I am getting burnt out at my job. What should I do?

We were expecting an ice storm which never arrived, and 3 nurses who are 12 hour shifters on my unit called in because they were afraid of getting stuck in the hospital. 2 of them live in town. They came up with every excuse in the book not to be at work. I went to work and drove home 25 miles with no problems.
I save my vacation hours in case I would like to go somewhere and other nurses use up their hours then want to take time off anyway and the supervisor gives it to them making us work short and and understaffed. My phone does not stop ringing at home for me to come into work because someone has called in or they are understaffed. What happened to responsibility. I feel like I am blessed to have a job. I single parented 2 kids into adulthood and never called in. Should I just quit my job now or plann some time off? I am burnt out

Take some time off, and look for a new job.

I hear ya though, I'm totally burnt out on my job right now.

quit

I would say just take some time off, it always works for me.

Moon them and then quit. Also you can really burn something by lighting your place of bussiness on fire.

Have fun ^_^

it is always easier to get another job when you already have one....maybe try and take a few days off to regroup and get some resumes in the mail, maybe hire a head hunter to do the searching for you........hang in there and things will improve for you I'm sure.

Read the book "God on a Harley".

It's not religious, but has a nurse with burnout as the main character.

I was a nurse before I got into the business world, so look back and remember why you got into nursing in the first place.

Forget about the politics, and bull crap that happens at work, just remember why you wanted to be a nurse, and spend your time with the patients, helping them.

If you must, talk to your DON or supervisor, explain how you are feeling, and take some personal time to clear your head and see what you think is best for you.

plan some time off and dont let them talk you out of it, be firm that you need the time off. get a great vacation with your kids. :-) but i understand how hard it would still be getting back to the same people. but you can't expect them to change. seek some counsel for a while and go for that vacation. i dont think you are burnout with job but with the people you are working with. maybe you can work in another hospital, im sure many hospitals would hire someone like you. :-) God bless you.

Take some time off, because you obviously value your job and you take your responsibilities seriously. People above you will notice this and you will eventually be rewarded for it. If you take some time off to recharge your batteries you can really think things through and not make any hasty decisions, like quitting your job.

If you no longer need to work to survive, it may be a good time to start something new. Otherwise I don't like to leave the boat until I have a liferaft. Start something in your spare time and when you get it rolling good, then remember that old country song, "Take This Job And Shove It"

Don't quit until you find something else better. I know that you're frustrated, but start getting your resume together and schedule some interviews. Put in with your supervisor some scheduled vacation time and take it, no matter what. If you are home unplug the phone, that's what I do, and sometimes you just have to take a mental health day. you have to stay healthy for your children, you can't afford to become "burnt out". Call in sick sometimes, and get a manicure, get your hair done, take a nap, eat crackers in bed, then pick the kids up from school, you'll feel so much better, and you'll be more productive when you do go back to work. A great excuse is the 24 hour bug, in case you want to know the best way to sound sick when calling in sick is to lie down with your head leaning off a sofa so that your voice sounds very strained. Practice, then call in sick!

I would suggest that you take some time off and take a look at your present job. If you hate going to work each day, then you need to look for something else. Other hospitals can offer better working conditions.

Take my life. My 24 yo kid did Cocaine and nearly killed herself because it caused a heart attack and then a stroke and now she's brain damaged. So now I'm raising her kid and amusing myself answering Yahoo questions. Please I wish I had another life.

First, take some time off definitely. Then once you're rested, take a little time to think about this job. Make a list, Is it worth it to keep this schedule, or can you make changes. And, if things are going to continue the same then look for another job, that has a better schedule. (I had a job in the past where i worked a lot of overtime, and was salaried so i wasn't getting any ot pay, and i was getting burned out... so i left and found another job, with a lot higher pay, and a good sched. and i'm very happy)

I think it is time for you to take vacation time or some time off. When you come from vacation, you need to learn to say no. Say no to overtime. When it's your day off, just don't answer the phone when you see our work number on the caller ID. YOu are not obligated to do overtime, unless you really want to.

Look for work at another place if you want to; working understaffed is not safe for you and it's not safe for your clients. In my opinion, the most important thing for you to do is to take some time off.

Understand where you are coming from. I am going through the same thing right now with my job. Maybe you should try talking to your boss/superviser about the situation. If that doesn't work then I would start hunting for a different job. If you are irreplaceable then I am sure they will do whatever it takes to keep you happy. From my experience it is the ones that don't complain and work extra everytime they are asked that get taken advantage of. It is time to say "NO". I have a hard time with that one myself but have just recently found that it is necessary. Out of all of the years I have been on my job I have never told them I wouldn't work till last year when I had had enough. No one else ever works extra so why should I be the one. Hope this helps you. I would for sure talk to your boss first. Good luck.

Sweetie, I'm glad you are a grown up in this. It sounds like you are having a bad day. Please don't make any hasty decisions - sleep on it. It's hard to work short, expecially in your field because it become life or death. A vacation is what it is for...a break. Perhaps you need a mental health day to evaluate your stress level. If you never call in, perhaps you are in great need of one. I hope this helps.

I know what you are talking about. I have the same situation in my home too. Tell the person doing the scheduling not to call you on your day(s) off!

As far as being understaffed, just do what you can without killing yourself.

It seems as though people in the health care business have learned they can abuse the system and get away with it.
Until there is no longer a shortage rather an access of health care providers, it will continue like this.

The only suggestion is change over to home health care. It pays better, less stress, and you really get to do for the patients.

We prefer to stay and battle the situation. Because we, like you, appreciate and love our patients. Hate the paper work, and goof-offs. But we are still hanging tough.

Just to let you know, neither of us need to work. We do it for people in need.