i hate my nursing job

7 months out of school, and 6 months of working. i hate my job, and not too crazy about being a nurse. im 22 years old, single, no previous degree, first full time job was a nurse.

i dont like working nights and weekends and 12 hour shifts.

been thinking....what should i do? get a job at a clinic or go back to school for a masters in informatics?
Hi Mylife,It seems that you hate your job and that you are confused about whether to continue in nursing. That you have been working for 6 months shows you must be a great nurse and doing a good job so take encouragement from that.. Is there any area that you like the best? Do you like kids, babies or the elderly? Are you waiting to get into that area? There are so many areas in nursing to consider where you could try to find your 'niche'-there are clinics, schools, urgent care, home nursing etc. that may be of interest to you also as well as just changing the hospital you are working in-at least nursing has that flexibility so you can choose!!.. Would any of those be an option?I hope you find something you love and I feel for you-nursing or informatics..
Working nights and weekends is hard in any profession, so this may be coloring your impression of nursing?Also, remember that the first year out of school is always the hardest because of the learning curve.When I graduated with med tech, I worked 3rd shift for 2 years and hated it. Now I'm on second shift at a great hospital and loving it. Once you get a year or two of experience under your belt, you will have your pick of jobs. Try talking to all the nurses you know to find out what they like about their area (peds, ICU, home health, parish nursing, etc.).My advice is to stick it out for a while longer, and then go searching for your dream job Good luck!
There are tooooo many choices in nursing to throw in the towel already! If nights/weekends/12hr shifts aren't for you, have you considered MD office nursing? Home health? There are also a ton of nursing jobs out there that do not include hands-on nursing. Good luck to you!
Why don't you try changing your schedule around. Maybe cut some hours or look for something else, new department or job possibly. You might find that the night shift doesn't suit you well, so it might be time for a change. Good luck to you. :wink2:
You got some good feedback here. What are your thoughts regarding it?
There are many options to choose from in nursing fortunately. Outpatient surgery centers are a good choice for people who don't like working weekends and holidays. Also, it is just a normal day shift and you can work part-time, a couple of days a week if you want. Start looking now - you need to be able to start IV's and do a good patient assessment and be organized, which I'm sure you can do. Lots and lots to choose from actually - steph
I definitely wouldn't throw in the towel yet. Some hospitals require six months, some a year before transferring...check with your hospital. If it is a year, start looking into other areas that you might like better or start campaigning with your nurse manager about working a different shift. Let her/him know that you like the department (if you do, of course), but the hours are creating havoc with your health. If you are a good employee, they may try to work with you on getting you a better shift. You'll never know if you don't ask.
well its not only the shift changes i dont like, its the dynamics of how some of the nurses interact with each other and other ancillary staff. i worked at another hospital during my nursing school days, and the staff interaction there was like night and day compared to this hospital now. and in my 6 months working there, i saw 3 nurses leave. there is obviously a high turn around in this unit.i'll def take your advice, stick it out for at least 5 more months. and i will change my schedule so i won't have to work 3 days in a row and be stressed out on the third day. as far as other options, im def going to look into a job at a health department as a community health nurse, which is where i did my senior practicum as a nsg student. but what i know for sure, i will apply for grad school in informatics by next spring.....until then, i will hold my breath and see how it goes at this place.
Quote from Nurse ValiumThere are tooooo many choices in nursing to throw in the towel already! If nights/weekends/12hr shifts aren't for you, have you considered MD office nursing? Home health? There are also a ton of nursing jobs out there that do not include hands-on nursing. Good luck to you!
...have you thought of asking to work 8 hour shifts, or not working 3 12 hour shifts in a row? What is your social life like? Are you sleeping okay? Are you eating ok? ...as a new person the veterans at your hospital may be checking you out to see if you are going to leave also. I worked with some real complainers who never helped me as I struggled the first few months. Right or wrong, some do it. So be a role model yourself, give your best, you have to answer for yourself, not for others. Who knows, maybe you will attract a doctor who will offer you a job at her office because of your excellent skills and pt. care. I have seen this happen where I work.... Or maybe a different floor would be a better fit. What floor are you currently working?? What do you like, if anything about your current position? Take a sheet of paper and write down pros and cons of your current job. ...hope you are having a better time of it, we care let us know what you do.jackie53
Quote from Mylifewell its not only the shift changes i dont like, its the dynamics of how some of the nurses interact with each other and other ancillary staff. i worked at another hospital during my nursing school days, and the staff interaction there was like night and day compared to this hospital now. and in my 6 months working there, i saw 3 nurses leave. there is obviously a high turn around in this unit.i'll def take your advice, stick it out for at least 5 more months. and i will change my schedule so i won't have to work 3 days in a row and be stressed out on the third day. as far as other options, im def going to look into a job at a health department as a community health nurse, which is where i did my senior practicum as a nsg student. but what i know for sure, i will apply for grad school in informatics by next spring.....until then, i will hold my breath and see how it goes at this place.
Hi there,I hated nursing for the first four months after qualifying and found it difficult for the next few months also. My first ward, I had no support, no teaching, nothing. I'd never worked a surgical ward and there I was, left alone, trying to ask for help that never came. I couldn't get used to the short shifts, they worked 8 hour shifts there so I was getting home at 10:30pm and having to get up at 6am for the morning shift just hours after.Everyone has their own area, I came into my own on long days in the ED, I adore it there and love being a nurse, but any more time on the surgical ward and I'd have told them where to stuff their job Have a scout around, think about what you enjoyed while you were a student and try and get a position there and see how you do.Best of luck!