Working moms please commiserate

DeniseRN · April 2013

So I have a pretty sweet job, as far as nursing goes. MonFri, 7330, no weekends, no holidays, no call great pay and great insurance. Jobs like this are almost non existant now in the hospital.

I'm so blahhhhh about it now. I've been in my current job 6 years

I do a great job IMO. I give my patients great care and have genuine concern for helping them get better.

But why am I so blahhhhhh?

I should be super grateful and all bc I have a job and its pretty sweet, as far as nurses go. I make my own schedule and can usually take off when I need to

Am I burned out? I'm only 30 and can't imagine doing this current job when I'm 60

What is wrong w me?!

DeniseRN · April 2013

Please feel free to flame. I know I probably deserve it.

zyas · April 2013

Not going to flame you. I have a job I love too but I've totally been feeling burnt out lately as well.

Sorry I don't have any advice. Just wanted to let you know you're not alone.

DeniseRN · April 2013

lizwindersonRN:
I have days where I enjoy my job a lot like the other day where it was busy and I had a super sick kid. Only ICU nurses understand how this would be a good day. And I have a good boss. We get to self schedule and only work 1 weekend day a month. That's rare in a hospital.
And then there are days where I know I can't do this forever. And then I decided to apply to nurse practitioner school.
I understand exactly how you feel!

I used to work adult med surg ICU. I understand how it's better to have sick patients and be busy. I used to ask for the super sick patients for my assignment. Nurses are gluttons for punishment ;]

DeniseRN · April 2013

Meow84:
Do you need a vacation? Do you feel appreciated for the work that you do? Can you take on an extra "project" that interests you? I used to teach the burnout and stress management portion of our new staff training and these were some of the common causes of burn out.

I get in ruts at my job at times, even though I love it. I tend to feel a lot better after having a vacation or taking a day for a training/conference/career development to remember why I love what I do.

I actually neeeeeeeed a vacation so bad, but lack the PTO thanks to my constantly sick kids

I just spearheaded a new service for patients who have congestive heart failure, are underinsured, or not insured. It was actually mentioned in two local papers w my name. So I'm basically famous ;]

DeniseRN · April 2013

lizwindersonRN:
DeniseRN:
lizwindersonRN:
I have days where I enjoy my job a lot like the other day where it was busy and I had a super sick kid. Only ICU nurses understand how this would be a good day. And I have a good boss. We get to self schedule and only work 1 weekend day a month. That's rare in a hospital.
And then there are days where I know I can't do this forever. And then I decided to apply to nurse practitioner school.
I understand exactly how you feel!

I used to work adult med surg ICU. I understand how it's better to have sick patients and be busy. I used to ask for the super sick patients for my assignment. Nurses are gluttons for punishment ;]

Yes! Last week I asked for the baby with pertussis on ECMO and oscillator. It was a glorious day! And another reason to vaccinate your children!

Props for being a PICU nurse. I could take care of sick adults all day, but sick babies would make me teary. Old people, ehhhh, they've had a life

sasa625 · April 2013

I definitely know what you're saying. I'm very lucky to be able to work 3 days/week in a school (so I have breaks and the summer off), but I feel like I'm just not as enthusiastic about it as I used to be. Over the past year, I have wondered often if this is really what I'm meant to be doing. I don't necessarily want to stay home full time with my kids, and my job isn't that stressful, but sometimes I think it would just be easier to stay home and have only that stress in my life. I think it also has something to do with being constantly exhausted (thanks to a baby who doesn't believe in sleep!). I'm hoping that if ever there's a time that I get sleep again (since my 1st didn't STTN until she was 3), I'll feel differently.

Reilly626 · April 2013

I can't offer any career advice but wanted to say you have such an important job and we all appreciate good nurses. I give you a ton of credit! As a teacher I changed grades and that made a huge difference! Best if luck!

DeniseRN · April 2013

jnoone:
Not currently working, but popping in.nbsp; I don't speak "nurse," so forgive me if I use the wrong term...Could you switch to a different unit?nbsp; My friend was an ER nurse for 7 years, and just moved to some sort of dialysis unit.nbsp; She was feeling blah about the ER?!, and is currently more in love with her job than she's been in a long time.nbsp; Every other Facebook post is about her awesome job or her wonderful coworkers.nbsp; Maybe it would help to stay in the same field, but switch it up?

Oh I could switch fields and do something new very easily, but I would probably take a pay cut or have to work weekends or holidays or 12 hour shifts. I really want to keep my current schedule so I can be home on holidays and weekends w the H and kids

I'm kinda stuck

DeniseRN · April 2013

Reilly626:
I can't offer any career advice but wanted to say you have such an important job and we all appreciate good nurses. I give you a ton of credit! As a teacher I changed grades and that made a huge difference! Best if luck!

Thanks! I'm grateful for teachers bc I couldn't do it and its such an important profession! Well, I couldn't teach kids anyway lol, adult nursing students maybe

shermans · April 2013

Right now I am a part time dialysis nurse and am able to enjoy it but When I have to go back full time, I am Probably going to be in your situation...I hate to say it but if I had the chance to do it all over again, I would probably go for a totally different profession. I enjoy many parts of my job and helping patients but so much of it is about $$ and covering our butt, I know it's necessary but that part gets to be mundane. I am curious exactly, what exactly is your current position?

Also, lizwindersonRN, I tip my hat to you. I would not be able to work in PICU, from my limited experience with PICU, I know it takes special people to do that job.

elizdg · April 2013

I don't really have anything new to add, just wanted to say that I feel the same way. Sometimes I want to switch careers, but I cant give up my summers off. Then I think maybe I could switch grades or schools (I teach SPED, so I'm licensed K-12), but I just feel like it would be too much work to learn a new school/curriculum. To be honest, I just don't think I have the energy to do that right now. So, I guess I'm stuck too.

I hope you get out of your slump soon!

Boing214 · April 2013

I don't know if this will be in any way up your alley, but what about a switch to nursing education? I know the nurses I work with have been talking about how, because so many nurses are retiring, they're starting to need more educators. In our school alone we just hired three and will be doing three more this summer. It's an idea, since you love nursing but need a change.