Changing to a non-nursing career?

Nurses Retired

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Hello!!

I was wondering if I am alone in what I have done? I have been an RN since 1991. I have worked in Nursing homes and Home Health moslty, with some time in Cardiac Rehab and with mentally handicapped. This year as my baby headed to Kindergarden (along with my 3rd and 5th graders), I accepted a position as a para-professional (teacher aide) in the Special Ed department of our local school. Having just 2 weeks under my belt - I love it! I am excited to get up and go to work everyday. My kids ride with me to school, and then home with me again. No daycare. No more nights/weekends/holidays. I am getting close to all the kids in my classroom and am looking forward to helping them this year and many to come. Anyone else find more fullfillment after switching careers??? I feel like I totally picked the wrong field so many years ago, LOL!

Denise

Well, I wish you luck... have you checked with any of the hospitals regarding starting with them? With your medical background you shouldn't have any problem..

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Miss Piggy, what is an LPC? thanks, DeborahRN

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"Coder" ... maybe licensed and professional?

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Dear Oedgar, I can totally relate to your situation. I also worked in a dysfunctional physician's office (allergy and asthma, and also pediatrics.) It's amazing how the atmosphere in a doctor's office can be so oppresive, the physician controlling the climate. I am a "retired" RN now working part time for a nursing agency taking care of children in the home and at school. I feel more like a babysitter than a nurse and am bothered by how many children have nurses that don't really need one. I wish you good luck and if you come up with any good ideas, please share, as I will! Hang in there, your fellow "burned out" nurse, Deborah

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Specializes in peds, allergy-asthma, ob/gyn office.

Just found out I didn't get the case management job. The recruiter called me a couple of times but we had difficulties due to my schedules. She caught me while I was out at lunch one day. I told her I would make time to talk... and she said it was best to allow more time because she had a lot of info to give me. I was so optimistic. Then she called the next day and informed me as of two weeks ago Humana began requiring home health or hospice experience. She had only just realized that was not on my resume..Talk about being disappointed...

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i tried the Cracker Barrel. I really would have liked working there. I was excited to start something new and meet some new people, plus they sell all the cute stuff up front of the restaurant. Well, the manager was a young girl, and seemed to not like me, I don't know why. Hell, she was as fat and round as me, and for Petes sake I was wearing nicer clothes and better groomed than she was. Believe me, after all the years of LTC I am friendly and accepting of all people, she made me feel like a loser, as I have read here, Im sure she thought I must have committed some terrible nursing crime!

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Cockadoodie, I am sorry CB didn't work out.. I've found it hard to get a position outside of nursing. It's almost like they don't believe you want a non nursing position and/or that you will leave it...frustrating.

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cockadoodie, that's great you gave CB a chance at least... You were brave enough to step outside of the nursing box. Sorry it didn't work out though. I am in my first semester of medical coding, and praying daily I will land a job at it after I get my certificate this coming Spring! I met a cashier recently who was an RN that was working at my local grocery store. She said she loved being a cashier now, she just couldn't go back to nursing. She told me all she had to do was scan the food, take the money, give the change & say have a nice day. She said even though she lost almost all of her paycheck and went down to minimum wage, it was worth it for the stress relief. I guess that's how I feel... If I can't find a job as a medical coder, I'll look for something else non-nursing related. But the thought of being an LPN anymore makes my stomach turn upside down!

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I too a seasoned nurse of 17 years in LTC have had it. I would love to go back to a state park job teaching kids about The Native Americans of the East Coast. It was what I truley enjoyed. Funny ....all the work you do to achieve a great career and you unfortunately find out its not what you think it was when they brainwashed you in school. Sad.

EXACTLY!

