r/Nurses

any new nurses, with less than 2 years of experience, considering leaving the nursing profession?

I have been an RN for 10 years. Emergency, surgical center and hospice experience. 18 months ago I was fired after reporting a Dr. for eating in a surgical area every Wednesday for 6 months. The company fired me with 8 people in the room and it felt like an ambush. I got up and walked out after the first thing my manager said was I was being fired.
I didn’t stick around to hear the rationale, turns out they went back over my documentation and found documentation errors regarding narcotics. 4 narcotic pills over the course of 1 year. They reported my license to the state, again 18 months ago from today.

I hired a lawyer ($5,000) which I really don’t see how he helped me be besides attending these interrogations from the state with me, but offering me no advice. He did do paperwork for me that I could have done myself.

I have ADD and do agree I had documentation errors but I never took any meds. there were only 4 pills in question, one was found on a stretcher as the patient was going into surgery, so technically only three pills were not charted.

I had to complete a health professionals recovery program (HPRP) (Michigan)which I was removed from of after three negative drug tests ($90 each) and a psychological evaluation ($375). I’ve had to pay $500 to the state complete six credits of continuing education ($90) regarding documentation.

I was fired last Monday from the employer I had been with for six months because the insurance they were switching to would not insure me. Probation started 8/1, fired 8/10. I’ve now been denied employment by 14 employers. I am supposed to be on probation for one year as long as I’m employed as a nurse. I have to have evaluations every three months from my management turned into the state while on probation.

I have no leads on employment and I am panicking. I will be punished for these errors for over 30 months and approx $6,000.
Has anyone else been through this. I’m not a bad nurse. I fixed my practice. I take ADD medication now. No one will touch me with restrictions. The only restrictions I have is a 90 day review plan there’s nothing on my licensing. I can’t work with narcotics. I don’t understand how the state can punish me 18 months later plus an additional 12 months. This seems like overkill I’ve never been in trouble or had any negative reviews in my life..

Hi everyone!

I currently have a bachelor’s and master’s degree in public health, but I’m looking to transition into nursing. I’d really like to pursue an accelerated nursing program, but I can’t afford to leave my current 9–5 job while I’m in school.

Does anyone know of any accelerated nursing programs that are flexible enough to allow students to continue working full-time? I’m especially interested in programs that offer evening, weekend, online, or otherwise flexible scheduling.

I’d love to hear about your experiences or recommendations. Thank you!

Hi everyone! I’m 18 and currently considering nursing as a career in Ontario. I’m especially interested in mental-health/psychiatric nursing, but I’m trying to understand what nursing is actually like before I commit to it.

I’d really appreciate honest answers from RNs, especially nurses working in Ontario/Toronto.

A few questions:

How many years have you been an RN, and what area do you work in?

If you’re comfortable sharing, roughly how much do you make now?

What did you make when you first started, and how much did your income increase with experience?

Is making $100k+ realistic as an RN without becoming an NP or going into management?

Is $120k+ realistic after around 8–10 years of experience? If so, does that usually require overtime, night/weekend shifts, or extra positions?

Do you feel financially comfortable with your nursing income?

For example, are you able to afford housing, save money, travel, and still have money for yourself?

How much overtime do you personally work to reach your current income?

What are your typical hours and schedule like?

How difficult is nursing physically and mentally?

If you could go back to when you were 18, would you still choose nursing?

If money and work-life balance were both important to you, would you recommend nursing as a career?

Finally, what is one thing you wish someone had told you before you became a nurse?

I’m really struggling with switching off after my shifts, and it’s starting to seriously affect my sleep. It’s been going on for about a month now.

Especially after difficult days, I just cannot seem to switch my brain off. Today was particularly stressful, staff issues, one staff member going home only 30 minutes into the shift leaving us short on the floor, then another staff member being a complete disaster on a 1:1, so I had to swap her out. Just one of those days where it feels like one thing after another.

I work in a rehab centre, and about 30 minutes before the end of my shift this evening, I had to call emergency services for a patient who was vomiting blood. I felt like I managed everything well at the time, ambulance arrived, I got all the paperwork done, sent him off with them, stayed late to make sure everything was sorted, etc.
I came home and, as usual, my brain just kept going over everything that had happened. Then, just as I was about to fall asleep, I suddenly remembered that I’d forgotten to ring the next of kin. 🤦‍♀️

And this is happening pretty much every night after my shifts. It’s not necessarily that I’m forgetting things, it’s more that I’m constantly replaying my shift, thinking about what I did, what I could have done differently, whether I missed something, what happened with a patient, etc.
I try to distract myself, watching TV, scrolling TikTok, trying to focus on something completely unrelated, but I’ll suddenly realise I’m thinking about work again. Then I try to stop thinking about it, which somehow just makes me think about it even more!

