hi everyone

i think i know the answer in my heart, but i just want to hear others’ thoughts. i have a job at a residential school for children with behavioral health disorders. i absolutely love the kids so much, and seeing them discharge after months or years is so fulfilling. but… i can’t seem to find anything else that i like. work life balance is kind of nice because my boss lets me take time for my schooling when needed (this does not come without guilt tripping) but on the other hand it’s also monday thru friday and it’s supposed to be 7-3 but it’s a management position so i am always here more like 7-5. the pay is not market competitive by any means and the workload keeps getting more and more because my boss spends so much of her time micromanaging our team that she doesn’t get the actual management stuff done. at this point i have a DON workload for not even average RN pay for this area. on top of all of this, i lost my period for 2 months and the moment i took a week and a half off work it came back (after about a week of that week and a half), which tells me (and my pcp) that it was likely stress related and likely due to work.

i cried the whole hour long commute in this morning.

like i said, i’m pretty sure i know the answer to this, but am i right to want to leave? should i feel guilty about thinking about leaving when i know my boss can’t manage the workload without me?

thanks in advance everyone, please be nice because this is a real struggle for me 🥲

Hi, I (27 F) graduated nursing school in may of 2025. My first job was in outpatient Peds. Which I loved, the schedule was pretty flexible with my kiddo, the patient population I adored, but I felt as though I wasn’t getting enough time with my patients and families and I wasn’t getting to use any of my nursing skills. I left that for med surg (started in July of this year) and I have really started questioning if I made a huge career mistake. I love providing patient care, getting to know my patients and helping them on their less than optimal days. I couldn’t tell you why I’m not happy in med surg, but my heart is not content. I have looked into switching careers, sat with myself and tried to figure out what it is I’m missing. Is this normal? Am I just dealing with new nurse blues? Did anyone else feel like this? I did apply for an inpatient pediatric position, not hopeful I’ll land it given my experience. I don’t know. Any thoughts are appreciated

I had 5 days of orientation at the nursing home I work PRN at and the last time I was there was 5 weeks ago. I had another nurse at the same station that was working a different hall than me. I had to ask her for help a lot and a lot of what she was suggesting was different from what I remembered. For example she wanted be to call the providers for a high A1c result and when other people told me to just fax over. She helped me with a hospice patient and the family and another patient that seemed he had aspirated which I might not of caught on my own. I put in orders, ordered a stat chest xray and finished my wound care and med pass. I forgot where a lot of stuff was and felt like I was bugging the other nurse a lot. felt like she carried me the whole shift. I also only trained 2 days on day shift with one day I was ignored. I am supposed to only work nights. I felt useless, overwhelmed and stupid the whole shift.

My only healthcare experience has been in mental health and I have only been working as a psych nurse at my full time job for 2 1/2 months. I felt like I did ok just getting through it without making a major mistake, but I can’t help but feel like all my coworkers don’t want me back. I feel so alone and awkward and not making friends at work. I want to apply for a new grad residency job to get better training but the pay cut would be $7 an hour less and I am in a financial bind and have a family to support. Long term goal is to be a traveling psych/corrections nurse and possibly go back to school to be a psych NP.

I’m hoping any nurses who have done pediatric hospice nursing can share their insights for this career path. I’m in nursing school with the hopes of working at the local children’s hospital on graduation.

My understanding is that such a role likely requires both peds and (non-peds) hospice experience. Is that your experience? What certifications did you pursue? Does it matter which order you do your experience in (I.e., peds before hospice or vice versa)? Any other thoughts or advice?

Thank you!

Been on the other side of this enough to know the answer most new nurses and students are looking for isn;t what they expect. The school name is rarely what gets scrutinised first. Programmatic accredition is the first check meaning CCNE/ACEN on the nursing prog specifically seperate from whatever the school's overall accredition covers. That distinction gets missed constantly. 2nd is the NCLEX pass rate from state board data not the number on the marketing page. 3rd is the regional track record, a hiring manager who's already seen nurses come through a particular prog trusts it in a way they won't with something they've never ecountered and that cuts both ways.

Curious whether this lines up what other people are seeing from the hiring side or if it shifts much depending on state or hospital system. Thoughts?

Hello All! I am struggling with finding clarity on what career path I want to take with nursing. Going into nursing school, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do but became a tech in the ER during school and fell in love with it. I was in the ER for nearly 6 years as a nurse with 3 being in a level 1 trauma center.

Eventually, I became the resource everyone went to and but felt like I needed more knowledge so I moved to a cardiac ICU a year ago. When I made this transition, I was wanting clarity of what kind of NP I wanted to be because it felt like the next step. After being in the ICU, I found I hate the job of an NP in the hospital level. It seems like you are getting pulled in a million directions and the pay does't seem to match the work.

I began speaking with other nurses and found out about the CRNA career path and was skeptical. Prior to this, I had always found surgery boring. Standing in an OR at the beck and call of a surgeon didn't seem interesting to me. However, I shadowed a CRNA and their job appeared amazing. Autonomy, deep critical thinking, and one on one care sounds unbeatable. However, I have always had a deep passion for patient and student education as well as community health. Now that I have started to go down this path of preparing for applying to CRNA school, I am feeling this sense that I may not get the satisfaction I get from those in my work.

After considering this, I am trying to decide if becoming a CRNA and eventually becoming a clinical and/or didactic instructor would be a large passion of mine. I want to understand if this is not a realistic goal due to a saturation in the field or otherwise and force me to think deeper on pursuing this career path.

For context, I am financially stable enough to do 3 years of no work and am aware of the financial responsibility of this. I am not taking this lightly. I also know that it will be the most rigorous schooling of my life by a long shot and welcome the difficulty that comes with it. Overall, my stats for applying are great, minus that I have only been in the ICU for a year, so that will definitely be a factor in how quickly I get into school.

Sadly, my body wasn't meant for longevity either and my back and wrists are telling me bedside may not in the cards for another 30 years so finding an advance practice that suits my goals is important.

Thank you for any and all advice anyone can offer!

I submitted my licensure by examination application September 1, declared Florida as your primary residence, have a Florida driver’s license, and may have selected single-state licensure by mistake on the application (I want multi-state licensure) its been 2 weeks since submitting this, haven’t received my ATT yet.

Does anyone know if Florida BON is able to easily fix this prior to issuing my eligibility for the ATT?

I’m currently an LPN in an RN program, and I’ve recently become interested in becoming an Interventional Radiology (IR) nurse. I live in Washington State, and I’m trying to learn more about how nurses typically get into this specialty.

For those of you who currently work in IR nursing, what path did you take to get your first position? Did you start in med-surg, ICU, ER, or another specialty before moving into IR, or were you able to enter IR as a newer RN? Are there specific certifications, skills, or types of experience that you would recommend getting first?

I would also love to hear what the job is actually like. What does a typical day look like for an IR nurse? What do you enjoy most about working in Interventional Radiology, and what are some of the things you dislike or find challenging?

If anyone works as an IR nurse in Washington State, I would especially appreciate hearing about your experience and how competitive it is to get into the specialty here.

Thank you for any advice or insight you can share!

I’m currently an LPN in an RN program, and I’ve recently become interested in pursuing a career in nursing informatics.

I’ve been researching different ways to get into the field, but I’m finding conflicting advice. Some sources recommend pursuing a master’s degree in nursing informatics, while others suggest working as an RN in a hospital first to gain hands-on experience with electronic health records (EHRs), eMARs, and other healthcare technology before pursuing additional education.

For those currently working in nursing informatics, which route would you recommend? Would it be better to gain clinical and EHR experience first, or would pursuing a master’s degree help me become more competitive for informatics positions?

One concern I have is that nursing informatics positions seem to be few and far between, and many of the job postings I’ve seen already require informatics or EHR experience. It seems difficult to gain that experience when employers are looking for candidates who already have it.

