phasing out of nursing

Nurses General Nursing

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I burned out of hospital nursing after 14 years...At that time I looked into all the other nursing options out there...and, ya know, very little appealed to me or fit my life for various reasons. So, I've been doing private duty nursing since then (almost 4 years now). Essentially I am "underemployed", but it is easier nursing work and it fits my life at this time. It is nice to be able to give one-on-one care. I have gained a handful of new skills, but for the most part I am losing my skills, but, ya know, I don't really care.

Recently...I have been pursuing some non-nursing educational endeavors for purely "personal enrichment" purposes. But I have just realized that these endeavors will very likely open up some non-nursing job opportunities for me in the next 2 or 3 years, even though employment was not my initial goal. At some point, then, I can completely leave the nursing profession! AND...I can't tell you what a tremendous sense of relief I suddenly feel!! I can phase out of nursing all together in the next 2 or 3 years. I feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel!!! I feel set free!!!!! Sad, perhaps, but true. I'll be another nurse leaving the field...

Looking back, I don't even know how I hacked hospital nursing for 14 years. I think one of the only reasons I did hack it was I was only prn/part-time hours. I was just sent an article link by a relative from their local paper that stated that 1 in 5 new grads burn out of nursing in less than ONE year and leave nursing! One in five in less than a year! I was surprised, but not really. I started hospital nursing back around 1991 and left the hospital setting in 2005. I saw so many changes for the worse in those years...in regards to the nursing working environment. Primarily: the patients we had to care for became more and more acute, yet our nurse to patient ratio stayed the same. And I noticed patients and families becoming increasingly demanding (which I blame on the hospitals starting to promote themselves almost like hotels.) So...with the way things changed, I am not surprised that some new grads aren't even lasting a year.

here is a link for that article: http://www.buffalonews.com/nationalworld/national/story/581007.html

Thanks for listening...All power to those of you staying in nursing! I don't know how you do it. You are needed!

yes, not a bad idea to think of every patient as your family member, that helped me get over some dismal days. BUT, I REALLY THINK THE KEY TO STAY INTERESTED, FEELING VALUED ETC, IS TO SPECIALIZE IN SOMETHING YOU LOVE TO DO!!! i THINK IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR FLOAT NURSES TO FEEL part of the team, exposed to new concepts and technologies etc etc. You are like an appendage and no ne has respect or cares about you.

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I've been in the nursing field for approximately 18 years (this includes my stint as a P/T nurses' aide while enrolled in nursing school.) I, too, have experienced this feeling several times in my career, both in the inpatient and outpatient settings. But I have found myself asking myself why I entered nursing in the first place and have come to the same answer over and over again...my love for providing the best nursing care that I can in hopes that it will positively affect the individual I care for. For years, I have heard (and witnessed) the same issues [everywhere] in nursing-Nursing shortage; nurses not being respected by doctors or nurse colleagues; challenging patient-nurse ratios; and demanding families. This has only proven to me [externally] that while medical technology has changed, the nursing profession has remained the same. I believe that when nurses start looking within themselves and learn to consistently love and respect themselves first, then they will start to see change around them. In other words, we cannot expect others to make us [nurses] happy until we learn to make ourselves happy first. Quite frankly, we, nurses (remember this is plural!), have more power than we actually think we do.

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Specializes in acute rehab, med surg, LTC, peds, home c.

Dear gentlegiver, Have you tried other facilities? That may just be a bunch of losers you happened to stumble on. The dynamics are different in every place I have ever worked and alot depends on the leadership. Try another place before you quit altogether.

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Well, this is true for a lot of nurses and yet people still want to be nurses-hm, wonder what is wrong with this picture?

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Well, this is true for a lot of nurses and yet people still want to be nurses-hm, wonder what is wrong with this picture?

I think a lot of students don't KNOW the magnitude of the difficulty of bedside nursing. I was initially wooed by all those open positions in the papers... And one can say, Hmmm... what's wrong with that picture, too - why all those open positions?.... could it be that no one wants to stay in those jobs? Had I known what nursing school and nursing was like before I applied to school, I wouldn't have applied. I don't regret the education; but had I to do it over again - no.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

ArwenEvenstar,

I've been in healthcare for five years, the last year and a half as a nurse. I can really relate to your feelings. I am still glad that I went to nursing school and I'm glad to be a nurse. In fact, I'm pursuing my nursing education further, and I am in a specialty that I love. But I do not see myself doing what I'm doing now in five years. I hope to have moved into critical care (our floor is technically considered critical care, but we don't do all the things they do in ICU) by then, and after that, who knows? Maybe flight nursing! I love helicopters!

