Feeling a little lost

[alittlelost]

Hi all! Looking for a little advice. I've been a nurse for 4 years now but am feeling burnt out and like my heart isn't in it. I have done med/surg, l&d, and OR. I feel as though nursing is more of a business and am tired of nurses eating their young. I'm feeling as though I may need to get out of the clinical setting or even healthcare altogether. My fiancé is in the military so nursing seems like a good way to be able to move every 2 years but my heart just isn't in it. Any advice?? Or job ideas that require a nursing degree that aren't clinical? Thanks!

[BedsideNurse]

Sorry to hear you're feeling sick of nursing. I think we've all felt that way at some point. Unfortunately I don't have suggestions for non clinical Nursing Jobs since I haven't had any experience with that, but I will say if you are going to get married to someone in the military, bedside nursing is a much easier path to land jobs. Bedside nursing, although the hours and days suck, tends to have more flexibility, which is what you will need. As a wife of retired military turned (frequently traveling) government civilian, I've had to scout for jobs each of our many, many moves, and being out of the clinical realm makes life much more difficult. You don't want to be off the floor long or you will quickly lose your marketability. Believe me as someone who has had to suffer through being a re entry nurse. Luckily I had a number of years of experience under my belt before I took my hiatus, but even with that it's a tough gig once you are out of the swing for any length of time, even 1-2-3 years. So...it sounds like you haven't found your preferred niche. My advice would be to try to find a kind of care you like more and try to stick it out. That way when you start moving all over creation you won't be dealing with the horrors of looking for work (with few or no connections), being a relatively new nurse, who then "doesn't have recent acute care experience." The way the job market is right now, that sounds like a recipe for disaster. All that being said, if you are at the brink of collapse or feel like there is no way you could be happy anywhere bedside, then do what you need to be happy, healthy, etc...But do consider your choices carefully, especially if your future husband plans on staying in.

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[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

I'm sorry that you're feeling so down about your career choice at the moment. Most of us have also gone through some "rough patches" in which we had the same type of feelings . . but it's entirely possible (and highly probable) that you can come out on the other side and become positively re-engaged with Nursing. Nothing lasts forever, even though it seems like it at the time.

As for nursing being a "business" - it actually is. Our services aren't free. The costs for nursing care are paid for in a variety of ways, either by the recipients of care or, insurance companies, or other third-parties. As care providers, we should understand the basics of how our business works and the primary drivers of healthcare reimbursement. Unfortunately, we are frequently caught between our professional ideals (and licensure requirements) and the business-driven mandates of our employers. The nom du jour for this in the literature is "Moral Distress". You're not alone - we all experience it.

I hope you don't give up on nursing, but I will certainly understand if you do.