r/offmychest•
monstera_813

Being a nurse has ruined my life

I live in the UK. I am 30f. Graduated from nursing July 2024, and this has been the worst decision I could make. Please do not study nursing if you are thinking about it. Don't do it to yourself. It has affected my mental health, my physical health and my life. We are expected to give everything we have, even our own health.
We are just a number, replaceable, we are expected to do everyone's job, to deal with unpleasant families, rude patients, if something needs fixing ask the nurse, if something needs doing just ask the nurse, a patient is aggressive just tell the nurse, porters do not want to transfer a bariatric patient? Nurses will have to do it.
And guess what? When you deal with sick people it turns out that you are also likely to fall ill more often, but you are not allowed to phone more than 3 times sick in a year because the fourth time means you are having a formal meeting with people who have forgotten how it is to actually work in a ward. Going to work sick means you spread viruses to vulnerable people, and also means that you are likely to do errors that could result in someone being seriously harmed. But nurses are scared phoning sick. I have just been called to this meeting. Patients will cough at your face, as this job means close contact to people. There is no use in telling them to cover their mouths because they have dementia and will forget the next minute. I work with elderly. Short staffing is an everyday issue, meaning that the jobs have to get done regardless, so the workload of the missing people will fall on whoever is working. It's exhausting. 12.5hrs shift where you only go to pee once, where you have to push yourself to drink otherwise you'll get a headache from dehydration, tending to doctors, patients, families, support workers, physios, OTs, dietitians, discharge coordinators, etc. All while you juggle medications, intravenous fluids/medications, looking after the most sick patient that requires a lot of your attention because is seriously ill, etc. The NHS is at a breaking point. Public doesn't seem to understand. Nurses are burned out suffering from mental health issues due to the job. Support is lacking. If I don't complain this month they were expecting me to work EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND. when I complained I was given one weekend off this month and oh my god big deal! I feel stuck, I feel trapped, totally lost as to what to do with my life. My partner has zero understanding as he works with computers and many times says I am just talking through my feeling and exaggerating. I wanted to change to a minimum salary job, where I would have a peace of mind, calmer job, and perhaps figure out what to do, and he went nuts because he said that would mean he would have to take the load of paying for other things, and that I was being unreasonable, that nursing has many different jobs and I should look into that. I would still pay for rent and shit like that, but obviously I could not afford expensive shit. There are hardly any jobs available currently. He earns 3x more than me right now. He owns the house we live in, and mainly is the one who wanted me to study this degree. Luckily no children. Oh stupid me. I am an immigrant, no family here, hardly any friends. Luckily I go to the gym twice a week with a PT and this is keeping me sane. I want to quit. I just want to go home with my family and re think my whole life. But I can't.

Posted Dec 9, 2025, 9:43 AM UTC

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