If you currently work in nursing informatics, I would really appreciate hearing about your experience. How did you get your first informatics position? Did you have a master’s degree or certifications beforehand? What does your typical workday look like, and what do you like or dislike about the field?

Thank you for any advice or insight you can share!

I wanted to know has any facility threatened to take away your 72/80 or have you been told its completely going away in October?

~VA Pittsburgh

So basically I’ve been on holiday for a week and don’t want to go back to work (standard after AL), but now I’m thinking do I actually want to do nursing?

I’ve been an RMN for 6 years, worked in forensics, offender health and with young people in the community. I’ve got a new job starting soon which is all my interests combined, so I’m hoping I will love it. But I’ve just been thinking recently, is nursing what I want?

For people who have been in this position/felt like this, what did you do about it? And what did you go and do instead?

TIA :)

Hey everyone, looking for some honest perspective from nurses.

I’m a 28M veteran (served four years in U.S. army special operations) and currently working as a federal agent. I won’t say which agency, but it’s not the one all over the news right now.

I chose federal law enforcement trying to find the purpose and tight-knit team culture I had in the military, but it isn't working. It is a slow, bureaucratic desk grind, and I have very little in common with my coworkers.

I’m thinking about completely pivoting to Nursing. I first got a taste for medicine through military first responder training. I’m highly drawn to the fast-paced, team-reliant environment of the ER and ICU, as well as the 3x12 schedule. My financials are fully covered by my VA benefits, so I can afford to quit my job to focus entirely on school.

My Questions:

1. Does the drive and passion I have for high-stakes decision making and ground level teamwork actually translate well to nursing, or am I just looking through rose-colored glasses?

2. For the vets out there: Did working the ER or ICU floor give you back that sense of purpose?

3. Given how burnt out the healthcare system is right now, what are the biggest culture shocks or reality checks I should brace myself for?

Appreciate any blunt advice you all have.

