This is more or less a burner account, and I’m not sure if I’m looking for advice or just want to vent. I live in a large rural city in Wyoming, there is only one hospital. I’ve worked Neuro, ICU, and PCU in this facility. I originally worked in Orlando, Florida on Neuro for 4 years and while it wasn’t perfect, I enjoyed it. Now, 8 years as an RN and seeing before and after COVID, bedside is driving me absolutely insane. The population is rapidly aging, the politics of the region are fairly toxic, and the culture of aggressive self-sufficiency is causing more patients to lash out when hospitalized. Home health nursing has never appealed to me (going to a stranger’s home feels deeply wrong to me). I’m looking into going back to school for a DNP-FNP to become either a nurse practitioner or, if I’m lucky, get into research. My circumstances are preventing my family and I from moving for at least 2 years. I’m not sure what to do, as my wife and I came here to help family and for interesting job prospects, and now I’m burned out and my wife can’t even find a position in her field anymore.

It’s a rough situation and it’s difficult to make friends here, so that’s why I turn to you, r/nurses .

I am currently a mammographer very interested in a career of nursing. I am searching for advice, how things went and if it was worth it. What kind of nurse are you now? Was it hard to find a job…

My primary job (ER/Trauma) AND my part time job(critical flight)I'm friends with the doctors. We can talk, call each other by our first names, suggest other interventions and have open honest conversations of why we would do something differently. But I was just hired by another facility for PerDiem Rapid Response... and it sounds like the position is more of a "observe and report" with PGY3 running the code and a PGY1 ordering and primary RN at bedside... and should either doc skew from protocols we redirect them but only suggestively, we can't TELL them what to do... and they seem to be the "holier than tho" type... obviously I'm night shift ER personality so the disrespect doesn't go far with me

EDIT: How do you get through the thick skulls of someone who's fresh outta school and thinks they're House MD, apparently without hurting their feelings?

I’m looking for clarification about the nursing profession as a whole. Basically is it this bad everywhere? I started on a med surg floor as a new graduate nurse about a year ago and it has completely wiped out my passion and drive to be a nurse. All of the negative stereotypes you can think of, this floor and hospital it seems has it. The nurses are catty and cliquey, staffing is never adequate and management is absent. Just a few examples of what I’m dealing with, our ANM is salary and supposed to work 40 hours per week. She’s there maybe 12 hours per week. Upper management knows this and doesn’t care. I’m on nights, so she’s supposed to be night shift management support. When we need management, we’re told to do what we can and go by policy, but the policy is often written in unclear ways so we do what we can. Then the day shift manager comes in and tells us we didn’t handle something right and blames us. But expectations on how to handle a situation changes almost daily. On top of that, they are shouldering short staffing issues onto us. We need to do this and that differently to accommodate poor staffing. I’m already giving everything I have and constantly being told by management that it’s not enough. On top of that, my facility doesn’t hold doctors accountable. You need Ativan to keep a patient calm, page the doctor, the doctor doesn’t get back to you after paging multiple times and the patient ended up in restraints because they started swinging at staff and standing up when they are a huge fall risk? It’s your fault, not the doctor’s fault for not responding. My coworkers are all miserable and burned out. It’s so bad that verbal arguments between staff aren’t uncommon. I’m tired and burned out. I cry before, during, and/or after almost every shift. I’m ready to leave nursing as a whole because I’m scared that even if I do get another job, it’ll be more of the same. I’m so scared that I got into this profession and this is going to be my life until I get enough experience to move into a non-bedside job. I think I just need to hear from some nurses in different hospitals or on different units that it can be better. Thanks for reading my rant.

Alright alright, I'm sure someone has already asked this question before on this Sub but here i am asking again 🤓.. Why are we nurses so obsessed with pens 🖊?? 😀. Also, what's your favorite type of pen to write with ??

