~mental breakdown here I come~
I didn't understand why a fellow coworker one day told me she used to go home and cry everyday after work that is until now. I swear I don't want to go into work tonight I feel like I am going to explode and start crying if I don't have an easy night. I am off orientation now and my first night off last night was a complete and utter hell, a night I never wish to redo. I understand all about the breakdowns she had now because I am already on my way to one or two or three. I have more to share but I have to go to work before Im late :( I can't even sleep at ALL anymore because of work and this fucking sucks I hate it please tell me it gets better
posted by ~RN~ @ 5:49 PM
27 Comments:
At 5:53 PM,
MM said…
I am also a new RN.. I am actually on my way into work now, so this will be short. I completely understand where you are coming from. Check out my blog for some of my frustrations. When I have more time.. I'll post more of a comment for you :)
You can do it.. we all can - just stick with it!
At 10:07 AM,
Anonymous said…
I'm a new nurse too and feeling so
overwhelmed and day dreaming about my student days so I've just started looking for blogs for advice. I'm at least glad that I'm not the only one who feels so stressed and like I can't go to work another day. Hang in there; we all just keep turning up to work and hope to do our best.
At 4:52 AM,
Anonymous said…
maybe a different career choice would be in order?
At 8:31 PM,
Anonymous said…
why do people always automatically put out a new career choice as the fix it for this issue?! Quit that! Nursing is hard and stressful and affects you at work and at home. It is a hard thing to deal with and you need A LOT of support. We need to give support to each other and help those who are learning to carry the load to be able to stand tall under pressure. There are people out there who are just able to cope better under lots of stress and there are people who aren't able to. You don't have to be able to handle crazy amounts of stress to be a good nurse and people who can should start sharing their secrets; not telling those who are having a hard time to get the heck out of the field.
At 5:22 AM,
Anonymous said…
I've been a nurse for three years, it is stressful with lot's of pressures and the first year is rough try to find more experience nurses for support.
At 2:47 PM,
Anonymous said…
Hello, I totally feel for all of you. I started on a Pediatric floor about 2 weeks ago, and have been physically sick everyday since. I'm scared to do anything and some of the nurses there have been there for like 20+ years, so I know they look at me and think how stupid I am. I do not want to go to work, I can't sleep at night and I'm scared to death to do anything on my own for fear of making a mistake. I know that I'm a new grad and have to work through it, but nursing school does not prepare you for what you are about to enter. The paperwork, the nasty doctors, the nasty nurses, the pressure of assuming that you know everything when you don't. I'm trying to stay positive, but when will it get any better? Help...
At 5:56 AM,
Anonymous said…
My son came home this last weekend, his first time home after six weeks of his nursing orinetation. He was a nervous wreck. My wife and I are really worried about him. However reading your comments helps me to feel a bit better in knowing that this kind of stress seems to go with the territory in learning the nursing profession. We pray for him daily and I will commit to praying for all new nurses in training. You are a chosen group and need our support and gratitude.
At 9:04 AM,
Anonymous said…
I'm on my way to my last semester of nursing school now and here and there I read blogs to hear how the "nursing life" is from real people. You often hear that it's such a great profession to go into but little to the people know how stressful it can be. I do enjoy some advice for my future stressful days of orientation as well as post orientation and I’m grateful for those who give it to the general public. Even though I have not yet graduated, I work and float to several different floors as a student nurse. I often come across being stressed out about several things as well and it seems weird due to the fact I’m not even an RN yet. It does scare me a little for my future as a nurse but I’m glad to hear other people’s frustrations and how they handled them. I believe nurses should stick together and help each other in every way possible so I just want to say thank you to all who have taken the time out to post helpful hints.
At 11:13 PM,
Anonymous said…
I know exactly how you feel.. it's one of the reasons I came into this site. I'm a new grad nurse in a PICU and I've been off orientation for two months now but I feel like by the end of the day I'm more stupid than when I got into work. When I talk to people about how I feel, all they tell me to do is leave work at work, but I just can't and I end up thinking about it for days, even when I'm not at work. I have heard from senior nurses that what I'm feeling is normal and will get better in a year. It seems like I'm never going to get to that point.
