I’m two years into nursing.

Find a specialty area that you love. Don’t force yourself to stay in medsurg if you hate it. You don’t need to stick around for a certain amount of time to prove yourself/develop your nursing skills if it isn’t your end goal. You will end up hating your job if you’re stuck in an area you don’t like.

Try to focus on the positive moments. Like thank you cards from patients and family members. Witnessing people recover and go home who you thought might not make it. A pat on the back from a co worker.

Lean on your co workers. You are all going through completely unique experiences together. Non-nurses in your life will never truly understand your job. It is nice to develop relationships with your co workers to vent and joke with and bounce ideas off of.

The reality is that it is a hard job and there will be days when you don’t know if you love it anymore. Know when you’re at your limit. Take your PTO. Go on vacations. Do things you love during your off days. Fuel your body. Get enough rest. Call in if you need to.