which areas of nursing have the least 'turnover' and advice to returning nurse

[thekid]

This is a multi part post..I am applying to have my nursing license reinstated after 8 years. When I was in school, I worked as a CNA then LPN and then for a short time as an RN when I felt I needed a break. Mostly I worked in nursing homes and did a little bit of homecare and hospice.

It's not that I didn't enjoy the work but as I'm reading discussions on the forums, I see that nurses are dealing with the same problems that caused me to quit. I didn't expect the problems to go away but hope to re-enter nursing with at least a heads up about the problems and hopefully since it's been a few years I have a better way of dealing with the stress.

Am hearing about the cuts to jobs so I don't think it's the best time for me to get a license back and try to pick out my ideal place to work. I'm not even sure where that would be, have always had an interest in labor and delivery but I have a young baby right now and know that nights would be out of the question. L and D is probably the only place I would consider to work in a hospital (always disliked med surg).

An obvious choice would be to re-enter into what I know..nursing homes. I worked as a staff nurse and so the convenience of picking my hours helped out with the stress I felt on the job. But I'm afraid I will burn out in that environment like I did before.

I've been interested in different areas of nursing such as working at a medical spa or cosmetic surgeon's office, I think the work would be interesting but again with no experience in this area I'm not sure this is the best time to pick out a new area.

Any words of advice to a returning nurse? Am awaiting the approval now..I am hesitant and nervous about returning. Why would I want to return to something that caused a lot of stress? (again the problems I had are the same problems that I read about from other nurses here ...part of me says it's time to grow up and make the choice to deal with it or just not get the license back and practice again)

Oh..for the past 8 years I started and ran a business that provided decent income but sales have been slow over the past year and I've considered working pt as a nurse again. Just not sure where.

Thanks in advance

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

I don't think nursing turn over has to do with the specialty, as much as the people already working on the unit and the hospital's attitude toward nurses.

[Sarcolemma]

nurse anesthesia has a low turnover

[OB6658]

I can tell you which have the worse turnover...ICU/CCU, ED, L&D and some high level NICU. These can be high stress areas; physically, emotionally and psychologically.

I think the least turnover areas seem to be Well baby nursery, Postpartum, Recovery/OR nurses and Psych.

Medical/Surgical floor, kinda in the middle. They have their runs of needing nurses and not needing them. JMO

[d!gger]

I work acute psyche. I love it. But I don't meet too many people who've been doing acute psyche on the floor for say >20 years. But many of my coworkers have been doing it for 5-10 years.

I know more than a few people who've done Peds for their entire long career.

But the first poster nailed the real reason - the facility and the way it's mgt treats it's nurses is biggest reason for turnover.

Do they offer better than adequate training?

Do they demand OT?

How flexible is their scheduling?

Do they have adequate staffing? Adequate support staffing?

What's your patient load?

Do they encourage further employee education?

How do they handle complaints?

Do they offer benefits? Good benefits?

Do they have adequate facilities/supplies for the work they're asking nurses and MDs to do?

What chances for advancement do they offer?

Regardless of what specialty you choose/chooses you, the answers to questions like these will determine how happy you are with the job.

Hope it helps,

dig

[OB6658]

d!gger, i whole heartedly agree with you! management and how the hospital is run, and the way the nurses are treated does have a lot to do with whether one stays on their unit for 1 year or 10+ years.

i was just answering the op question about: "which areas of nursing have the least turnover"

it was just my opinion from what i've seen over the years. i myself worked many years in both ccu and the ed in the hospital i was in at that time. the management was great.

however, in the hospital i just left, i did not work these units...for some of the reasons you mentioned.

[thekid]

thank you for the responses...I've always been interested in psyche nursing as well, I was a few classes shy of a BS in psych when I switched to nursing :)

Thank you for the feedback..

Can psyche nurses work part time?

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Can psyche nurses work part time?

In my part of the country, almost any experienced nurse can find a part time job in almost any specialty. However, most hospitals want new-grads to work full time, as it is costly to orient someone.

[thekid]

that makes sense!

My baby boy is 18 months so I may stay with what I know and work ltc part time thru a staffing agency until he goes to school..I'll have the rest of my life to figure out where in nursing I 'fit' :) And if I do end up in psyche or esthetics I'll definitely want full time to learn quickly. It will be an all new area.

Am nervous about returning, I am reading as many posts as I can on this forum to re-aquaint but I suppose at least I know what I'm returning to, in a sense :) Not an easy job..

mahalo everyone, I've missed working with 'you'

[d!gger]

I'm a psyche nurse and I work part time now cuz I'm also in school getting my BSN. I love psyche. It's fascinating.

And I suspect my low overhead, part time status has contributed to my continued employment. I'm cheaper to keep on the books than someone who gets benefits. That may be a matter of recent economic necessity for companies, but it's not a situation I enjoy supporting.

I worked at the facility for 2 years before going back to get my BSN, so I was already oriented/trained. I can see where that would be a concern for the facility.

Good Luck!

dig