My spouse and I are both bedside nurses and have younger children at home but lately I feel like the hours and schedule have been hard to navigate (except for a couple days a week someone is always gone to work, 14 hour days away from home). Anyone else in this boat? I keep hoping as the kids get a tad older it’ll not feel so burdensome. But anyone else went thru this and have any insight? We both enjoy the job for the most part but keep toying with the thought someone needs more traditional hours. TIA

I finished nights yesterday morning. It was a very busy shift on ITU. One of my colleagues was so unhelpful and poor team work (not helping with rolls, sitting at the nurses station reading a book whilst a patient needed to go for an emergency scan and letting everyone make her a warm drink all night but would only go get her own and not offer anyone else)

I feel that I may of showed my annoyance with my attitude, I was complaining to other colleagues about her being lazy. I notice she went into see the matrons that morning. I now feel paranoid and anxious about the whole situation. I have a feeling she has put complaint in about me.

I’ve been pulled in a lot recently due to forgetting to do simple jobs and being datixed. Very small mistakes e.g forgetting the change lines for syringes etc. my concern is I have asked the following shift to put a in a datix for me which will look like they’ve datixed me and if my colleague has complained it’s going to make me look bad

Does anyone have any advice on how to address this

How are you handling cable news and politics at work? A large portion of my patients watch cable news 24/7. I’m trying to care for them and I can’t concentrate because my blood is boiling over what I am hearing. Fox news and CNN and MSNBC. I’ve started telling patients that I can’t hear and I turn off the TV. I’ll put it back on before I leave the room. But I definitely change the channel if they’re confused. All of that yelling and intense speech isn’t very conducive to relaxation and healing. I also shut down conversations and tell patients that I don’t discuss politics at work. I had a patient ask me if we had patients here who are illegal! Like don’t talk to me about it! What are you all doing?

Any online RN to BSN accredited university WITH clinical hours included in program? I just need a university/program with integrated clinical hours...thank you!

Hi all!I am currently in an online LPN to RN transition program. I like the program so far, but we have to find our own clinical sites and preceptors. I'm really struggling with this part. Does anyone know of any sites or ways to find a preceptor. I live in Houston and currently I need to satisfy hours for my OB rotation. Thanks!LikeCommentSend

I just accepted my dream position as an ICU RN at an HCA facility in Ga. I also work a travel contract right now (rotating shifts) and the two will overlap for a few weeks but I couldn't pass up the offer. Has anyone worked for HCA recently and remembers if their orientation was 5 days a week or was it just a few days in person then maybe some online days? How many classroom days did you have before you started orienting on the floor? I will be in a transition program since I've been an RN before so I'm also wondering if that'll be any different. Not so much worried about once I'm orienting on the floor since that's normally 3 shifts in a row and I can work with that. Thank you!

Not sure if this is allowed here, but just trying to get some direction.

Any bedside nurses who are divorced with kids? How do you split custody?

I work 12 hour days and every other weekend. Usually I try to work at least 4 days a week, sometimes 5 because just full-time 36h a week isn't enough money to sustain us. My schedule might look like Su/Mon/Tues/Thurs,one week and then Mon/Thurs/Fri/Sat the next week, but it can be any combination. We do self-scheduling at my hospital.

I have 3 kids, aged 7, 5, and 2. I want to provide them as much stability as possible, but this kind of schedule/work seems so sporadic and I don't understand how people manage work/kids' school/split custody.

What do you do? Any advice?

Hi there, first I currently LOVE my job as a home health nurse, but I secretly wish I could wfh in some way. Is there any avenues that lpns wfh?

Hey all, been a full time RN for almost 2 years now in Canada. Typically my schedule is 2x D12 (followed by 2 days off), and 2x D12 into 2x N12’s (followed by 5 days off, I do typically pick up an overtime shift on this long break). I feel like even after my 2 days on, and especially after for 4 shifts in a row I experience a lot of fatigue. The next day off I have zero energy to get up and do things like exercise or go out to run errands. Generally by the 2nd day I feel better and am able to exercise, do fun activities I enjoy, but then it’s back to work before I know it. I eat relatively clean, take vitamins (magnesium, zinc, vitamin c, d, and calcium) prioritize sleep, and exercise on average 12x a month. Wondering if there is any tips people have found that allows them to bounce back a little quicker from the demanding job. Thank you.

