post Partum and loved it. It was a great place for me because I had already had 3 children and it was an area that I knew about personally. For the last 7 years I have been a school nurse and it is GREAT! No nights, weekends, holidays, summers off and still have a great salary. If you can't stand the job where you are I am sure they would rather you get out now while you are still in orientation than soon after they have trained you. I once went to work for a home health agency and knew withing two weeks I was not going to like it and was just honest with my employer. If you are interested in school nursing you could always start off working in a pediatricians office to get your experience. Good luck and take the time to enjoy your pregnancy it is a very special time in your life. If you would like to ask me any questions about school nursing or my other nursing experiences feel free to contact me.
 
Janice:

You are not the first and you will not be the last person to train for a career and then discover that it really isn't for them after all.

It isn't the end of the world. Perhaps, now, you are coming to know yourself better than ever before.

There's no shame in discovering that nursing isn't for you. It isn't for most people, so join the club!

You have not wasted 2 years. Education, no matter what field knowledge is gained in, is never a waste. Never. You are still growing as an individual, every piece of education merely helps with this process, adds to it.

Start forgiving yourself for not liking nursing right now. Who ever said you had to like it?!

Janice: what you really need to do is stop coming here to cathe forums and looking to others to give you answers to your dilemnas. No-one can do that for you. You are perhaps too ready to assume others' opinions and values rather than discovering your own. You will find plenty of people here to tell you what they think you should do with your life, whether because they are successful happy nurses and want you to enjoy what they do, or because they represent the opposite view. Their opinions, and therefore mine also (!), really are not worth that much.

What you seem to now realize is that you do have very strong instincts, but you have gone to great lengths to ignore them and this current deep sense of dissatisfaction is the result.

You are pregnant, and that is wonderful. Congratulations! Right now, that and your on-going good health are priority. Sorting out the rest of your life does not have to be done or decided today. Motherhood changes women. Parenthood changes your values and priorities. Start to trust your instincts, values and opinions to decide where your future lies. Take some time to step back from the rush-to-decide-your-life-right-now that you seem to have been experiencing for a while now. Think, feel, experience and let your decisions come to you.

Don't keep asking people here what they think. Start asking yourself what you think.

I wish you all the best, dear Janice, not least because I know exactly where you are coming from.

Clare
 
You all have been so helpful and understanding. Thank you.

I am still going round and round with the hubby. Finances...and therefore careers.....seem to be a big bone of contention for us these days. I don't know what the compromise is.:-(

I took NCLEX today. It stopped at 75 q's. I also got the "check all that apply" q's so I am assuming that means that I got to the higher level and therefore have a good chance of passing. I also don't think i was stupid enough to fail in 75. LOL.

We shall know tomorrow!!:D
 
I am not trying to sound snotty or mean, but I would not like to have you for my nurse! Would you??? You're putting people who depend on you at risk.

Also, again...not trying to be mean...it sounds like you are coming here to have us tell you what to do....again.

You need to sit down, block it all out, decide what YOU want and go after it. That may mean volunteer work with no pay. What is more important...a job you love with less pay and a happy you or a higher pay, job you hate and a miserable life! Does your DH want $$$ and a miserable wife???

I know you mentioned personal training in the past but the pay sucks...do you want to spend the rest of your life hating what you do for $$$? Why not go after personal training??
 
>>>>I have to say I totally understand what you mean about Nursing. I'm 34 and have been doing it for 7 years now and never once liked it. But it pays for stuff.
I mean, REALLY don't like it. But i like that I don't have too worry too much about the bills.

I will be blunt. I am apalled that you stick to nursing because "it pays for stuff."

My DD was hospitalized at 5 days old and thank the good Lord we had wonderful and compassionate nurses who genuinely cared for the people in their charge.

If you were in a profession where you don't interact with people and are in charge of their HEALTH AND LIVES, I could understand your attitude. But, I don't see how you can give the best care you can with your attitude. Geez. I feel sorry for your patients and their families.
 
Firts of all...{{{{{{{{{{{naughtoj}}}}}}}}}}}}!

