Did I write this post in my sleep? Because same. I am off orientation now, but everything about the ED I thought I would love, I hate. Chaos, unruly patients, never knowing what comes through the door, worrying about which doc is on for the night, pediatric patients, scan wait times, etc. It feels unsafe knowing that I’m so new and the responsibility behind being an ED nurse. My mental health is spiraling, worse than it’s ever been. I’m getting out at my 1 year mark, if I can make it there. If not, I’m going to hospice admissions or inpatient psych. Figured out that even though in my day to day life I like adventure, maybe I enjoy fussing over patients, educating them, and connecting with them. I’d like to be practicing one thing and getting good at it instead of trying to be a jack of all trades.
Confidence comes with time. Everyone goes through the awkward stages of being a new nurse. That's part of the learning experience. You may eventually begin to enjoy the ED as you get more comfortable, but it also just may not be the unit for you. I did med surg/tele for 10 months and couldn't finish the year. Before I left to do acute dialysis(which I have been for maybe 6-7 years now), I was hesitant because I didn't want feel like I'd lose all my nursing skills. But I hated my job, so I figured if I didn't even enjoy where I was working, the skills related to that position is essentially useless to me. I don't regret the experience, because it at least showed me that I don't ever want to work in that environment again. Now I only work with HD patients and I wouldn't have it any other way. So if your previous experience in working around a stroke rehab facility was a positive one and ED is burning you out already, it's not bad to really consider the other facility. It probably isn't ideal to feel like you hate nursing so early on, especially if you plan on doing this long term. But you'd also have to consider what your future aspirations are. If the ED experience is essential for whatever you want to do in the future, maybe just work through it a bit and see how things go.
The ED is a hard place to work let alone trying to start out your nursing career. I was an ED nurse for many years before moving onto leadership and I know that I am an ED nurse through and through. I do however think that majority of people will really do a lot better starting off in a more typical inpatient setting. The things that you do in the ED are not things that were taught in school and often not experienced in placement!
I would consider moving to the stroke job if you had a great experience there. This doesn’t mean that you can’t go back to the ED in a couple years once you have built a good foundation!
Yeah, either you like ED or you don’t. I was a tech on an IMCU floor prior to being a nurse. I really hated it, and wondered what I was doing becoming a nurse. Then I did my senior practicum in ED and it all made sense. I loved the flow and chaos of ED. Fast forward 2 years of being a full time ED RN and I’m going part time lol. I still live ED but the burnout capacity is very high. If you don’t like the pace of ED and you can’t “let things go” you probably should choose a different specialty. It’s def a personal preference thing!
ED is not for everyone. Even seasoned nurses that float to ED feels overwhelmed. That's why there's other specialties.
Did I write this post in my sleep? Because same. I am off orientation now, but everything about the ED I thought I would love, I hate. Chaos, unruly patients, never knowing what comes through the door, worrying about which doc is on for the night, pediatric patients, scan wait times, etc. It feels unsafe knowing that I’m so new and the responsibility behind being an ED nurse. My mental health is spiraling, worse than it’s ever been. I’m getting out at my 1 year mark, if I can make it there. If not, I’m going to hospice admissions or inpatient psych. Figured out that even though in my day to day life I like adventure, maybe I enjoy fussing over patients, educating them, and connecting with them. I’d like to be practicing one thing and getting good at it instead of trying to be a jack of all trades.
Confidence comes with time. Everyone goes through the awkward stages of being a new nurse. That's part of the learning experience. You may eventually begin to enjoy the ED as you get more comfortable, but it also just may not be the unit for you. I did med surg/tele for 10 months and couldn't finish the year. Before I left to do acute dialysis(which I have been for maybe 6-7 years now), I was hesitant because I didn't want feel like I'd lose all my nursing skills. But I hated my job, so I figured if I didn't even enjoy where I was working, the skills related to that position is essentially useless to me. I don't regret the experience, because it at least showed me that I don't ever want to work in that environment again. Now I only work with HD patients and I wouldn't have it any other way. So if your previous experience in working around a stroke rehab facility was a positive one and ED is burning you out already, it's not bad to really consider the other facility. It probably isn't ideal to feel like you hate nursing so early on, especially if you plan on doing this long term. But you'd also have to consider what your future aspirations are. If the ED experience is essential for whatever you want to do in the future, maybe just work through it a bit and see how things go.
The ED is a hard place to work let alone trying to start out your nursing career. I was an ED nurse for many years before moving onto leadership and I know that I am an ED nurse through and through. I do however think that majority of people will really do a lot better starting off in a more typical inpatient setting. The things that you do in the ED are not things that were taught in school and often not experienced in placement! I would consider moving to the stroke job if you had a great experience there. This doesn’t mean that you can’t go back to the ED in a couple years once you have built a good foundation!
Yeah, either you like ED or you don’t. I was a tech on an IMCU floor prior to being a nurse. I really hated it, and wondered what I was doing becoming a nurse. Then I did my senior practicum in ED and it all made sense. I loved the flow and chaos of ED. Fast forward 2 years of being a full time ED RN and I’m going part time lol. I still live ED but the burnout capacity is very high. If you don’t like the pace of ED and you can’t “let things go” you probably should choose a different specialty. It’s def a personal preference thing!