I work a hybrid nursing job and was offered a mostly remote one with 1 day a week in office. I am hesitant to take this one bc theres no room for growth. The pay is really generous, the workload seems quite doable but zero room for growth which freaks me out bc I feel like I’m too young to be in a position without room for advancement or education. It almost seems sus that the pay is so good for so much flexibility; they did say they track productivity which makes sense given the role/work model.

Also, the HR person who called for a screening call offered me XYZ and then the manager interviewed me then immediately offered an hour later with less $ than was discussed. Im sure it’s a small negotiation that could be done but did she think I was a cheaper than listed hire?

Haha she was really nice and they seem like great people who are very supportive of staff which is awesome. She was transparent that its “very sedentary” which I guess my current role is too in a way but I get to learn a lot more and move around a bit but also have days at home which I liked the balance. Also the job offer is with a satellite clinic vs me being at an academic institution. I guess its a giant game of give and take and I have to be ok with giving and taking certain aspects. Sorry for the word vomit

For those who work only or mostly remote, do you have to have a really strict lifestyle schedule? Do you schedule more exercise? Do you have more time to do things? So vain but im scared of falling off the health train or like losing social skills (sometimes when my patients call me nonstop in clinic im like oh please let me stay home forever haha). This would be GREAT for someone who is like 10 years in or has small kids or a dog. I dont have those but I guess one day I want those and im in my late 20s now so it could be relevant to me within the next 5 years.

I wanna make sure this is the right move and that I'm not looking at this thru some rose colored glasses. Just trying to navigate my feelings here.

About me... I work in a psych-only inpatient hospital in a big city area, for 14 years now (12 as a tech, 2 as an RN). They have a separate medical hospital but that facility is actually worse than mine from what I hear. This is my first RN job.

Why I'm considering leaving....

1. Although we are unionized, our healthcare system sucks. Don't get me wrong there's some cool people and what not, but for the most part its disorganized and unprofessional. Both the psych and medical buildings are in ghetto areas. I can't see myself retiring with them as a nurse.

2. I'm feeling that "itch" for lack of better word to try something different than psych. Part of me feels like I'm missing out building up my unused medical skills and making myself more marketable. I have no desire for anything like med surg or ICU, instead I've been thinking of periop/post-op, peds, outpatient/clinic, and to a lesser extent oncology (not sure if my emotions will be too much).

But then again I don't know if #2 is a false feeling and maybe all I need to do is focus on #1, stay in psych and just go to another hospital downtown in a better area? A lot of RNs at my job have never worked medical and stayed in psych for the "easier" money, so they too have me second guessing myself like "do you really wanna leave psych and do all exhausting extra work?"

Shadow health is giving me major anxiety! What an awful software program. I have been an RN for 13 years & this program is giving me massive anxiety. I know how to deliver patient care but getting a low grade due to missing turning on a fake penlight on a computer is unbearable

IM TORN🥲 Please help RNs

I’m thinking of Royal Pentagon or SLRC.

RP:

• I think its only located in Manila? I’m 30-40mins away pagdi traffic
• F2F only
• Based on reviews, they are very generous sa rest days and do not want the students to suffer if pagod na
• Sulit concepts
• Hindi nagpapauwi ng late
• mas mura

SLRC:

• may online & may other sites if F2F
• sulit concepts and lectures
• late night reviews???
• super daming preboards
• medyo pricey

I’m also choosing between online or F2F (sana may hybrid sila both 🥹) — if online baka tamarin pero super convenient dahil discipline lang sa self, pagf2f baka mamatay sa pagod sa byahe huhu

tyia

Hello po! Meron po ba nakapag ADMG review center na? Di po ako makapili between ADMG vs TopRank. Plzz send help

Im currently 23. In college but the job market is pretty bad rn. Im in a high paying area. But my question is. What is ur opinions on ABSN programs?