At 10:51 PM,
Anonymous said…
How sad I am feeling reading what so many of you have written. I have been a nurse for over 23 years. I teach nursing at two local colleges and I am the director of nursing of a moderately large psychiatric hospital. It just breaks my heart that you are in pain as you transition from student to novice nurse. Being the new kid on the block in any environment is tough, lets face it. But, in healthcare where there is so much thrown at you so fast in the beginning, it can seem overwhelming. Please know that it gets better. Don't give up on nursing. It is my passion still to this day. I cannot think of any other career that allows you to give so much of yourself and to get so much back.
One of the most common mistakes new grads make is they listen to us old dinosaurs who tell them "you need to do a year in med surg first..." Pardon my French...but that truly bullshit! Go where your passion is and you will love what you do. What did you enjoy in your rotations? Kids? The elderly? Babies? Oncology? Go with your passion and you will love nursing again. Give it time. I PROMISE it gets better. And, when you have been a nurse awhile you see that new grad, scared, feeling lost coming on your unit...remember how you feel today. Hold onto that so you can help someone else down the road. God bless you and make today a good day...It truly is your choice to make your day!!!
At 10:34 PM,
Anonymous said…
I've been an ER nurse for 2 years now and although I feel more comfortable and confident as a nurse, the stress and aggravation is still there. I have a family and want to work hard to provide a good home. I feel like I am overworked and underpaid. Sometimes I am angry that I went into this profession....there was an article in a local magazine that showed dental hygenists make more a year then RN's. Let's just say that made me even angrier! I hope it gets better.....
At 6:47 PM,
Anonymous said…
The first year is the toughest... hang in there it does get better and better... but NEVER easy...and remember its NOT a job its a calling... you are in it for a reason... I personally believe I am working off the sins of many past lives...
P.S. 19 or 59, we're ALL scared to death of making a mistake or doing the wrong thing you are NOT alone...
At 6:54 PM,
Anonymous said…
Don't feel trapped Remember there are many many many different arenas in which you can practice as a nurse Just please get some real learning and experience under your belt in a hospital setting first then search for your comfortable niche We all bring something different to it and we all have something to unique to offer
At 2:57 PM,
Anonymous said…
I am still a student and although i find the classroom setting to be stressful im sure there will be even more stress when i get out on the floor. I admire those who can handle stress and hope to be able to do this myself as well. When getting into a nursing career you had probably known that it was going to be rough for the first little while and prepared yourself for it. Im sure nothing is as bad until you hit the reality of it. Keep your chin up! because i know in my mind quitting is not an option. People make huge life choices because they are passionate about that choice not because of how stressful it may be. But again im still a student...
At 7:16 PM,
Anonymous said…
I am in my 3rd month of orientation in the ICU and I feel completely scared every day... At least every other shift something happens that makes me think about quitting altogether. I keep thinking "didn't I have a back-up plan?" Everyone says that the first months are hard, followed by getting off orientation and having the hardest 6 months/1 year of their life. Not encouraging, except the fact that I look at all the great nurses around me and know that they have all been through this. Sometimes I feel like no one else is taking it as hard as I am....but I think we all do. We can definately hang in there together.
At 9:22 PM,
Anonymous said…
I have been a ER nurse for 7 years now and all I can say is hang in there. I dont know too many careers that give you the pride that nursing does.
At 10:09 PM,
Anonymous said…
I am sitting here reading this and it makes me cry. I graduated in May and have been working on the floor for the last month, and every night when i get off i cry on the way home and worry that i missed something or forgot to chart something or didn't see something. Reading this makes me feel better because i know that this is normal. I know that i am not going crazy. I have a very supportive husband and family, but they don't really know what i am going through. At this point it my short nursing career i am not happy i went to school to be a nurse. I hope it really does get better. Thank you all.
At 11:06 AM,
Anonymous said…
I've been an RN for a year now and work on a med/surg floor. Its extremely stressful at times. I see other nurses break down and cry at times and although I do help them the best I can. I often ask myself how that can happen. The best answer that I've found is that once you lose control within yourself then its all downhill. Stay focused keep your mind set towards the most critcal patients and delagate as much as you can to the NAs. Remember that you can only do so much as nurse and when a patient is declining find someone that knows more than you do either a nurse or physican. I think that new nurses often put to much pressure on themselves thinking that they should be able to do more than they can. An experienced nurse only gets the experience by learning from their mistakes.
