I have been an RN for almost 28 years. My parents were also nurses and I pretty much grew up in and around hospitals. Having worked continuously since age seventeen though (I will be 54 this year), it feels like I've been 'plowing' this field since the dawn of time and I'm tired. I've worked in several nursing specialties (including travel) and nursing has been good to me overall. At this juncture of my life, I am blessed to have a well paying union job, but at minimum, must work, another ten years. Ten more years! I dream of retirement every single day and just don't know if I can make it until then. I don't dream of exotic vacations or playing 9 holes of golf everyday, I just want to get off the hamster wheel and have my life back. I'm sooooo tired of changing policies, difficult coworkers, workplace drama, heck, I'm really just tired of going to work (any work), period! Just wondering how other nurses at this stage of life do it? BTW, I'm not depressed (don't need a therapist), have many hobbies, can't cut back hours, don't want to precept or join nursing committees, and don't want to try another job. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jan 4, 2020 by No Stars In My Eyes, LPN Toward the end of my career, I did a lot of private duty through an agency, but doubt there is such a thing as a unionized agency, and the pay is ppfffttt. I didn't much care for 12 hour shifts, either. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jan 4, 2020 by amoLucia Welcome! You might want to consider joining the group in the Daily Chat room here. I'm not the chattiest kind but I'm comfortable when I do. Experienced folk, friendly, supportive ... We' re all kind of the same in family, health, activities, etc I think you'd fit in just right. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jan 4, 2020 by morelostthanfound 48 minutes ago, amoLucia said: Welcome! You might want to consider joining the group in the Daily Chat room here. I'm not the chattiest kind but I'm comfortable when I do. Experienced folk, friendly, supportive ... We' re all kind of the same in family, health, activities, etc I think you'd fit in just right. thank you amoLucia. I wasn't familiar with the chatroom-how do I get there? 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jan 5, 2020 by No Stars In My Eyes, LPN You're already on "The Blue Side", in the Lounge. Search for "Daily Diary" and there should be a list of sequential days and dates where a bunch of us share ups and downs, blahs and hoorays, work and time off, etc. Not sure if my directions there are clear. Maybe someone else who knows this place and can tell you how to get there would be kind enough to show you a path to our days. Maybe see ya there? We're friendly and supportive, like amoLu said. I call some of the posters by a nickname I have dubbed them with. I am referred to several ways: Stars, No Stars, or NSIME. I chose "No Stars In My Eyes" as my screen name 'cause I was a Crusty Old Bat in my upper 60's (now 70 and retired), and was not one who went into nursing (in 1970) with starry-eyed dreams of a Dream Job, or a Perfect Position or Facility. The way much of nursing is today, I'd rather be packing bags at a grocery store. Instead I am enduring, with my hubby, taking care of his piece-of-work Mom, who has increasingly profound dementia. Wheee. Who says I don't work? Edited Jan 5, 2020 by No Stars In My Eyes 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jan 5, 2020 by morelostthanfound 4 minutes ago, No Stars In My Eyes said: You're already on "The Blue Side", in the Lounge. Search for "Daily Diary" and there should be a list of sequential days and dates where a bunch of us share ups and downs, blahs and hoorays, work and time off, etc. Not sure if my directions there are clear. Maybe someone else who knows this place and can tell you how to get there would be kind enough to show you a path to our days. Maybe see ya there? We're friendly and supportive, like amoLu said. I call some of the posters by a nickname I have dubbed them with. I am referred to several ways: Stars, No Stars, or NSIME. I chose "No Stars In My Eyes" as my screen name 'cause I was a Crusty Old Bat in my upper 60's (now 70 and retired), and was not one who went into nursing (in 1970) with starry-eyed dreams of a Dream Job, or a Perfect Position or Facility. The way much of nursing is today, I'd rather be packing bags at a grocery store. Instead I am enduring, with my hubby, taking care of his piece-of-work Mom, who has increasingly profound dementia. Wheee. Who says I don't work? Thank you so much:) 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jan 5, 2020 by herring_RN, ASN, BSN On this page look to the right for "What's Happening" and then under that click "clubs" and then "Daily Diary". There will be a thread for each day unless you are the first there. Then you can start the thread or come back when someone has started. Here is today's thread: https://allnurses-breakroom.com/saturday-january-th-t177462/?tab=comments#comment-1594547 I hope you visit often! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jan 5, 2020 by morelostthanfound Thank you all for the welcoming comments and helpful information. Looks like a treasure trove of interesting posts here! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jan 5, 2020 by No Stars In My Eyes, LPN The Daily Diary's can also be obtained by clicking on a little white square that says "entries". There are other sections on the left, under "Breakroom" where categories are listed, and you can post in any of them, too. Mostly I stay in the LOUNGE part, but sometimes peer around under the other headings to see if anything new has been added. That's where you can also start your own thread with a title of your choosing. You don't have to go through the Daily Diary to do that, though. Mostly the Daily Diary is kept to a daily journal sort of thing, and other subjects are under the other categories. Clear as mud, eh? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jan 6, 2020 by amoLucia OP - See!?!?! Told you that it's a friendly bunch! I find it funny that we all access the chat room by different approaches. I go to the tippy tippy top and click the box 'something new'. I'm computerily challenged so I go with what I found to work. I'm impressed with the tech skills of some in the room when they post personal pix and videos & stuff. I liked your screen name - kind of like NSIME whom I've dubbed 'mi hermana'. There was once some posts where folk were commenting things and it was weirdly funny that No Stars and I had such eerily close similarities. I figure we were twins, just born about 3 years apart, different locales, and diff parents. Like you, many of us COBs (Crusty Old Bats) are older a with eon years of experience. All have 'been there', 'seen it', and 'done that'. So your post resonated to me. Besides, we need some 'new blood' to author an entry or 2 in "The Collective Novella". It's a thread here where some of us add to the ongoing super SILLY soap opera soapy saga. (Boy, am I alliterative tonight.) Hmmmm. "New blood" Maybe a vampire-ish tilt to the Novella?!?!? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jan 14, 2020 by No Stars In My Eyes, LPN On 1/4/2020 at 8:26 PM, morelostthanfound said: Thank you so much:) And as my dear, sweet deceased father-in-law used to reply: "You're welcome... ?... just a little bit." 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jan 14, 2020 by No Stars In My Eyes, LPN OH! And about the title "Chasing the Carrot" ...Naaah, I don' want no stinkin' carrots. I forget where that 'don't want no stinkin'______' line comes from, originally. Maybe the same place as "MORE COWBELLS" came from? SNL? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites