The transition from pediatric registered respiratory therapist to adult registered nurse has been… difficult, to say the least.
That First Job
Six months after graduation, I’m two months in to my first job. I’m still on new-RN orientation, and question my decision on a daily basis. Nursing is not inherently a difficult profession as compared to respiratory therapy, but it is a completely different one.
After graduation I promptly took and passed the NCLEX, went to Europe [find posts tagged Adventures of DJandM for that content], then began applying for jobs. I was contacted by an adult pulmonary step-down unit, interviewed, and hired. After three weeks in hospital orientation, I was released onto my floor, and promptly realized my mistake. This unit, and perhaps this career is not for me. Transition sucks; no doubt about it. It brings out my fears and insecurities. Having multiple preceptors and an unavailable nurse manager and educator has not made this easy. As a RT, I knew what my job was, and how to do it. I knew who to go to when I had questions. In this position, I have different people telling me how to do things differently on a daily basis. While I understand that everyone develops their own system for doing things, it would be helpful for people to not constantly tell me I am doing ‘this’ wrong– whatever ‘this’ may be.
I’m already looking forward to my next steps
The transition from working essentially independently using protocols to having to ask permission to do anything with a patient is a hard one. It has confirmed my decision to become a nurse practitioner sooner rather than later.
I am already looking into what my next steps are going to be. I start my BSN next semester. A BSN will take a year. After that, I can apply to NP school… which was my goal for becoming a registered nurse to begin with.
Is there a more appropriate song for this post than A Nurses’ Life is Full of Woe? I can’t imagine there could be.
