Anybody regret leaving the bedside?

flashover979 · Mar 7, 2008

No, you're not crazy. Bedside nursing is what most nurses want to do. I was offered a clinic job (M-F, 8-5, 2 pt max), but turned it down because i knew I would get bored.

allnurses Guide · Mar 7, 2008

I left bedside nursing in 2000 for 3 years to teach, I hated it I missed being with patients and giving hands on care. I am now back where I belong, I love my patients, I love being a good clinical nurse and I love being able to make a difference.

THe other jobs out there are just as important but not for me. I'm staying at the bedside

bluesnurse · Mar 8, 2008

I recently left hospital nursing to work in public health and am absolutely miserable. I am so bored I want to scream! I thought this would be the ideal job - 8-5 Monday through Friday, no holidays, no stress. Am I crazy? Don't get me wrong, I don't miss the stress or the BS of the hospital admin, but I miss my patients and I miss feeling like I make a difference. Someone slap me, please.

How long is "recently?"

I left critical care almost two years ago because my mental health could not tolerate night shift and there were no day shift options available that were acceptable in terms of pay, ratios, and responsibilities. I got a 8-5 job in a cardiology office.

At first, I felt like I'd let myself down; it seemed boring and far less rewarding. But, the longer I stay, the more I like it. After a year, the practice was bought out by a large corporation, opening the option for me to transfer to just about any facility or unit in the system with an opening. The system covers a large metro area, including some that are a 5-10 minute commute from my home (I commute 30 minutes now.)

I just love *knowing* my patients, having them know me by name, trusting me personally, and being able to do teaching and triage with confidence. Some of them need tough love and some are keenly aware of when they are in an acute situation. The physicians are great and really take our nursing judgment seriously. Definitely, I know I've made a difference many times.

Part of me still misses the adrenaline rush of critical care, but I am not ready to apply for a transfer just yet ... I am enjoying having an 8-5 job with stress-free weekends and holidays. And I *know* I've caught some serious situations before they became imminently life-threatening.

No "slap" from me, but do give it some time.

I'm still on the fence as well. Only time will tell. I wish you the best :heartbeat

Tangerine Lipgloss · Mar 8, 2008

Nope. The only thing I miss are my friends.

I have a M-F, 9-5 job now. I have a routine, and get more sleep. I have weekends and holidays to look forward to. I am much calmer, and I've lost a little weight. I am interested in the outside world again. I don't feel like I am in a fog all the time.

I hope I never have to work in a hospital ever ever again.

HealthyRN · Mar 8, 2008

Nope, I don't regret leaving the bedside. In fact, I will go as far to say that I will never, ever work at the bedside again. The first time I left the bedside, I thought that I did miss it. I made a huge mistake and decided to quit my cozy 9-5 job for a med-surg position. It was the worst mistake of my entire life. Now I'm just thankful that I was able to find another position outside of acute care. As another poster stated, if you really think you miss it, try a per-diem position. But DO NOT quit yet.

guest64485 · Mar 8, 2008

I am glad I made the switch.

While a big part of me misses the hands on work, and making a big difference, at what cost was I doing that? Danger to my license, danger to my health, danger to the patients(maybe if we talk with our feet, hospitals will properly staff for once, even if not nurses, at least properly staff CNAs and unit secretaries!), and worst of all, the damage it did to my family.

While I was very bored when I initially made the switch, I did a few things myself to change that. I found a couple of large projects at work and took the initiative to figure them out and lead them. I am going for all the certifications (ACLS, PALS, and a unit specific one). I am also taking some online courses and trying to learn Spanish. I can study Spanish at work as well. This has helped keep my mind going, and, I know I have done an important part to help others too, while not as direct as bedside nursing, it is still important. Best of all, I am able to see my family on weekends and holidays, and, don't take my work stress out on them. I feel healthier too.

I have sometimes contemplated going back to the hospital. But then I think about how I'll feel 10 years down the road, and the idea that I would choose the unhealthy work environment over my family and my own health, keeps me going.

gr8rnpjt, RN · Mar 8, 2008

I regret leaving my patients.

But I don't miss the things I had to deal with on the units, difficult co-workers, difficult families, shift work, mandatory overtime, paperwork that keeps you out of the patient rooms, understaffing that keeps you from going to the bathroom for 8 to 10 hours.

I will soon be working from home. It couldn't get much better than that. You can't do that with a hospital job.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Mar 8, 2008

I don't regret leaving the bedside for a minute.

In a perfect world, I would be happily tending to three or four surgical patients, all of whom can walk and talk and take themselves to the bathroom. There would be set visiting hours for the patients' families, lunch and bathroom breaks for the staff, adequate numbers of nursing assistants, and plenty of time to do back rubs and real bed baths. If there were a sudden rash of admissions, management would come out and help, and the ER would NEVER send patients up within 30 minutes of a shift change. Nurses would also be treated like the asset we really are---there would be no "Disney model" of "customer service", no scripts, no mandatory overtime, and no condescending crap from the "suits" who haven't been on a hospital floor in 20 years (if ever).

But since it's definitely not a perfect world---heck, it's not even CLOSE---and because I happen to value the license I worked so hard to earn, I left acute care 2 1/2 years ago and have no intention whatsoever of returning. It's a shame, because I did enjoy the variety and had a great deal of pride in my skills; I was also an excellent "people person" who had a natural rapport with patients and never had a single complaint lodged against me. But if I never see the inside of a hospital again, it'll still be a day too soon.

Yes, sometimes I get tired of the 5-day-a-week, 9-to-5 grind; but all I have to do is think back to my years in med/surg, and I remember why I really am grateful for the job I now hold.

The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence; what we often don't realize is that it's growing over a septic tank!

JMHO.

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Mar 9, 2008

I've been happier and healthier since leaving the bedside - haven't regretted it once.

EarthChild1130 · Mar 10, 2008

The only reason I went to school was to be a psych nurse...I got to do that in an inpatient unit for a year, then my hubby got restationed and I took a job on a med-surg/oncology unit for ONE miserable year...then my dream job of all dream jobs opened up...I am now the clinic nurse at a county mental health clinic...and I LOVE IT!! I do a little bit of everything...the vast bulk of my job is education...everything from the various mental illnesses to diabetes, meds, dressing changes, and even some brief therapy when nobody's convenient...I don't miss the bedside one bit...I love the schedule, I love my co-workers, and I adore my patients...

Best of luck in whatever you do. :nurse:

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2008

Not for a minute.

I loved my patients and residents. I detested the culture and paperwork and constant COYA mentality. I also came home exhausted to the bone every shift.

I am now in informatics and am paid more thn the nurses who care for actual human beings. Doesn't that say something about how floor nurses are regarded?

I'll pick up a few per diem shifts here and there because I LIKE being a nurse. But I couldn't take it.

lsyorke, RN · Mar 10, 2008

I left bedside after 24 years...I'm in wound care, outpatient, now and absolutely love it! I actually get to know my patients, still have to use all those skills and don't come home stressed out anymore. No regrets here!