I do plan on taking a gap year before applying to an ABSN program. What jobs can I obtain that relate to nursing? I know CNA is a common one, but I don’t want to clean after someone if there is a better option. I’m thinking about a phlebotomist, but I’d love to hear about different kinds of occupations. Thank you!

Hello. Wasn't sure if I should have posted this on r/resume or here but I wanted to try here anyway. I'm a decently fresh RN with 2 years of experience at a Neuro/Stroke Stepdown and I was hoping some kind folks here could take a look at my resume and see if there is something wrong. I know that the job market sucks and I should expect some job rejections but I feel like I'm getting a lot. Also how much should I change my resume if I were to say apply for a position in med/surg vs ICU? Thank you for any sort of help!

Sorry also first time posting on reddit. Can't seem to add a photo or link of post directly onto this post. Here is a link: https://imgur.com/3YQmYO9

Thank you for any sort of help!

Out of curiosity, has anyone left after taking a sign on bonus? Even left before you've received your second half of your sign on bonus? If so, what happened?

I should say I am fully and completely aware that they can and will come after your bonus, but I'm curious if they DO?

The bonus is 10,000.

I graduated nursing school in December 2023 and our local hospital offered us jobs in a nursing residency program before we even graduated. In August, a semester before we graduated, they did interviews and asked where we wanted to work. I asked what my options were and they listed off a few different areas so I mentioned a few that interested me. I ended up getting placed in a step-down/intermediate critical care unit track (ICCU) where I rotated through 4 different step-down units over the course of a year, about 12-14 weeks in each. I went through my rotations and ultimately decided on a Neuro/stroke floor as that was one of two that seemed to fit me best of the four units I worked during the residency. However, I am now just on the cusp of no longer being considered a new grad and I’m still not sure that this is the right place for me. I don’t want to risk getting burned out so quickly and losing empathy towards my patients as I already know can happen with burnout. I know there are thousands of jobs I can get but everything I’m seeing requires 1-3 years nursing experience before even considering an application. I also don’t even know what to look for because I’m not sure what type of nursing fits me best. I don’t have anything that I think to myself “I want to do ____ and I can’t imagine it any other way” but I do know that when I was previously working as a phlebotomist I loved it and the idea of being an Infusion therapy nurse sounded like the best way to fuse those two together. I wish there was a nursing specialty career aptitude test that actually helps. I took a few and the answers were all over the place with results from even just one test varying widely. I’m just not sure what steps to take other than trying different jobs till I get burned out and then moving on.

TL/DR: how does a new nurse find out what type of nursing they would be best suited for without just getting hired, burning out and searching for something new on repeat?

I got hired at the private hospital I applied to, and I’ve only been here for one week. Chill lang yung workload dito, ang first month’s salary is 3k since it's still training and orientation. After that, I’ll get 18k as a job order, and after 6 months, it will go up to 20k with 15 days of duty.

I found out that I got accepted rin into my dream public hospital, and although toxic yung duty which is expected naman, the salary is higher: 25k as a job order and 35k as a Nurse 1.

Is it okay if I transfer to another hospital? I’ve only been here for one week, and we’re still in training and mga orientations after this mag rorotation na kami.

Hello everyone, I am considering a job change to Illinois, which is not in the compact state license. I was wondering what the steps are to get my RN license switched to IL? TIA

So I started a job at a VNA job M-F afternoons, trained 3 days and on my own. The apps giving me a lot of problems and not uploading my GPS time and blanking out some of the boxes you need to fill out when I save and complete files when I open the desktop version to complete notes at home. I got a text in caps and exclamation point in a group chat with people who I don't know, saying I need to fix my documents "half my times are AM vs PM" (when the app uploads them automatically because you have to punch in on the app using gps) "we won't get paid by insurance etc etc... you can't change your times no exceptions". followed by 2 back to back texts asking if pts are taking meds with me and i need to report issues with the gps system". This kind of left a bad taste in my mouth because there are certain pts I need to be present with for meds. Also, there was an issue with meds with one pt because the system wasn't up to date with the correct med information, so I had to gamble and listen to the pt who told me one med had a dosage change.