At 2:28 PM,
Anonymous said…
Nursing does get better and then it sucks again, gets better and then sucks more again. Its the nature of the beast, up and down until we burn completly out and go stock shelves for a no stress living. Remember, some of us will survive and others were not meant too , but thats O.K. Please dont let nursing ruin your life, its O.K. to move on, its a stressful career. Life is way to short.
.
At 1:50 PM,
NewNursetoo said…
Oh my gosh, all I can say is thank God for the rest of you because I too am a new nurse going through what so many of you are writing. I am one month into a post-ED/surgical floor and feel completely overwhelmed most of the time. I feel like I try to start my day with what I've learned so far but as the day goes on so many new things come up that I get lost...then frustrated. It feels like you need to remember so many tasks on four to six different patients and none of them get my complete thoughts.
It's actually painful. All I can say is thank you all for sharing because I feel miserable and it's heartening to know that it's somewhat normal.
At 2:17 PM,
Anonymous said…
I have started on a cardiac step down floor as a RN that graduated in 2003 but just passed my Boards so I am considered a new graduate. I am over whelmed because they have no preceptors on the floor u have to get with whoever wants u to follow them. The floor is so busy the nurses don't have time to explain too much so I feel I am there in the way what to do please help
At 5:59 PM,
lost nursing soul said…
I have been a nurse going on 13 years now. The stress never goes away. It may wax and weenie but never goes away. As patient populations get sicker and more unhealthy nurses take the brunt of the work load caring for them. It is a source of pride and punishment . I recently found out that nurses are one of the most respected fields for anyone to work in, although by our co workers be it ts, mds, and the whole gamit we are the least respected. Hold your head up and work against the force . You are doing a job that most can't or won't. Coming from a long time
Nurse who at times has lost my nursing soul we need more young nurses to vitalize our profession. Thank you.
At 9:36 AM,
Anonymous said…
I so desperately need support. I am struggling and have developed panic disorder.I had to hit the floor running. So many things are new every day. I'm so scared of forgetting things. I'm always late finishing because I recheck everything. I did well in my exams but feel like an idiot. I am one of those "older" first yr EENs. Lately I've been fantasising about being a Stop/Go person who works on the roads. Not sure I can make it but I've gotta give this a go. Perhaps I can make it through to the 6 month mark. It's like there's a person inside me screaming. Thankyou for sharing your feelings everyone. It is comforting.
At 9:56 PM,
Anonymous said…
I broke down and started crying at the nurses station the other day. Ugh. I feel like I'm a completely different person than I was before becoming a nurse. I'm angry and depressed and resentful that no one warned me about the nursing suck factor- how do you care for your patients without caring for them so much that you carry their burden home at night? The break I had between nursing school and becoming a nurse was the best one month I've had in the past several years. I felt like I could breathe. And then all hell broke loose when I started my new career. What a nightmare the journey to becoming a nurse has been. I have 7 months left before I complete my one year of med surge nursing. I'm already counting down the hours- 4,704. I can do this.
At 8:27 PM,
Cat V said…
I know these posts are dated, but these feelings you had back then are very real for me today. So any update after 11 years?
At 10:26 PM,
Anonymous said…
Thank you. Honestly I too am a new nurse on verge of a nervous breakdown and it hurts to hear others suggest this. Believe me I am already thinking it. But I don't want it to be true. 4 years of commitment and school to help others... I don't want to put it to waste. There has to be a way to overcome this.
At 10:45 PM,
Anonymous said…
I get this.. I've became envious of my waitresses. Remembering my days as a waitress and how I thought I was stressed then. I specialize in mental health... 6 months in as a new nurse and I'm dealing with my own mental health exacerbated from stress and clearly ineffective coping. I blank under pressure, forget interventions. Excelled in school... in practice I feel incompetent with zero confidence. I try and review when I get home..
and when I try to detach or practice mindfulness I completely fail. I'm an emotional ball of stress ready for my own admission. Crying everyday , hypethydrosis on my hands, knots in my stomach, oversleeping or frequently waking I don't want to quit, lose a job or come across weak and take leave. I'm planning on seeing a psychologist in the hope that they can help me through this.
Post a Comment
<< Home