Hi,
I'm new here.
I qualified as a nurse two years ago and I have worked in wards up until recently. I found a job in an outpatients dept which has been ok and much better hours.
From my time on the wards, all I can remember is coming home most days feeling deflated, stressed, miserable and spaced out. The bullying, being undervalued, turning up for your shift with no staff and expecting to work in those conditions. It takes its toll. Shouting for help to managers but none given. Seeing patients receiving the opposite of 'good standards of care.' I just couldn't be a part of it all anymore.
Low and behold I get a new job. Two months into this job, they then tell me 'I'm not needed and I've to go back to the wards.. they can't tell me how long for- but I'm more needed there. (Which is true)
However, I'm now going back to what I dreaded the most. I can't face going to my doctor again because I'm so unwell with the stress of it all. Being up at night panicking I've missed things, worrying constantly about the registration I might lose.
So I signed myself off sick. Right now I am looking for other jobs. Any jobs. Office jobs / school jobs / anywhere that will take me.
I can't do it to myself anymore. The long hours, missing out on having a social life and also my own child's life. I'm disheartened and I'm sad, I hold a huge amount of guilt with me every day, knowing that this is how I feel and that I may finally be putting myself first. I know I need to leave, for my own mental health but why do I feel so bad about it?
I've searched high and low on here for other nurses who may be feeling the same way.. and I come across it and they all stay. They don't leave, because the guilt. I know so many of us don't enjoy our jobs- people say 'find a new job, go to a new dept' but when you do this, it's still out of your hands.
I've lost passion, I've lost motivation, I'm defeated by this degree and everything that's came with it. (Let's not even get into the dreaded c word)
I suppose I'm just looking for any sort of empathy right now that it's ok to be feeling this way, and that it's ok if I do genuinely leave.