I think, for me, part of the problem is being overwhelmed and bored at the same time. Even though I have a lot to learn still, it seems that the routine is the same; to get as much work done as I possibly can in the eight hours I have to do it, all while balancing the demands of patients and family members. I know this won't change in ICU, but I've found that I really enjoy my sicker patients, that I really enjoy being in their room monitoring them closely and performing nursing interventions. The only thing I don't like about that is when I have other patients who are basically being ignored because my sick one is taking all my time.

I don't know the point of my response here, just that I understand, even though I'm not quite there yet as far as getting out of nursing. I think nursing still has a lot to offer me, but right now I feel as if I'm putting in my time, paying my dues, before I can move on to something more inspiring.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, HH, Tele, Geriatrics, Psych.

It is very interesting to see the responses to this thread. First of all, the point the OP and I are trying to make is not a negative one. It is a realistic one. We are simply saying that we are now finding that after being in the field as long as we have, we feel the need to explore other options.

We should not feel the need to defend our feelings. For myself, I can say that I have struggled with this for at least three years, have switched jobs, tried different approaches.....everything. I can truly say after a TON of soul searching, I feel that phasing out of nursing is the right thing for me to do, if at all possible. Do I feel guilty at times for feeling this way? Yes! Can anyone make me feel guiltier by trying to call me out on a thread? Nope!

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As someone getting ready to enter nursing school I have to ask...

Would you discourage someone from pursuing nursing as a career? What are the biggest downsides?

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I would leave nursing tomorrow and never, ever look back except to say "Thank GOD That's over!" if I had a job that paid my bills. Good for you - consider it a valuable experience, and lessons learned.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.
Dear gentlegiver, Have you tried other facilities? That may just be a bunch of losers you happened to stumble on. The dynamics are different in every place I have ever worked and alot depends on the leadership. Try another place before you quit altogether.

I graduated from college & went into a facility where I first learnt the true meaning of "Nurse's eating thier young"

I left there and went into Agency. I worked in some great places that treated me wonderfully and some that were just hurrid. But after watching & listening to the Nurses in the great places I found they were just as bad to staff as the hurrid places. I worked in a company as Agency for 4 months before I gave in and agreed to hire with them permanently. I was amazed at the change I saw. The other Nurses who had been so supportive & friendly when I was Agency began to attack me the same day I became staff! Suddenly I was a danger to them (somehow) and I could do no right. As far as I saw, all the companies in a 30 mile radius of my home are losers. I've just burnt out having to protect my licence constantly from constant attack. No one is perfect, but I had to make sure everything was done 100% correctly or I'd be reported to the DON. I was even reported as not doing things that I had done, the DON took thier word it wasn't done & tried to write me up until I showed her the books proving I had done it. This happened a couple times. I even got in trouble for things other nurses did ON MY DAY OFF! No, I'm out of here. No job in the world is worth this kind of stress. To those of you who can do it God Bless you. I just can't anymore.

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I'd like nothing better than to be able to walk away from the whole work thing and the type of work in particular. Woe is me. :sniff:

Too young to retire, too old to love the job any more or to start over. I bet there are a whole lot of people like me, the world over. Wage slaves.

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Specializes in med-surg, teaching, cardiac, priv. duty.
It is very interesting to see the responses to this thread. First of all, the point the OP and I are trying to make is not a negative one. It is a realistic one. We are simply saying that we are now finding that after being in the field as long as we have, we feel the need to explore other options..... For myself, I can say that I have struggled with this for at least three years, have switched jobs, tried different approaches.....everything. I can truly say after a TON of soul searching, I feel that phasing out of nursing is the right thing for me to do, if at all possible. Do I feel guilty at times for feeling this way? Yes! Can anyone make me feel guiltier by trying to call me out on a thread? Nope!

Hi! I was surprised my thread created so many replies! They were all interesting to read. Bugaloo, I so relate and agree with what you wrote above. I hope I was not too negative in my original post...just realistic as you say.

Someone else asked if we would encourage or discourage someone from going into nursing. Neither. I'd be realistic and openly share both the good and bad aspects of nursing. I actually recently had the opportunity to do this with an 18 year old going into nursing....And she still decided too!! Haha!

It actually took me awhile to burn out - I did enjoy nursing years ago, but so many things changed. Like Bugaloo said above, after exploring many options...I really feel at peace now that I have a plan to phase out of nursing in the next couple years....

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