I started a new job about a month ago. Instead of spending my day on the psych unit, I spend my day assessing newborn babies and I absolutely love it.

My last day at my old job was bittersweet. Although I didn’t enjoy what I was doing, I was good at it. Going from doing something you’re good at but hate to do something that you love but know absolutely nothing about has by far been one of the most humbling experiences. But I look forward to going to work which is something that I haven’t felt since becoming a nurse.

It’s a completely different scene and requires a completely different part of my personality than being a psych nurse. When I was talking to my patients I could rely not only on biblical teaching but personal experience. Here, I’m relying on textbooks and the knowledge of those around me who know more and have experienced more than me. I love learning from them. I loved learning from my psych nurses. But, this is different.

I find myself seeking new opportunities to increase my knowledge in every aspect of Labor and Delivery nursing – from labor to the newborn to breastfeeding and so on.

We’ll see where this goes…✌🏽

I graduated nursing school in May 2017, got my license in June and starting working at a very prestigious hospital in October. Fast forward to today – I’m currently looking for new jobs. I’ve only held my current position for about 6 months which in the world of healthcare equates to nothing.

I had thoughts of leaving my job plenty of times in the beginning, but I chucked it up to taking on multiple projects at one time. I had just started working in October and was already planning on going back to school to get my bachelor’s degree. I ended up postponing that until the new year. I had moved out of my parents house in December and was living on my own for the first time. The emotional toll of moving out on my own was incredibly overwhelming. I was broke all the time.

Basically I was emotionally, physically, and financially bankrupt. Being a nurse is an awesome career, but if you don’t truly love what you’re doing as a nurse – this field can definitely burn you out quickly. My first month after being off of orientation, I was mandated to stay over for a second 8 hour shift at least seven times. My unit has been understaffed since I started. Not to mention – it’s an inpatient psychiatric unit!!

When did I know it was time to quit my job?

• When the thought of going to work the next day began to give me so much anxiety that I could not sleep the night before
• When I realized how much my mood significantly changed once I was actually at work
• When I actually stood in front of my coworkers and said “I hate this patient”
• When I found myself being jealous of my friends and their jobs
• When I accepted the fact that I wasn’t truly happy

I made the decision on my way to work this morning that I was going to take this week and begin applying for new jobs. As much as I don’t want to start all the way over somewhere else, it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind. Being a nurse is stressful; I expect that. But if I’m going to be stressed out from a job, I’d much rather be working in a field that I’m truly passionate about.

And y’all, psych ain’t it.

This morning while I was sitting in my car reading my emails, I noticed that each one had the same overall theme: giving your best in the worst situations. So, I also decided that even though I don’t enjoy being a psychiatric nurse, I will strive to be the best nurse I can be here until I get a new job somewhere else.

I walked onto my unit today prepared for it to be a complete mess. Instead, I got a day of downtime where I was able to do this post, update my resume and apply for some new jobs.

We’ll see how it goes✌🏽

I first heard about this book in one of my classes for Nurse Residency. We were asked if we felt comfortable having intense conversations with patients and/or their family. We didn’t get to go in depth about the subject because of time, so I decided that I would find this book and read it on my own time. Luckily, it was assigned as required reading for nursing communications class. I’ll be reading it over the next 8 weeks. Hopefully, I’ll learn some great techniques.