Secondly, thank you so much for that link. I sit here, sobbing, both for you and for myself because I've been wrestling with this for 3 years. I HATE what I do, I HATE that I can't have a "normal" life, I HATE that I can't have a "normal" relationship with my SO because of it, I HATE the wear and tear on my body that has resulted. But I keep going because it keeps a roof over my head (well, almost anyway) and that's the problem. I have no other means of support and I'm tied to it financially because I have a pony that I need to sell and would not be able to support otherwise. If I can get it sold (there's a deal on the table now) it will give me a little cushion and I'm praying to God that that happens.

I have become quite passionate about nutrition and I hope to do something along those lines but getting out of what my current jobs is going to be extremely hard. The person I work for has done a tremendous amount for me over the years and I acknowledge that and that's why I haven't left sooner. His luck, as of late, has been horrible and I feel like all this is going to do is knock him down even more. Although, he's been particularly nasty lately (especially yesterday), and that is, in a way, making this a little easier. I think he's suffering from some pretty serious depression lately and he's taking it out on me and the two other people who work for him. Will he ever admit to it or see someone about it...NO!

I guess I just hijacked your thread and I apologize for that. I didn't even get the chance to read the entire thing because I don't have the time right now because I have to go to work *rolls eyes*. I just couldn't help but feel exactly what you're feeling now and I wanted to send my support and my thanks to you. I think you actually helped me to firm up my decision a little bit...thank you.
 
SRP, you have my dream job! i've been doing med transcription for 7 years now and would really like to move on to medical writing. i LOVE grammar and writing. i joined the AMWA, but work has been pretty intense lately so i haven't moved forward with it. could you make any suggestions as to how to move into medical writing? i've asked the four doctors i work for but they have not been helpful. x(
 
Well, what a difference of opinions we have here!:eek: :) Thanks!

Shannon..congrats with baby #5!

Wendy...I am sorry you are so frustrated. I hope you find resolution too!

Well, I PASSED NCLEX! In 75!! I am officially an RN, whether that is good or bad, lol!!!;-)

And.....for those that are not clear. I may be unsure of this career and whether I have a true "calling" for it, but I am a safe, conscientous nurse. And I do care when people are in pain. I am not without feeling for them. Am I Mother Theresa? A big no on that. But as a reality check for those of you that are not nurses.....not all nurses can LOVE what they do, or have a "true calling". And how could you with all the other stresses you have to deal with any given day on top of just taking care of your pts??!! If LOVING you job was a requirement, there just may be no nurses to take care of you when you get old. Heck, there still might be no one!}( I know that the RN's here know what I am talking about.:p

Well, I have my first prenatal appt today and am excited!! THAT is my focus for today so I am outta here!:7
 
RE: Pretty sure I just wasted 2 yrs of my life in nursi...

Congrats on passing! That is a huge accomplishment! I just want to say that I've been a nurse for two years and if it wasn't for being able to work with babies ( I work in the NICU) I wouldn't like nursing either. I dreaded going to clinicals and having to deal with adult patients. I seriously wondered if I was doing the right thing. But I totally found what I enjoyed. Some days are better than others, though. Would I rather stay at home and get things done there? You bet, but I know that I would dread going to work if it was something else. I like my job, but it also took some time to get comfortable and feel like I "belonged" there. Hope you find what you love, and again, Congratulations!
~Ann
 
I know this is an old thread but I've been away. I just wanted to say that I felt exactly the same way you do. I realized it in nursing school and I mean NURSING 101!!!! But, I continued....

Well, I hit the floors and never stopped running! And every nurse here know exactly what I'm talking about. BUT, I continued to hate it. I never got comfortable....never!!!!! I stayed with it for two plus years and still felt out of sorts. It just wasn't for me. I'm not the up close and personal type either. I just wanted to tell you that you must know you're not the only one that feels this way.

I'm now a school nurse. Good pay (not as good as the hospital but in comparison to the work, it's great), great hours, summers off, etc. I raised my kids with this job always having off when they did. I'm doing it now for eleven years. So, there are options and an education is never a waste. It taught you things that you don't even realize.

Congrats on passing the test and making it through such a hard program. Good luck to you!!!!!!!!!

Nancy
 
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