Anyone left the nursing profession?

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If you have left the nursing profession, what are you doing now?

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Really has been crossing mind lately.

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Specializes in Pedi.

I would gather that people who have left the profession probably are not spending too much of their time on a nursing website.

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I would gather that people who have left the profession probably are not spending too much of their time on a nursing website.

Well, yes that would be the rational expectation but I am hopeful there's a few still kicking around.... because I am desperate for advice.

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Specializes in OB, Postpartum, Nursery.

Yes. I left for several years to raise my kids. Recently completed refresher course with clinical. Now seeking employment. I have sent out about 50 applications and have been on a few interviews with no luck. In two weeks I interview for a job that sounds perfect for me! So I am hopeful.

In the mean time, I applied at a registry and they want me for all kinds of home care cases! I am not even employed by them yet! It kind of freaked me out that they were so excited. Then it made me wonder? I am not sure if I fully understand one of their clauses. It states that if I apply/get hired from a company that the registry sends me to, that company will need to buy me out of registry, to hire me. I am not sure what exactly that means or if that will be a deterrent for employers to hire me? Any advice?

PM me if I can help.

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haven't left yet, but i gave up full-time work and am doing agency and PRN work now. i also teach violin lessons and started bartending at an upscale tapas restaurant/wine bar.

currently working four jobs and saving as much money as possible to start my own business. best of luck to everyone else here with your dreams and plans :-)

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Specializes in Home Health,Dialysis, MDS, School Nurse.

I left nursing and am currently working as a paraprofessional at my kids school. I still have 2 PRN nursing positions that I work at in the summer or occasionally a weekend.

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I left nursing 4.5 years ago and stay busy on our farm. Even though I loved working w/the kids, I don't miss it enough to go back ;)

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Specializes in ER.

How long have you been a nurse? What do you like? What do you dislike? Maybe you could find happiness in a different area?

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How long have you been a nurse? What do you like? What do you dislike? Maybe you could find happiness in a different area?

I would love to have the opportunity to find happiness in another area... There are NO other options and that's the problem! If I could get a job in another area I haven't already worked in to "find my fit" I would. I have been a nurse for several years now and I have varied clinical experience, but mainly working with older adult populations. I wouldn't mind doing bedside if the nurse-to-patient ratios were more manageable and if the working conditions for nurses were more ethical but we're treated like glorified maids... almost like slaves sometimes. As of now, I AM DONE with bedside! The working conditions are deteriorating, it disgusting and I can't see things improving at this level!

For a diploma nurse in my area the only places that are hiring right now are geriatric LTC and nursing homes. In the past experience working in both. And from my experience, the nurse-to-patient ratios are scary and often these places are cleverly disguised psych units, housing patients with severe psychiatric disorders who ought to be on locked units, and many of these patients do not even have PRN sedatives for the frequent times they turn violent and when complementary/alternative modalities and non-pharmacological therapeutic interventions have failed to calm them down. Myself and my colleagues are tired of being kicked, punched, scratched, spat on, doing total patient care for 8-10 completely dependent patients in an 8hr shift, and cleaning up an endless amounts of feces.

I am tired of going home at the end of the day and having no emotional/psychological/physical energy left for myself or my loved ones. Obviously, I DO NOT blame the patients, but I do blame management for the deteriorating working conditions we're dealing with. As a result of poor management, while we're struggling to keep up with our heavy patient assignments we're also now being held accountable for non-bedside-nursing things such as food service, linens, supply cost management... our supplies are being rationed to us by our unit secretary as per management. So, for example, I get a certain number of incontinence briefs/linens per patient and the rest are all locked up and nursing staff has no access. So, when any of my patients use up the 1-2 incontinent briefs I am provided and soil the linens (which is routine b/c they're all incontinent of urine + feces) I have to run to another unit and beg them to lend me supplies. I am tired of working with a skeleton crew of nursing staff, all of which are burnt-out and engaging in horizontal violence as a means of coping. I have worked in the aforementioned environments before and I absolutely loathe them! I am working towards my BScN to increase my employment options, but until my degree is complete my options are limited to geriatric LTC/nursing homes... at this point I am so burnt out from gerontology and my body is so worn down that I'd almost rather be unemployed than to spend another day breaking my back and losing my patience. I have already contact my union rep., but seems like they can't help make much of a difference. So, I am done. My life, much like my patients' lives, is valuable too.

So, I've made the decision to leave nursing until my degree is complete and I have better options and (hopefully) more ethical working conditions... and I doubt I will ever return to bedside nursing because I am too fearful of poor working conditions. I'm presently applying for all/any non-nursing administrative/secretarial jobs. I'd love to eventually teach in nursing schools or work in nursing administration but I need to complete my degree first, and most places are requiring a masters degree too. So in the meantime, I'll happily take the pay cut, sit at a desk, answer phones and push paper.

I'm really saddened by my experience because I entered this profession with a strong desire and passion to help people... but not at the expense of my personal health, safety, well-being, and quality of life.

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I am also trying to leave nursing after 10 years in. Though I really wonder if my applications just get tossed out when they see nursing jobs and I am applying for non nursing jobs. I wonder if they even read my cover letters about changing careers. I also wonder if jobs think I am used to a certain pay and would be too expensive to hire. I feel like writing in big bold letters I KNOW I WILL TAKE A PAY CUT I DONT CARE JUST GET ME OUT OF NURSING PLEEEEEEASE! lol

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I'd love to eventually teach in nursing schools or work in nursing administration but I need to complete my degree first, and most places are requiring a masters degree too. So in the meantime, I'll happily take the pay cut, sit at a desk, answer phones and push paper.

I'm really saddened by my experience because I entered this profession with a strong desire and passion to help people... but not at the expense of my personal health, safety, well-being, and quality of life.

You would still like to teach in a nursing school and encourage others to enter the profession even though you are this unhappy? I am not being inflammatory, I am truly curious because I am hoping to get into nursing school in the fall but posts like this have me concerned.

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