I’m exhausted and my sleep is really suffering because of it.

I’m sure I’m not the only nurse who has struggled with this. Has anyone found anything that genuinely helps you switch off after a difficult shift? Any routines, techniques or things you do when you get home that help your brain realise that work is finished?
I’d really appreciate any advice because I’m struggling with this so badly at the moment. ❤️

Hi everyone, I’m a new graduate RN looking for some advice and encouragement. I graduated from nursing school in May and obtained my RN license at the beginning of July. Before becoming an RN, I worked as a PCT at a local big hospital for over two years. I worked per diem, mainly on weekends, while I was in nursing school.

After I passed the NCLEX, I told my manager, and she asked me to resign from my PCT position. I did so because I was eager to look for a RN job (I applied to the hospital nurse residency program for the August cohort earlier this year and was rejected. After passing the NCLEX, I applied again for the October cohort, but unfortunately, I was rejected again).

I’m confused and honestly discouraged because I consistently received positive feedback from my manager during my annual evaluations (however, I don’t think my manager likes me cuz I couldn’t take extra shift she asked me when I was in nursing school. During my final semester, I had two call out because I needed time to prepare for important nursing exams. I had requested those days off in advance, but the requests were not approved. I have wondered whether those call out may have affected my relationship with my manager or my chances of being selected for the residency program). I also graduated with honors, had a good GPA, and was one of the top students in my nursing class.I am a new immigrant, and English is my second language. I do have a Chinese accent, and although I’m improving my communication skills every day.

I have applied to several other hospitals as well, but I have mostly received rejections. So far, I have had only one interview for a hospital RN position. The offers I have received have mainly been from rehabilitation facilities and nursing homes. At this point, I’m feeling very confused and questioning whether I’m approaching my job search the right way. I really want to start my nursing career in a hospital, but I also don’t see any opportunities. For those of you who have been through this as a new graduate RN, what would you recommend? Should I continue trying to look for a hospital position, or should I accept any offer?

I would really appreciate any advice, especially from nurses who were in a similar situation as a new grad or second-language English speaker. Thank you so much for reading and for any advice you can share.

I start nursing school in March and I’ve been trying to get a hospital job for experience, but I’ve already been rejected from around 13 positions. I currently work in a dental office, so I have some patient-care experience but no hospital experience.
I’m considering taking a CNA course, but it’s around $1,300 and I likely wouldn’t actually have my CNA until October. That would only give me about 4–5 months to work as a CNA before nursing school starts, although I could potentially continue working part-time/PRN during school.
Would you spend the $1,300 and get the CNA for the experience and better chance of getting into a hospital? Does CNA experience actually make nursing school/clinicals or getting a new-grad RN job noticeably easier, or would you just keep applying for hospital jobs that don’t require it?

What scrub brands are we buying besides figs? Ballin on a budget here

I’m considering going into nursing with the eventual goal of becoming a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. I’m plus size, have POTS, and deal with some mental health issues, and I’m trying to be realistic about whether I can handle the physical side of nursing.

I used to run half marathons, so I know I’ve been physically capable of a lot more than I am right now. My plan would be to spend time getting into better physical condition, rebuilding my strength and stamina, managing my POTS as well as possible, and mentally preparing before starting.

Are there nurses here who started out plus size, deconditioned, or with POTS/chronic illness and were able to make it work? Did your stamina improve with conditioning and working? I’d also love to hear from psych nurses specifically since that’s where I ultimately want to be.

I’ve heard some people say to become a LPN then work somewhere that will pay for your education to become a RN.

Is it better to take that route or go straight into a RN program? Which one would save you the most time or money? Would love to hear your recommendations or experiences! I’m based in north Dallas.

I have a bachelor’s degree, so I have most of my prereqs done, but will probably have to take a few more science classes.

Thanks!

I haven’t been working in nursing for that long, but a few years has done me in for a lifetime. And it’s not the patients. Sure, some can be annoying to work with, but generally, the patients have been pretty good. No, it’s the pettiness, drama, and sheer immaturity from other coworkers that truly exhausts me.

