At what point in your career do you say "That's enough! I can't do this anymore."?

Question

I work as a nurse. I see death and dying every day. It causes me a great deal of stress. I am questioning the whole point of dragging out the inevitable. The problem is that I spent a lot of money on my education, and I have to support my children. This is all know how to do.

Answer 1

how about a school nurse,, i hear they could always use some qualified people. it would also put you on your childrens schedule. though im sure they dont pay as well, some things really are priceless.

Answer 2

2/10/06 I quit for physical reasons
I was a nurse for 31 years. When ever I got burned out I changed my field of nursing. Here are some of the things I have done besides the usual stuff. Drug and alcohol detox. Drug and alcohol rehab, Mental health, Mental retardation, Hospice. Home health (both the visits and the 8hour shift in a home) Prison nurse. Geriatrics. Trauma nursing. I have enjoyed most of these. I have learned a lot. You do not have to work with death and dying every day. Work with life!

Answer 3

The whole medical field is very stressful. If it is not making you happy. Get out.

"Do What You Love and The Money Will Follow" (this is a book, it may still be around and might be helpful; but it is also a good phrase to remember)

This is your life. You have every right to choose what you want to do with it. If your nursing career is causing you stress, it will only make you sick; and you won't be able to help anyone else. Get out before this happens. Choose to take care of yourself first.

Answer 4

I always told myself the day I am sick of taking care of my patients and I start dreading coming to work I'll quit. Its not fair to my pts or my co workers. I have not hit that point yet, but I do understand not knowing how to do anything else needing to support family. I have started going to school at night in between shifts and my co workers have worked well with me trading shifts so I can do it easily. This way when things get to be too much as they invariably will I have something else to fall back on. As far as spending a lot of money on your education you can still go to school for something else, stay on PRN as a nurse to keep up your certification. On the off chance, after a brake, you still want to go back than you wont feel as though you have wasted a good education and $.

Answer 5

I am in nursing school currently. As I'm sure you know there are many types of fields of nursing. you just have to find your niche. I know that I don't want to work in continuing care or a nursing home, It's not for me and i already made the decision not to work in those places. You could do mother-baby nursing which is mostly happy. you could do community health and work in a clinic helping underprivileged children and families. you could also become a nursing instructor. My college is always looking for qualified nurses to teach.. just like like the nursing shortage, very soon there is going to be a shortage of nursing instructors. I'm sure at one point you loved your career. My nursing instructor gave us some advice a couple of weeks ago. When we graduate, if we're not happy, we just might need to do a differet type of nursing. good luck and don;t give up.

Answer 6

Your story is similiar to my moms she was a administrative assistant who did more work then she could bare and put up with. It finally hit my mother that she needed a change of job when she was put in the hospital for high blood pressure from stress caused at work which led to her ending up in ICU with a histerectomey (dont know if i spelled that right). Everyday my mother would come home with work that still needed to be done by 8am the next day and finally it caught up with her. If you feel as though you can not take it anymore you have to look at the negative aspects of the situation and ask yourself "If I keep working here and seeing all this comotion, what is is going to do to my health and how will that effect my children"

Answer 7

Greetings,
If you feel you can't take it anymore, move on. I am a full time single mom and a grad student. It was not easy, but when I had to leave my now ex husband, I left him with the clothes on my back. Now I am back in grad school and although without a lot of money :( I am happier now than I had been before, and my son is growing healthy and happy -- this IS priceless!!! Look for possibilities as a school nurse or private practice. Hang in there! There is hope! ;)

Answer 8

I take it you just became a nurse not to long ago.....I did too. I haven't experienced it yet, but I am sure I will and I am sure I will feel as you do. Only thing I can say is maybe switch over and work in a clinic type of facility. Keep your chin up and if things don't work, well you can always go back to school.

Answer 9

I would start out my saying that when you made the decision to be a registered nurse and spent all that money on your education, you must have had some idea of what you were getting into.

Ofcourse people do choose careers that they think they will like and when they have to deal with the actual hands on experience they find out it is not what they really wanted.

If I may I would like to give you some examples.

I am a Clinical Psychiatrist & Acupuncturist. I spent eight years in medical school in Japan and four years performing an internship in a local hospital. And four years in Beijing, China.

Being that you are a nurse, I am sure you know the routine. Having to work in all areas of the hospital with a chief resident doctor standing over you watching an asking question with your every move.

I can recall my first experience in the emergency room, when I saw a person with severe trauma and blood flying all over the place. I was sick to my stomach, my mind went blank an I felt like I was going to pass out. I knew that this is expected of you for a few times only because you must get your act together and deal with the emergency.

Many doctors I knew were good in the university. When they went to perform their internship they were unable to apply the hands on experience and was washed out. All their education money down the tubes.

You don't say how long you have been a nurse. Time has away of healing everything and making the necessary adjustment in your mind, body and soul to handle the job. You just have to hang in there. (An I don't mean by a rope).

In actual time it took me about one month of seeing extreme trauma before I was able to deal with it 100% and not feel sick to the stomach.

Back in 1971 when I thought I had seen it all, I decided to be a volunteer doctor in war zones. Have been doing it ever since with my last two places being Afghanist & Iraq.

We are not God and we don't walk on water. I have to always tell myself that I can only give 100% plus of myself an I know that I will win some and loose some. As this is the nature of the profession. (One of your long time ex-president's, Truman said, "If you can't take the heat, get the hell out of the kitchen").

I have faith that you can take the heat. If you are a single parent then you have the hardest job in the world. Harder then being a registered nurse.

One has to try and find humor in death and dying. As we are all born to die. That is about the only thing in life that we know is a given. (When I speak of humor I don't mean making fun of the dying). Finding ways like, "Anton Checkhov", the short story Russian writer, who was able to write great short stories about how living conditons are in Russia. Like a 1 watt light bulb with roaches running all over your apartment etc. etc. Otherwise you go mad. You should try and find one of his books and read them.

If you are at the point when you get ready for work and your body and mind feels like the living dead then perhaps it is time for you to really find another position. Perhaps being a nurse in a doctor's private office. Or becoming a pharmaceutical sales rep.
(They love to hire a nurse).

I become very involved with my pateints on a professional level. If they are dying and we both know that all avenues have been explored and they have nothing to look forward to his death. Some patients are afraid of dying, so I hold them in my arms and rock them until they pass onto the other side. This way we share in the emotions. I cry with them and this is a release for the stress and tension I feel knowing I have done all I could and they are going to die.

Most doctors and nurses I know in the refugee camps I have worked in all over the world, we support eachother with lots of funny jokes and humor. I would not think that your peers where you work are that up tight that they don't sometimes joke around.

You can try reality therapy, behaviour modification, yoga classes for relaxation. If none of these therapies work then perhaps you may need to change professions.

One last piece of advise. If you sincerely feel like the living dead every time you have to get ready for work, it is better that you give it up. As life is not worth having a nervous breakdown over any job.

Just start looking for a new profession before you resign as you have children.

Wish you all the best

Clinical Psychiatrist, France

Please excuse my english

Answer 10

I worked as a carer for years and saw alot of deaths too, my time to give it up was when i had lost heart in the job. Do you remember the feeling you got when you first started? the pleasure of helping people? where the best situations over ruled the worst? if you have lost that then in my opinion its time to say bye,but only you will know when the time is right.
So in the mean time why dont you enquire what else is out there.

Answer 11

Look at job opportunities that are outside of a large facility. Things like a MD office nurse, school nurse nurse for a corporation. Look at a different setting.