Between how quit the start was, how she said things, the multiple texts in a row with paragraphs, the grammatical errors, and clearly mistrust, it all just rubbed me the wrong way and I reached out that I didn't feel comfortable continuing with the company and risking my license. She immediately calls me, telling me many pts are complaining over me showing up an hour early (when I literally work a 7-3 and can't get there early, never mind an hour early, I made med errors (which I didn't because the pt was actually right), and I'm not watching certain pts take meds (when I literally have to spoon feed crushed meds in applesauce),

She goes on to say I'm not working tomorrow, which I was willing to stay on the 2 weeks, and I'm "abandoning my patients and as a nurse this is a huge issue that my license should be evaluated for" and hung up on me. I texted her back trying to play nice because I've worked WAY too hard for this license and that came off as a threat, please feel free to reopen the documents so I may correct the times, I won't be changing my notes as mine are accurate, but I want to ensure you get paid for the services. Please feel free to text or email if you need any further assistance.

There was more, but I figured you all are done reading now. After this phone call or her yelling at me all these alleged mess ups that should have been brought up as they happened, I was so happy that I decided to go with my gut. But my question is, what are the odds of the board looking into my license if they report these false errors or "negligence" for leaving this sketchy place with 24-hour notice. I had all intentions of staying but the way she accused me of so many things because I brought up documents being incorrect just made me even more nervous of having my name on any of this.

I am a second semester BSN nursing student and I need to put in my preference for practicum. I am going to school somewhere about 4 hrs away from where I will be living when I graduate. I have the opportunity to do practicum close to where I’ll be living. I am wondering how often people get a job from practicum placement or if people have found it to be helpful to getting hired on at a specific hospital. Thanks!

I am a nurse who leads our medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) department. I see patients throughout the hospital - from the ED to acute care units. Recently we have seen an increase in staff reporting exposure to perceived fentanyl smoke (no actual visual confirmation, just “weird smells”) - many of these staff are insisting they be seen in the ED and leave work. My argument is that this is unnecessary and not supported by science (CDC, DOH, etc) - staff is very upset with me regarding this stance. What are your experiences and guidelines where you all work? Is this an issue for you?

Hi fellow nurses! I am a new NICU nurse that started in August of last year and it is now January 2025. I am not a new grad but still within my first two years of nursing. I started fresh out of school on an adult acute care unit and immediately hated it. I lasted about seven months before moving to what I thought was my dream job in the OR and that only lasted about 6 months. But now I’m in the NICU and I do love it. I couldn’t even think to ever go back to adults after working with these sweet babies and their families. I’ve been off orientation for about a month and in the last few weeks I’ve found my anxiety ramping up. I have these intrusive thoughts and self doubt where on my days off I think about things that I’ve made mistakes or forgotten to tell the dayshift nurse in report and fearful I will get in trouble for missing something. I also feel massively judged by the dayshift nurses when giving report and I try to not let it bother me most days as it is a reflection of their character and not mine. But it’s starting to get to a point of paranoia that my coworkers think I’m stupid and incompetent. I am super intimidated by the nurses who are APGAR nurse trained, flight/transport nurse trained, or do relief charge nurse and giving report to them feels like I’m walking on eggshells. I’m starting to get depressed and I’ve lost motivation to do things in my life outside of work. I know it takes time to adjust to a new job but I’m scared I won’t make it here and I so badly want to. Another side note is that all the newer people who were hired just before me or in the last year are leaving the unit to either go back to their old specialty or leave the hospital entirely. Does anyone have any tips to help the anxiety/depression and succeed in a new specialty?? Or do any experienced NICU nurses have tips for me on how to survive the first year? Thanks 🩷