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I have been a RN for over a year in an ICU and I have been feeling very guilty lately about having thoughts about changing careers. I always knew I wanted to continue my education and attend grad school, but while looking at grad school options I cant help thinking, maybe I should go back to school to change my career completely. Nursing was not what I thought it would be and unfortunately I do not feel fulfilled in my career like I hoped I would be. I thought working with people would bring me fulfillment, and at times it does, but many times I find myself getting yelled at by family members, patients being disrespectful and acting "crazy", family members trying to tell me how to do my job without any medical education. I find myself thinking about what life would be like working a typical 9-5 job or even having a job not dealing with any type of customer service where I constantly have to smile and try to please people who are rude and disrespectful. I often times hear nursing is a "calling" and I definitely have a lot of qualities to be a great nurse but I am relieved to know that I am not the only one who feels this way and it is not such a crazy idea to think about switching careers. I am 25 so I think if I make the decision soon hopefully it will not be a difficult transition.

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.

Kudos to you for knowing yourself and what you want in a career at 25 years of age. I don't believe nursing is a calling and there is no excuse for the treatment and working conditions that nurses must sometimes endure. I think employers and the public benefit from this idea that nursing is a calling. I encourage you to find a career that fits your personality and life. Nursing is a great career if it fits the person and I have worked with some very happy nurses, but I knew when I was your age that it was not for me., Unfortunately, I felt my investment in school, time, money, debts, family obligations and so on keep in me in nursing for longer than I planned. This is an older post about nurses trying to change to a non nursing career and I don't recall anyone returning with good news. I hope you do.

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I have been a RN for over a year in an ICU and I have been feeling very guilty lately about having thoughts about changing careers. I always knew I wanted to continue my education and attend grad school, but while looking at grad school options I cant help thinking, maybe I should go back to school to change my career completely. Nursing was not what I thought it would be and unfortunately I do not feel fulfilled in my career like I hoped I would be. I thought working with people would bring me fulfillment, and at times it does, but many times I find myself getting yelled at by family members, patients being disrespectful and acting "crazy", family members trying to tell me how to do my job without any medical education. I find myself thinking about what life would be like working a typical 9-5 job or even having a job not dealing with any type of customer service where I constantly have to smile and try to please people who are rude and disrespectful. I often times hear nursing is a "calling" and I definitely have a lot of qualities to be a great nurse but I am relieved to know that I am not the only one who feels this way and it is not such a crazy idea to think about switching careers. I am 25 so I think if I make the decision soon hopefully it will not be a difficult transition.

I became an LPN in 2008 when I was 27. I always loved anatomy, science, medical terminology, etc. so I went in to the nursing field. I think I should've seen the red flags in nursing school that I might not like floor nursing, but brushed it off to just being nursing school. I LOATHED LPN clinicals. I hated the catty drama that went on between the nursing students and nursing staff at the hospital & clinic that I did clinicals at. I constantly thought about darting through the elevators doors on the med-surg floor I did most clinicals on, and making a mad dash for the hospital exit! I stayed stressed out constantly, and hoped it would get better. I got my LPN license right after LPN school, and couldn't wait to start working. I honestly thought it would get better, but it didn't... I've had several LTC, and outpatient clinic setting type jobs & I absolutely hated all of them. I always envied the receptionists or those with desk jobs, & that's when I realized maybe floor nursing wasn't for me. I currently work very PRN as a health screener contractor nurse. I go to companies and do health screenings on employees (height, weight, BP checks, cholesterol screenings). It isn't that stressful and I only work every now and then.

Since I loathed floor nursing so much, I decided to become a medical coder! :) I will be finished this May 2016 with my coding certificate. I am so happy I made this decision. I hope to sit for my CPC-A soon after. It is a way to use my LPN license, still enjoy medical stuff, & have a desk job all at the same time! I am also a SAHM, and do not have much childcare help. My hubby works full time, and can't help me with the kids, so I need a job where I can work remote from home. Medical coding offers remote coding jobs, and I think that would be perfect for me.

If you do not like floor nursing, but enjoy medical stuff, there are other options out there... coding, utilization reviews, HEDIS nursing, etc. You might want to check in to some of those areas. I think nursing is a wonderful career, with all kids of job paths, but the "hands on" nursing isn't for everybody. Some people love "hands on" nursing and do it until they retire though... Don't feel guilty if you don't like it. My advice is if you don't like something, get out of it, and make a change before you have worked your life away in it & it's too late.

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