Hi Everyone: I need your help and advice. I have been working as a RN in a hospital on the night shift for 6 months now. I noticed within the last few months that I am becoming more and more depressed and not wanting to go to work. Don't get me wrong - I'm a very dedicated hard worker (working since I was 19 and this is my second career). Please forgive me for what I'm about to say....but I am starting to hate nursing. Is there someone I can talk to? My friends who are not nurses don't understand what I'm going through and they're not able to help me. I need your help!!!

It may not be "nursing" but the night shift getting you down. Some can handle the night time hours while others have the same symptoms you are exhibiting. See if you can't get your hours changed, shift change or change jobs if you have to do so. Make sure you're sleeping at least full 8 hours, at a time. Don't sleep for a few hours then nap for a few hours before going into work. Sleeping is a huge deal when you work night shift. Just remember nothing is as important as your health, both mental and physical

Is it nursing you're starting to hate or the night shift? I worked the night shift for many years. It's a whole different ballgame. You're on a different schedule from just about everybody else. Life continues while you sleep or try to. Doorbells still ring, phones ring, dogs bark, garbage trucks travel up and down the street. It can be maddening Also getting 8 hrs. of sleep during the daytime isn't restful, quality sleep like at night. And if you sleep in little snatches, you feel like you haven't slept at all. There are some things you can do to make it better: Make sure your shades or drapes are room darkening to keep out sunlight. Use white noise (ocean or waterfalls etc.) while you're sleeping. Cut the phone ringer off and place a sign on front door-do not disturb. Arrange times for you to get uninterrupted sleep during the day. Catch a little cat nap before work. Eat right and exercise if you can. It sounds like you are depressed. Sometimes all our friends and families are on a different time schedule and we feel upside down and backwards, not seeing them often or at crazy times. When I worked nights, I would often stay in my nightgown the whole day. I was always tired and irritable. I got so I couldn't sleep during the day and had to stop working nights. I am a night person, maybe you are not. That would mess up everything. Night shifts are hard at best, Even though, things are quieter, there is much less staff and when emergencies occur (as they often will) it's difficult. I worked nights for a reason. Maybe you should try a different shift. Or a different type of nursing. There are all kinds of nursing available.

I see Nursing as a marriage, "hate" is a very strong and intense word, I can see using, burned out, frustrated, upset, feel unwanted or disrespected or ignored. The word hate tells me that there is something terribly wrong. It may be lack of sleep, environmental, employment situation, co-workers or a combination of many factors, but these factors usually don't trigger a "I hate what I do response," I am not trying to be rude or disrespectful, but the fact remains that with what I read, there is something terribly wrong that would bringing out such intense negative feeling. Hopefully Alymoor can write back and give us examples of what she is going through.

Ahhhh the age old complaint.......day shift didn't, so afternoons cleans it up and then afternoons doesn't and nights catches it and cleans it up. then day shift says nights didn't do it..........it goes on and on and on. My advice is you're going to have to get used to this cycle. Remember, everyone is busy, doing a hundred and one things at a time. Maybe a change to another floor is warranted, just remember it will happen there too.

My suggestion is don't go to work at a nursing home. If you think things are bad where you are now-they'll be even worse there. I speak from experience. There are all kinds of nursing jobs. I've had many myself. Right now I have the best job I've ever had. I work in a gastroenterology office doing recovery on patients who have under gone endoscopies and colonoscopies. I'm working part-time 3 days a week 8am to whenever we finish-sometimes 2 or 3 pm, never later than 430 or 5. No weekends or holidays. I love it! But I've been a nurse for 27 yrs. and I've had alot of jobs I didn't like. Sometimes it wasn't the job I disliked, but the people I worked with or the atmosphere at the place of employment. I've found there is no perfect job, some are just better than others. They all have some good and some bad. The bad ( with this job) is my travel time. It takes me 45 minutes to get there because of the traffic when it should only take 15 minutes. There are lots of different kinds of nursing jobs. If you don't like this one, try something else, and if you don't like that one, keep on trying until you find something you do like . It may take a while but you'll find your niche. It only took me 27 years but look at all the experience I gained along the way!

outpatient clinics would work too. PACU you may get caught up taking call and that isn't fun, disrupts your life

Once again, everyone, I THANK you very much for your encouragement. I have some good news.... One of my close friends - a very experienced Nurse - highly recommended me for a position as a school nurse at a charter school starting the next school year. She is the current nurse but the school has grown so much that they need another nurse. I have to call next monday to schedule an interview. I'm very excited about this interview and I hope all of my questions are answered in my favor. It was really weird that this happened at this particular time. I will keep you all posted on how the interview goes. Does anyone have any comments good or bad about being a school nurse?

Good Luck...I hope the change does you some good......I diddnt post before but if i were working night shifts i might get depressed also.......Im so not a night person....let us know how it goes

Thanks, guys! I will definitely keep ya posted.

I am going through the same thing recently started working nights dont want to go to work even though the people I work with are lovely compared to the job I recently resigned.
I hate going to work as soon as its time to go to work I get very depressed. Reading your blog and the response has opened my eyes.
I truly love taking care of others so I beleive working nights Is not good for me. My previous job was very challenging because of lack of support and and disloyalty even though I had worked hard enough to help my company earn o difficiency i was treated like a looser. The sad thing at this new job I am apprecited and treated as a team player but not satisfied with the hours of work. .