anyone ever think about getting out of nursing for a while?

webbiedebbie · Oct 25, 2005

I took a break for about 5 years, alittle from burnout and alittle due to health reasons. I found that I missed nursing and got back into it. Luckily, I did not have to take a refresher course. One hospital required it from me and the other one didn't. I chose the one who didn't.

While I was off, I did clerical type jobs...one was telemarketing for a women's catalog (which I really loved, but couldn't pay the bills on $5.00/hr) and the other was Radiology transcription. This last one paid a lot better ($14/hr).

I really did miss nursing after awhile and of course I missed the money.

rogramjet · Oct 25, 2005

I would suggest keeping your liscense active even during your break.

anyone think about getting out ofnursing for a while??i am have been in 4 yrs and am thinking about taking a break..anyone ever do this? how was it??

christianRN · Oct 25, 2005

Some of the retail stores I love, advertising for holiday help, with discounts, tempt me! :)

Trauma Columnist · Oct 25, 2005

I have been in nursing for 13 years now and when I've been unhappy, I've changed jobs. However, since I went into nursing in my 30's I'm running out of options - lol!

live4today, RN · Oct 25, 2005

I took a break for about 5 years, alittle from burnout and alittle due to health reasons. I found that I missed nursing and got back into it. Luckily, I did not have to take a refresher course. One hospital required it from me and the other one didn't. I chose the one who didn't.
While I was off, I did clerical type jobs...one was telemarketing for a women's catalog (which I really loved, but couldn't pay the bills on $5.00/hr) and the other was Radiology transcription. This last one paid a lot better ($14/hr).
I really did miss nursing after awhile and of course I missed the money.

Like yourself, I too took a five year hiatus from nursing due to health reasons. I wasn't stressed as a nurse at that time, but since reentering the nursing field a couple years ago, the stress is unlike any stress I'd ever encountered when working as a nurse. My! Things had REALLY changed for the worse in nursing when it comes to staff nursing. The violence, the abuse from patients, visitors, doctors, and yes...even from other nurses, especially nurse managers and admin had all become increasingly more hostile than I'd ever remembered. I am now NOT motivated to "settle" for any old job in nursing. I am sure of what I can tolerate, and what I can't. When working as an inpatient nurse today, one needs to be far more scrutinizing when it comes to placing one's nursing license on the line in many of today's hospitals because I am finding it isn't all about the patients for the "right reasons", but it's all about "MOOLAH, MOOLAH, MOOLAH". :rolleyes:

Today's nurses are treated like machinery working with parts on a factory assembly line instead of human beings working in the healing occupation for the sick. :eek:

I have worked non nursing jobs before, and enjoyed them for the most part. Every job has a downside, but when the downside is majorly off balance from the goodside, somethings wrong big time. Retail and many non nursing jobs do not pay enough to survive on especially when the bills and survival financially are all on one person as it is with myself. So.......I'm being careful to not jeopardize my license or my health when searching for another nursing job now. I just don't want to work in another nightmare environment like those I've worked in since my return to nursing a couple years ago. I've been out of work now since April 27th, and living on savings, my IRA account fund, credit cards, and help from friends and family.........all which ended last month because I no longer have any funds whatsover coming in. I'm not giving up though. I'm still job hunting. Can't work nightshifts anymore, and that's all the offers I've been getting. :rolleyes:

abrenrn · Oct 27, 2005

I left nursing for about 4 years - and am going back into it next week - and I'm even looking forward to it. I tried teaching for two years in the NYC teaching fellows program. Eight grade math in a difficult neighborhood. Nursing started looking a whole lot better pretty quickly.

suzanne4, RN · Oct 27, 2005

Breaks can be a very good thing, as stated above. Make sure that you keep your license current. You never know when you will want or need to use it again.:wink2:

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Oct 27, 2005

There is nothing wrong with taking a sabbatical from it. Refreshes your batteries.

angel337, MSN, RN · Oct 27, 2005

i do think about it sometimes, but i know it will be hard to find a job that pays what my nursing job does ($34/hr). fortunately i do like being a nurse so going to work is not hard to do. i know someone who left nursing and did not keep his license current and now he desperately would like to go back because his IT job layed him off and now he has to jump through hoops to get another license. like the other posters said...just keep your license current. good luck.

bluestar · Oct 27, 2005

I take a break every weekend. Hope to take a vacation in the spring though.

Nella · Oct 27, 2005

I'm a working woman. I have to work, I'm my sole support.

So when I got burned out, I changed positions. I went from a hospital nurse to a clinic nurse. I had been an oncology nurse, and just got to the point I could not stand to see another person die. The move to the clinic ( associated w/ the hospital) really helped.

Another time I cut my hours, worked 4 days a week. Then I got a job 1 day a week at an antique store. It did help. It was nice to work at the store: no life or death decisions, nobody sick, nobody dying. But I spent all the money I earned there at that store. At least I received a discount! :) And I made as much there from commisions as I did nursing!

I now do a different type of nursing. It helps to switch things up, or at least it helps me from becoming burned out. I'm pretty happy at my current position. I like the work and don't see a problem with burnout coming anytime soon.