Before anyone says, “Other jobs have drama too,” I agree. Of course they do. But having worked in other fields, I can say with confidence that it simply isn’t on the same level or nearly as malicious. In fact, the professionalism in other fields almost feels like a distant other world at this point. These particular coworkers in nursing don’t just irritate me; they genuinely disgust me and are an example of someone I will never let myself be. I cannot fathom how grown adults can behave so immaturely, be so obsessed with drama, try to make coworkers look bad, and actively make the job harder for everyone around them. Yet, as we maintain a shortage, many cite this very reason as to why they left and it is my top reason why I will move oceans to leave.

And let’s be real: most of these people are wellll into adulthood. Why do they want to make work harder? Why do they think deliberately making things difficult for their coworkers is somehow acceptable? If they could just wrap their clearly warped brains around one very simple concept, that we are all in this mess together, work would be infinitely better. You help your coworker out, they help you out. That’s how it should work.

But no. Instead, I’m apparently stuck in high school 2.0, except now there are adult responsibilities, patient safety, and twice the stress. All because some deranged coworker wants to gossip about pointless nonsense, stir the pot, or pick on someone.

Please, just grow up. Get some help. It’s sad they can’t function like a full-grown adult in the workplace.

Hi all,

I was hoping some of you kind people could help me find some new direction with things. A little about myself.

I'm a middle-aged nurse with both ICU and leadership experience. I completed my MSN in Leadership & Edu about 7 years ago and then transitioned to a role as a house supervisor. I spent a little over 3 years as a house super then 2 years as an assistant floor manger.

I left the bedside a little under two years ago for a start-up with a few other like-minded nurses to engage in recruitment and leadership consulting and placement. Up till about 4 months ago business had been successful with a handful of clients under out belt but between the employment market downturns and my personal tastes, I'm looking to try to get back to roles with more patient interaction.

Despite my education and credentials, I've been turned down from roles ranging from casual bedside to floor manager in acute care settings. I'm now to the point where I'm not sure what all options are out there, but I want to explore them.

Any suggestions?

So this is a debate that started at my work, a nursing student asked us how long should I wear my scrub jacket before washing it?

I work in the OR so I said every 2-3 days. One of our Medsurg nurses said daily

Wondering what's everyone take

my husband has military orders to the houston area, I will have a nurse for about 2 1/2 years at this point at a step down here in California. I’ve heard the market is over saturated here, is that true? Also any recommendations on hospitals to check out in the area would be great! I believe we would be living in or near pearland. My goal is to ultimately transfer to icu, do they run new to specialty programs here?

Hi i’m 25F (will 26 in a couple months) and will be finishing up with LVN school in December. I have no kids atm and want to get started before I get too old lol. My husband and I are planning on trying as soon as I graduate (if i’m not already pregnant before because i’m off birth control already). Has anyone here been pregnant in or right after nursing school and have any insight on what it’s like trying to find a job while expecting? I want kids very badly but realized it may be a little difficult starting out my career as a pregnant first time mom in such a tuff career. It’s always been my dream to be a nurse and have my own family.

Im a 32 year old man, currently working as a commercial diver. (Underwater, not on the road) I have recently become a father, and I want to change up my career to something that has a more positive impact on my community. For years nursing has been something ive been interested in, but a little scared to commit too as ive always been worried about the school work, and wether or not i would be smart enough to accomplish it. Becoming a father-for whatever reason has snuffed that fear out. And I want to go for it!

The big hurdle is now that in my mid 20's I had a heavy substance use problem. This led to criminal charges, some jail time.. homelessness.. the works. My last charge was almost 6 years ago, and since I have turned my act AROUND... sober, married, im a dad now (yay!!) I have supported my whole family on single income, and even bought a house. The rehabilitation list goes on.. and i think i have a strong case for it. Also, I have already started the process for a record suspension. Unfortunatly i had unpaid fines to wrap up so I wont be eligible for a record suspension until 2031.. but thats fine as this is a long term plan.

My charges were:

Theft under 5000 x5

Assault x4

Assault with a weapon

Breach of probation x3

Breach of recognizance x4

Uttering threats

Im just wondering if anyone has any similar experiences to this? Or if anyone could share any insight? Is this a pipe dream? Is there any way I can do some sort of pre screening process with the BCCNM?

Also- im located im B.C-Canada

Thanks so much for anything you guys can give me!

Do you get paid based on experience or do you get the same flat rate as all other PRN nurses at your facility (i.e.. a PRN nurse of 2 years and the PRN nurse of 20 years both make $46/hr.)?

I put the resident in the chair and he has a urinary bag. I used a privacy cover and clipped the bag below the bladder level. I put the tube through the bottom of the pants.

