Please help, career advice for the tired ED nurse

Specialties Emergency

Published

I'm at a crossroads.

I was a paramedic for five years before deciding to go back to school for nursing. I thought it would be great to work in an ED and make extra money doing similar things (making a living as a medic is hard). I quickly found out that a) your pre-hospital experience counts for nothing in the world of nursing and b) ED nursing is nothing like pre-hospital care.

Anyway, long story short I'm sick of nursing. I'm considered early to mid career. I've worked in high volume and low volume EDs. I've worked in ICUs. I'm just sick of it all. I miss the ambulance but now I am so into student loans, etc that I need the nurses wage.

I've looked at flight nursing but the two services around here just did lay-offs. I'm contemplating traveling but am finding that you really don't make that much more money traveling once you go through the hassle of finding housing that is suitable for a family.

What do I do? I feel really stuck.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Now that you have experienced a couple of jobs, I would start by making a list of the types of things in each that you like and desire in a career and the types of things that you strongly dislike in each of your careers. Try to identify a pattern, research careers, try to identify what it is that you really would be happy doing? What would make you want to get up every day and go to work?

Unfortunately there is no magic career path someone on here can suggest to you. It is something that only you can figure out for yourself. So, once you figure out what is going to make you happy, then you have to figure out how to get there and how to live off of it. But if your miserable, then no amount of money is going to make you happy.

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What about a complete change of pace into a completely different area of nursing?

School nursing

Ambulatory infusion

Telephone triage

Clinic nursing

Corrections nursing

Maybe just a complete change of scenery would pique your interest in nursing again.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Does your state have prehospital rns? You may also want to look into critical care transport. Get to use your nursing skills on the truck.

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The hospital I work for has a critical care transport team. These folks are medics & RNs on ambulances transporting critical patients who, for whatever reason, are not flown. They do a lot of "close" hospital transfers and lots of kids, whereas our helicopters transport more of the trauma patients or those coming from hours away. Your lather hospitals ate most likely to have this service; level I & II trauma centers & level I/II NICUs.

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I'm not aware of any transport teams near me serving the adult population. Nor does my state have prehospital RNs except on flight crews (which aren't hiring right now). I do know of a pediatric ground team nearby but I wouldn't be qualified to apply for that having all of my experience in the adult population. I really enjoy the 3 12 schedule - that is one of the things that keeps me in the hospital working environment. I guess I'm leaning towards traveling for now...maybe I'll come up with something.

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I bet it's an entirely different ball game, eh?

I've never worked in the bus so I don't know what it's like, but there's probably so much more you can do prehospital than you can in the hospital?

I'm in year 12 of nursing. I've tried a variety of different settings. I have yet to find the one specialty where I can say I look forward to coming to work cuz I love my job. I like ER. I don't love it. I also haven't figured out how one becomes a great ER nurse. I feel like I know a little bit about a lot of stuff.

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Sassy5d - I know what you mean. I work so fast in the ED that often times I don't even think about what I'm doing. We see so many patients that we lose the ability to think about it or care about them. I used to feel like I knew a lot of the in's and out's of emergency medicine but volumes have crushed my soul and brain. Now I am a mindless worker drone who can sink 10 lines an hour and medicate all my boarders at the same time!

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Exactly! Drone, with pillows, blankets, sandwiches and iv kits ha ha.

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Specializes in Med Surg, ER, OR.

I often feel the same way and am in a similar boat right now, however with little prehospital experience. Start making a list of the things you love, and focus on that. I love the 3 12 hour shifts, or at least most of the time. I would love lunch, but then again who doesn't? I love critical care and being able to critically think, but would love to do more of this. CCT is where my hope is one day because of these ideals I have formed. Unfortunately, the nearest bases (helo/rotor wing) are between 1.5-2.5hrs away, and even for 24hr shifts, this seems like forever to drive. Would like to see a ground unit pop up in our area, or perhaps a medic crew that does CCT for nursing wages :) I can dream right!?

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

I am sure there is some sort of critical ground transportin your area not all patients are flown Here is a site that kind of has lists for states...

[h=3]Non-Emergency Medical Ground & Air Transportation[/h]

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Specializes in Emergency and Critical Care.

How about the cath lab, or electrophysiology lab, interventional radiology, these are all great options for someone with your skills.

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