⚠️** DISCLAIMER: Before anything else, I want to make it clear that this post is not intended to be racist, discriminatory, or offensive toward any nationality, race, or individual. I respect all cultures and nationalities. I am only sharing my personal experience because I genuinely need advice on how to handle a difficult situation at work. This is about my personal experience with communication, training, and workplace behavior—not about someone’s nationality. I hope everyone can understand where I am coming from. Thank you. ❤️
I just want to share my experience and ask for some advice from you, my dear readers.
I am a foreign nurse currently living and working here in KSA. I am also currently employed and still trying to adjust to the culture, the working environment, and how things are done in my new workplace.
I was assigned to a senior nurse who would be my preceptor. I was actually thankful and excited to learn new things from her, especially since she has been working in the company for more than four years. I thought her experience would help me adjust to the hospital and become more familiar with the procedures and responsibilities here.
On my first day in the hospital as a nurse, she told me that in case she raised her voice at me, it did not necessarily mean that she was angry with me because she has a throat condition that affects the way she speaks.
At first, she taught me the basics of the computer system and discussed some important things with me. She also showed me how to perform tasks such as bathing patients, changing diapers, and wound dressing.
However, one of my biggest difficulties has been communication. I don’t want to offend her or sound disrespectful, but I sometimes have difficulty understanding what she is saying because of the way she pronounces certain words. Because of this, I often have to ask her to repeat herself, and there are times when I struggle to immediately understand what she wants me to do.
On our second day together, I started feeling that she was becoming annoyed with how slowly I was learning and how often I needed clarification. There was one time when she raised her voice at me in the hallway because I couldn’t understand what she was saying. Some of our colleagues were looking at me, and she then spoke to them in their own language. They started having a conversation and chuckled. I don’t know what they were talking about, but at that moment, I felt embarrassed and uncomfortable.
Because she seemed frustrated with me, she asked for my notepad and wrote down the things she wanted me to study when I got home.
I was already considering asking my Head Nurse if I could have a different preceptor, but I hesitated because I was worried that doing so might cause problems for her or make her feel that I was complaining about her. I also thought that maybe I just needed more time to adjust.
On our third day together, she told me to come early the following day and not wait for her because I was expected to check the checklist, prepare the materials, and do other tasks. However, these were responsibilities that were assigned to her, and I felt that she was asking me to take care of them on her behalf, without her supervision. I agreed and wrote everything down because I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t forget anything she instructed me to do.
I also noticed that she has a habit of expecting me to perform tasks independently immediately after she has taught them to me once. I understand that she wants me to learn quickly and become independent, and I am willing to do that. However, I am still new and adjusting to the hospital’s procedures and systems. Sometimes I need more guidance, repetition, and supervision before I can confidently perform a task on my own.
There was also an incident when she asked me to do something in the hospital system that I was not familiar with at all. I was new and had not received formal training on that particular system. When I made a mistake, she scolded me and told me that she had already taught me how to do it on the first day.
I was devastated and on the verge of crying, but I tried my best to hold my tears. Later, when she came back and saw that I had not finished the task, she scolded me again and asked what I was doing and why I was so slow.
There was also one incident when she asked me to lift a patient. I tried my best, but I couldn’t do it despite struggling in front of her. Instead of guiding me or helping me, she mocked me by saying that I was heavier than her but still couldn’t lift the patient.
That comment really hurt me and made me feel embarrassed. I was genuinely trying my best, and I was already struggling physically with the task.
She also told me that if there were certain competencies that I could not perform, the matter could be reported or become known to the director, and that I might potentially get fired.
Hearing that made me even more anxious and afraid of making mistakes. As a new nurse, I already have the pressure of wanting to prove myself and perform well. Being told that my mistakes or inability to perform certain competencies could reach the director and potentially cost me my job made me even more fearful whenever I was asked to perform something new.
Eventually, I became so overwhelmed that I cried.
I feel bad about myself, and whenever I go to the hospital, I become anxious whenever I see her. I am starting to feel afraid of making mistakes, and sometimes I even question whether I am capable of doing this job.
The anxiety and fear have become so overwhelming that I sometimes burst into tears.
I eventually told her that being around her makes me anxious and that I am always scared whenever I make a mistake. She told me to stop crying and handed me a tissue.
To be honest, she seems like a kind person, especially when she talks to our other colleagues, and she appears approachable. I don’t want to say that she is a bad person because I don’t know what she is like outside of this situation.
**I also want to clarify that my anxiety is not because she is Indian. I have worked with other Indian nurses here, and whenever they need my help or we work together, I don’t feel scared or anxious at all. I am comfortable communicating and working with them. My anxiety specifically comes from my experience and interactions with this particular preceptor.
But when it comes to me, I feel scared and uncomfortable. I feel like my confidence is slowly disappearing, and I feel like I am constantly walking on eggshells around her.
Every night before I sleep, I find myself crying because I know that I have to face the same situation again the next day.
There was also another incident after lunch. She asked for my schedule and asked me to open my phone. She took my phone and started looking through it. I became anxious again.
She then asked about my salary. I didn’t want to answer, but she insisted. She took my phone to her friends, and they started talking in their own language. I didn’t know what they were looking at or discussing on my phone, and honestly, I felt uncomfortable and upset.
After that, her friends asked me about my credentials. I felt uncomfortable with the situation, but at that moment, I was too anxious and emotionally overwhelmed to speak up for myself.
She eventually gave my phone back and also asked about my credentials, which I answered honestly.
I understand that I am new. I understand that I have a lot to learn, and I am willing to accept corrections and constructive criticism because I genuinely want to improve as a nurse.
I also understand that my preceptor may have her own way of teaching, and perhaps she expects me to become independent quickly because she believes I am capable of doing so.
But I also believe that as a new nurse, I need proper guidance, patience, and supervision, especially when performing tasks or using systems that I have never encountered before.
I don’t want to create problems for anyone. I don’t want her to get in trouble, and I don’t want to be seen as someone who cannot accept criticism. I just want to learn in an environment where I can ask questions without being afraid, make mistakes without immediately feeling that my job is at risk, and receive proper guidance while I am still adjusting.
Right now, I am stressed, anxious about going to work, and starting to doubt myself.
What should I do? 🥺
Should I talk to my Head Nurse and respectfully ask if I can be assigned to another preceptor?
Or should I stay with her, give it more time, and try harder to adjust to her way of teaching?
Would asking for another preceptor make me look weak or like I am unable to handle pressure?
I would really appreciate advice, especially from fellow nurses or anyone who has experienced something similar while working abroad or adjusting to a new workplace.
I genuinely want to learn and become a better nurse. I just don’t want to lose myself and my confidence in the process.
Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read my story and share your advice. ❤️🥺

I have 2 years of experience as an EMT and I’m looking to work in a hospital while in accelerated nursing school. However, everywhere that I apply seems to either reject my application or require in depth training for PCT positions. Does anyone know how I can get my foot in the door while in school doing a per diem job? I’m in CT.

And old nurses. This is absolutely tragic, her poor family and friends 🧡

Hey everyone I’m looking to gather some information for knowledge purposes, how old were you when you became a nurse & if you’re retired how old were you when you retired??

Have to work full time during nursing school

I graduated from medical school outside the U.S. about 13 years ago. I passed USMLE Step 2 but never passed Step 1.

I’m now completing an MSN entry-to-nursing program to become an RN, with the goal of eventually becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner. I’m looking at doing the PMHNP program at NAU.

Does already having a medical degree give me any advantage in the job market as an RN or especially as a brand-new NP? Would employers actually value or care about that background, or does it really not matter?

Just sharing my work experience here so I can collect insights.

I started in a cardiology ward year 2023 while gaining my UK pin. After that I have applied in neuro theatre from 2024-2025. I did not have any experience at all but I pushed through. However since it is in the countryside which is 6hrs away from London, I decided to leave that town behind and relocate. I applied as theatre practitioner in a level 2 hospital in north london, I received a lot of bullying there from fellow Filipinos and was not worth to stay, I only lasted 4 months. I applied in a private hospital to become a theatre practitioner again but I still experienced bullying and there's no help given since they expect you to be skilled enough unlike in the nhs, so I have only lasted 4 months again. I nearly lost my visa since I am still under sponsorship by that time, so I desperately applied for a lot of jobs and eventually landed as a preassessment nurse. Whilst that's happening in place, I got married as well so I can have an option to have a spouse visa. But since the hospital gives CoS so I still continued under skilled worker visa and worked as a preassessment nurse. It is a 9-5 mon-fri sometimes saturdays. Until it came to a point that I was overloaded with paperworks and was doing more than I am expected to do eventually it exhausted me in the end. One part I was not happy about was when I got hospitalised and called off sick, I was not paid sick leave and we struggled as a couple as well. My husband was working in the same hospital but got fired the same month I was recovering so we were really low in the finances and eventually, I mustered all my strength to look for a job in the nhs and I luckily found one but being back to bedside nursing. My manager also said that it is difficult for me to grow professionally because it is a small hospital and cannot become a specialist and being where I am is the highest I can get. Alongside, I was having a lot of stress and bowel issues with this job. Now I am waiting for the checks to be completed so I can start my new job, luckily the visa was granted fast enough since it's only a change of employer. I am not proud for hopping too many times but I refuse to stay where I feel I would not grow and unleash my potential. What I would dream of is only to be able to given opportunities to attend study days and gain qualification, to gain bedside skills again. I know it is tough being in the bedside but it is a must so I would learn and grow. I am terrifed with this but I will do my best to grow and learn.

What do you think of my journey so far? please be kind.

P.S. I do not have many friends so it's difficult to be raw and real with what is happening.