A nurse today told me that I MUST use a leg bag. This resident produces a lot of urine, so it doesn't seem like that would be ideal.

Her reasoning for saying a leg bag is required is because the tubing goes up out of the bottom of the pants and into the urinary bag and that the tubing should never go up.

The part that goes up is still below the bladder level. And upon checking the urinary bag was filled with urine after draining a few hours before just before putting him on the chair.

Basically I'm curious if she is correct or if it's okay to put the urinary bag like this as long as the tube and bag is below bladder level...

For a diagram here is how the bag was

Because a nurse was getting onto me about the tubing going up out of the pants, but the bag was getting filled because it was below the bladder level

Basically it was like this

Chair

Bladder

|

| _

| / \

| / Urinary bag

\_/

I’m a 24 year old woman currently working as a Herdswoman on a large dairy operation. My entire life and career so far has revolved around agriculture and livestock. I’ve worked my way into a position with a significant amount of responsibility, and I’m responsible for a lot of things that directly affect the health and well being of the animals, as well as the people I work with.

And the weird thing is, I genuinely love my job.

I love my girls. I love taking care of them every day. I love working with animals, and I don’t regret choosing agriculture. There are so many parts of my job that I absolutely love and would miss terribly.

What I don’t love is the constant pressure and challenges that come with the position.

It is a very high pressure, high stakes job. There are always problems to solve, people to manage, animals that need attention, unexpected emergencies, decisions that have to be made quickly, and the feeling that there is always something else that needs to be handled.

At 24, I sometimes step back and realize just how much responsibility I’m carrying at a relatively young age.
I’ve also reached a point where the financial side of this career is becoming a serious concern. I don’t feel that I’ll ever be compensated at a level that reflects the amount of work, responsibility, hours, and stress that I put into this job. I can love what I do and still recognize that I need a career that can provide me with better financial stability.

And then there is the workplace culture… and yes I know this is an issue at most jobs.

Being a young woman in a traditionally male dominated industry has come with its own challenges. I’ve dealt with older men who don’t take me seriously, talk down to me, undermine me, and sometimes seem to think that because I’m a 24 year old woman, I’m an easy person to push around. And I’ve never been able to leave work AT work. It always comes home with me.

Being the target of that kind of behavior over and over again has taken a toll on me.

None of those things mean I hate my job.
That’s actually what makes this decision so difficult.
I love the animals. I love caring for them. I love many aspects of agriculture. But I don’t think I can continue sacrificing my financial security, mental well being, and quality of life just because I love the work itself.
I’ve reached a point of severe burnout, and it’s made me seriously consider something I never thought I would consider: completely changing careers and becoming an LPN.

I realize that going from managing a large dairy operation to nursing is a pretty drastic career change. However, there are aspects of my current work that I think could translate surprisingly well.

I am used to caring for living beings that cannot tell me what is wrong, recognizing subtle changes in health and behavior, following treatment protocols, administering medications, maintaining detailed records, communicating with veterinarians and other professionals, handling emergencies, working under pressure, and staying calm when something goes wrong.

I’m trying to figure out whether this is actually a realistic and obtainable career change for me, or whether I’m looking at nursing through the lens of burnout and imagining that another career will automatically be better.

Being only 24 I’m fortunate to have a lot of time to change direction. At the same time, I’ve already invested years into agriculture and worked extremely hard to build the career I have. Walking away from that is a huge decision.

For anyone who has become an LPN, entered nursing as a second career, or made a similarly drastic career change, I would really appreciate your perspective.
Is becoming an LPN a realistic goal for someone in my situation?
What is nursing actually like compared to what people on the outside think it is?
Would my experience in animal care, management, high pressure situations, and healthcare related decision making be useful, or would I essentially be starting from scratch?
How does the pay and quality of life compare to other careers you’ve considered?
And most importantly, how do you know whether you’re making a legitimate career change versus simply trying to escape burnout?

I’m really looking for honest opinions, even if the answer is “don’t do it.” I’d rather hear the reality from people who have actually lived it.

Hi, Do anyone have the same experience as mine? I’ve just been recently hired in the US from oversees MICU. However, during my orientation period. I felt like a new nurse and everything to me is new. New protocol, system, charting, equipments. My manager decided that I can’t continue like this and suggested to transfer to IMC or medical ward.

I felt like I just lost a battle. But I know its for the good. For me and the patients that I’ll be working on. My heart just belongs to the MICU but right now I think i’m not yet prepared to face it.

What are your experiences? How did you cope up with this? Thank you in advance.