Career Redirection

[bluefabian]

Come April this year (wow, it's that near. Can't believe it!!! ), it will be a full four years that I have become a clinical nurse (actually qualified earlier than that. Just not working in hospital before that). I am so over the period of 'I hate nursing' to 'I dislike working in this department/field'. Now just loving nursing all the way and this will be the thing that I will do for the rest of my life. Call it fate, calling or vocation - whatever.

The thing is, I will be changing place of work soon. Moving from a community based hemodialysis centre, back to hospital once again. Currently I am serving (wow - such word) 70+ chronic hemodialysis patient for almost a year and half now. Prior to that I was working in a private hospital in the ER department, for two years. A month ago, I swear to myself that I no longer am going to hop around fields to test the waters. Two is just enough, time to specialize. The reason that I quit my ER stint back then was because the inability of the hospital to secure any post basic course within a stipulated time. I was worried I will be wasting my time waiting for something that will not come (or late). Switch to dialysis because I thought it is a field that is expanding and will be in demand in the future (it is actually!). Now that I am doing hemodialysis, I am starting to reevaluate whether I will like this routine job for the many years to come. No doubt it is so very much specialized (nothing in my nursing education and even come close to the experience of dialysis at all) and not one nurse can touch this field and work right away because it's damn too specific and technical. Me moving to hospital once again had to do (initially) with my intention of having exposure and experience in care of acute renal failure, peritoneal dialysis and eventually renal transplantation - things that the centre cannot offer in terms of working experience. It's more relaxed too, not having to work nights and Sundays. When the patient is hooked - time to do documentation and stocks and papers stuff. The only thing that is a bit negative is the patient to nurse ratio which is on average 1:5 up to 1:7. Chasing over time, deadlines and having to handle emergencies on your own, at most with just a nursing aide. Typical nursing work experience in most hospitals (and the same thing last time too), so I was unfazed and accept it as part of the job? Understaffing? What's that?

Anyway, I am so sure of doing advance diploma and eventually postgraduate studies soon in the future. I am taking the slow path for experience sake - so that when I enter education, I can speak confidently based on what I did rather than looking up in the books. My style.

The problem now is that - I am not sure if I want to continue doing renal nursing. Or I am thinking of taking a 1-2 years sabbatical (not even close!) and do something else. Was thinking of going back to the wards - Medical/Surgical or Critical Care. And yes - I do look highly of Med/Surg - the epitome of nursing in my opinion. At first I thought of going ahead with specialization rather than jumping fields - but my heart just aches the typical nursing stuff like medications, cannulation, NG, bedside care, EKG, resuscitation and the lot - I don't really do that in Hemodialysis. I can stand the night shifts and learning all over again - if given the chance (wonder if they will do preceptorship for somebody with 4 years experience - I don't know everything!!! LOL) Eventually after another two years from now on - I will pursue my postgraduate. Yet, not really sure which field to go. Might do Nephrology Nursing - or not.

So what do you think - should I continue with renal nursing or should I do a sabbatical? I am 27 right now and by the time I hit 30, it's time to hit the books once again.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Moving to the Nursing Career Advice forum to maximize the rate of replies.