On another post someone wrote that many times they would like to leave nursing but don't know where else to go..I completely identify with that statement and wondered...are we, as nurses, pigeonholed by our degree? Many times nurses will try to work outside the healthcare sector only to find they are over qualified and underpaid..so many times nurse jobs hop in order to try to find something that they don't feel burned out, drowned in charting etc. The job hopping looks bad to a lot of employers I know but when we are caregivers at work, care givers at home, moms, sisters, brothers, daughters/sons...somewhere we lose us and our enthusiasm for nursing.
People tell me ALLLL the time how fortunate I am to have a degree in nursing with the way the economy is (really? well I read posts after posts of new and old nurses struggling to find any type of nursing job and waiting months on end) and that we can go anywhere to work (um...not everyone can just pack up and move..not so easy to sell a house, buy another one, rent, etc). I look at others I know with non-nursing degrees...for the most part they seem happier with their jobs, have longevity, etc. So I wonder, is the price of nursing, long term, worth what we end up - or many of us seem to end up as? Unhappy, complaining etc.
As proud as I was when I graduated years ago and as grateful as I am that I have a new job, knowing what I do now, I would not have gone into nursing, or if I did, I would have specialized or branched into education somehow.
or maybe it's just me and the the burnout personally and professional is limited to my own view.
Any of you out there that are still greatly enthused by nursing and your jobs, I ENVY YOU.
Nurses trapped? Go over to the doctor forums and read about new doctors who hate medicine but are in $250k or more in debt and you will hear about trapped.
Everyone feels trapped at some time or other. No one loves their job and wants to go to work every single day--we all have families, hobbies, other things we want to do to.
Do I feel trapped by nursing? Not at all. Yes, I'm a shiny new grad, but I'm a second career nurse. I felt trapped, bitter, and burnt out at my old job. You know what, I whined and complained for awhile and then I did something about it. Now I'm a nurse. When you're feeling like I was, you have two choices--suck it up and deal with your situation or you can make a change.
Trapped? Yep. My nursing degree is an old fashioned 3-yr Diploma and therefore disqualifies me from any work that requires a bachelors degree. Nevermind I had 1-1/2 years at a university before that and have worked 30 years since.............
I believe anyone looking at my qualifications on paper will only see what I appear to be- an old burned out nurse- and who would want to hire that? Sounds bitter and hateful. I have tried highlighting my other talents but I always end up coming back to the fact that nursing is my most valuable skill. When I went into it I did so because it was so portable and I believed I would always be able to find work, anywhere, anytime- not true anymore! Not here and not now anyway.
First, value yourself and your 30 year dedication to nursing. When you went into nursing it was portable,and steady work. While others were getting their degrees many Diploma nurses, then ADNs held the fort giving excellent care.
If you worked full time nursing, in many areas there were no night study programs. You would need to quit your job to get a BSN.
Now with the internet the options have changed.
Lovely, but a little late for many nurses caught in the nursing education transition over the years.
Take a break, then take a close look. There are jobs out there that value the experienced nurse,many of my friends have taken some nice nursing jobs in recent years.
You can find one too, or reinvent yourself by learning a new field..
You will be great at whatever you decide to do next!
If I could have gotten out I would have.... been in it for 36 yrs and it is worn out my body and it's hard or very difficult to make a change, especially after you are such an age that you are too tired to go back to school and learn something else. If you're young enough and not to tired find something else before it really get's to you..
Personally, I feel trapped into nursing. I will be finishing my RN-BSN program this December, I went directly into it after getting my RN last year so I guess I wished I took more time to think about whether the BSN would be worth it. I often think about trying careers in business and whatnot but what good does a BSN matter in anything besides nursing? So I figure I must finish what I start and figure out where to go from here, thus far I'm not thrilled with my nursing career.I know grad school is an option but at this point I'm not motivated to pursue that road.
Trapped by a nursing degree? What in the world? If anything, nursing is one of THE most flexible degrees one can get. If anything, it is these liberal arts and business degrees that are severely limited in what they can do. Most HAVE to go onto grad school to make it anywhere, whereas an ASSOCIATE'S in Nursing can take you lots of places career wise.
Also, if you don't like floor nursing, there are other options you can pursue. Don't like hospital nursing? Become a school nurse and have those nice hours, weekends and holidays off. Interesting in a career in business? I've heard pharmaceutical companies LOVE hiring nurses for the healthcare background, AND you can go into hospital administration.
Want to teach? You can always become a CPR instructor or a lactation consultant, or you can get your teaching license and become a health teacher at a secondary level.
So many choices, you just have to know what you are looking for.
I don't feel trapped, as I haven't even started yet. But I've come along too far to turn back and start again in college. I often wish I had done a biology degree, and later pursued pre-med and med school. I can still do that if I feel so inclined. I'm still of the point of view that nursing is flexible.
I think nursing is like anything else. If you love it then you aren't trapped, if you don't like it then of course you feel that way. I can't say I feel trapped - I've only been a nurse for two years, but so far I've worked in a wonderful hospital, learned so much and now I'm on a travel assignment in Clearwater, FL where I am getting paid excellent and have a company paying my bills. When we are ready to settle down, I want to learn a new area of nursing. I get bored easily, and thankfully nursing is the perfect profession for change. Nursing is a blessing for my husband and me.
Do i like nursing? Of course!!! i'm extremely happy with my degree. And the respect i get when i say "i am a nurse" is unbelievable. We all know "the look" when we tell someone we are a nurse. Not bragging here (Actually, yes i am!)
But honestly, it is not worth the stress. It is so unbelievable the stress that is put on nurses now days. I can't imagine what it will be like in 15-20 years from now. Hopefully better, but we can only dream....
Therefore, i see myself as a nurse outside of the hospital. I havent worked out of the hospital, but as they say the grass is not always greener on the other side. But its worth a shot.
Who knows what i'lll do then?? Maybe go back to school, open a daycare, be a walmart greeter, or a dog walker...i've always wanted to do that!!
All i can say FOR SURE is that i cannot see myself doing this my whole life. I love my job, i love what i do, but i cannot stand the stress it puts on me.
I'm a second career nurse, so I thought long and hard first. My degree is absolutely worth it, but where I live, the BSN is mandatory. There are lots of opportunities with a BSN. I don't enjoy working so short staffed, but I say no if I don't want to work. Better yet, I don't answer the calls if I don't feel like it.
I like to travel, and my degree enables me to do that. I make great money, and I enjoy patient teaching. What more can you ask for?
Yes, nursing IS stressful, but so are many other fields, and I made a lot less for the stress before. I think it depends on where you work, and sadly, many of you are underpaid.
RNperdiem, RN
4,592 Posts
Nurses trapped? Go over to the doctor forums and read about new doctors who hate medicine but are in $250k or more in debt and you will hear about trapped.