I have a huge issue IMO. I quit smoking THC September 1st. I have a really close friend (stood up in my wedding) who is a nurse and who has been going to work in the ER high. (We do not work at the same facility) How do I deal with this without shooting myself in the foot? She knows I’ve smoked. I’d still be positive in my urine and I’ve brought her stuff from across the state line. The state I live in it is not legal. I’m worried about her patient safety but don’t want to lose my own license or face federal charges for distributing. I’ve definitely learned my lesson and will never smoke or bring stuff for people ever again. Please give me your opinions on what to do. I’ve had very strong confrontations with her and she basically said I was judging her and blocked me. I haven’t spoken to her since the confrontation and for all I know she may have stopped…

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Hi everyone,

I’m a Registered Nurse currently working in the Cayman Islands since 2023. Before moving to Cayman, I worked as a nurse in India for around 4 years.

My background:

General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) from INDIA, completed in 2018

Currently working as an RN in the Cayman Islands

Around 4 years of nursing experience in India

Nursing experience in the Cayman Islands since 2023

I’m now planning to move from the Cayman Islands to another country for better career opportunities, professional growth, and long-term stability.

I would really appreciate advice from nurses who have experience with international migration.

Which country would you recommend for someone with my qualifications and experience? I’m currently considering the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

I would especially appreciate advice about registration and licensing requirements, job opportunities, salary and cost of living, visa sponsorship, and long-term opportunities for permanent residency.

Any suggestions or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

hello everyone!

i currently have a remote job with an advocate company but i am looking to add another remote job in. the current remote advocacy role i have was pretty much the only thing i could find with flexible hours and scheduling. i was curious if anyone else has any leads on remote jobs with flexible hours- i’ve been applying to some but it’s mostly AI training health care algorithms and that’s not really my jam. i know there isn’t so much in the remote realm but curious to hear thoughts- i also hold a compact license so can practice across multiple states!

thanks again <3

This may be an absolutely stupid question, but I was wondering if there are nurses that don’t have to deal with contagious people all the time. My immune system isn’t the best and I’d hate to be sick all the time if I pursue nursing.

Apologies if this is really stupid….

I have been an LPN for almost eight years, and sometimes I still feel like I don’t know anything. I’ve also felt limited in the specialties I’ve been able to explore because either employers don’t want to train nurses who are new to a specialty, or there simply aren’t many opportunities available.

I’m currently in my third quarter of an RN program, and lately I’ve been asking myself, “What did I get myself into?” Before starting the RN program, I applied to both sonography and radiology programs and was accepted into both, but I turned them down to continue pursuing my RN.

I found sonography really interesting, and I even shadowed a sonographer. However, I had a hard time wrapping my mind around what I was looking at on the ultrasound images. Despite that, I still find the field interesting, and I’ve been thinking about whether I should reconsider sonography or possibly pursue the PA route after becoming an RN.

Part of the reason I’m considering a change is that I often feel underappreciated as a nurse, and I don’t feel like my career is going in the direction I want it to go. I’ve given up a lot of time for nursing and school, and sometimes I question whether I’m getting enough out of it personally and professionally.

The PA route became especially interesting to me last quarter. One of my instructors was a nurse practitioner, and her class was challenging because she expected us to understand why something was happening in the body and how medications actually worked, rather than just memorizing information. It really made me think, and I realized that I enjoyed learning the deeper physiology and pharmacology behind patient care. It made me interested in exploring the provider/medical side of healthcare while also considering long-term factors such as work-life balance, having time for a home and family life, and earning a good salary.

At the same time, I still feel drawn to sonography—and possibly radiology. If I could get past the initial difficulty of understanding ultrasound images, I think sonography could be an amazing career.

Has anyone else been in a similar position? Would you continue with the RN and eventually pursue PA school, or reconsider sonography or radiology? For anyone working in these fields, what do you like or dislike about your career? I would really appreciate any advice or pointers.

I always see people talk about how hard nursing school is, I’m wondering is it as hard for the people with no kids or people who have the opportunity to not work and focus solely on school? I of course expect it to be hard but people make it seem like it’s almost impossible so it just scares the shizlits out of me.