BURNOUT! and Switching Specialties

Nurses General Nursing

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Anyone have experience in switching nursing specialties? I currently am in my 10th year of SICU/Trauma nursing and have hit a brick wall. After much denial, soul searching, and frustration, I have finally admitted to myself that I am burned out and in desperate need of a change. I was thinking about doing a complete change and applying for a job in the Wellbaby/Newborn Nursery. My co-workers think that I'm nuts for "wasting" my CCRN credential and natural aptitude for ICU nursing, but I hate my current job. The low quality of patient care, lack of supervisor involvement, under-staffing, inappropriate staffing, and the stressors that go with them have invaded my psyche and infiltrated my entire life! (Just yesterday I had an agency LVN without vent or pressor experience taking care of a septic, hypotensive ventilator pt while I'm charge with a fresh open heart and another patient AND precepting a new grad who has 2 patients!) I know I need to get out of there but a few things are holding me back: I'm afraid that I will get "demoted" in the clinical ladder back to a Level 1 since I have no experience with Newborns. I cannot have worked ten years in ICU to be making new grad salary. And the second concern I have is what do I tell the manager of the Nursery when asked why I want to transfer? Is burnout an acceptable answer? I really think I need to work with healthy little ones at the start of their lives instead of seriously ill/injured adults often at the end of their lives. I need to refill my cup. Thanks for any input.

Two of my best friends, both ED nurses for 12 plus years decided to switch to well baby newborn nursery 2 years ago, and they are both so much happier. They are both great ED nurses, TNCC instructors, but they needed that change.

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Yup, that's the level 2 we are talking about. Much less acuity than a level 3.

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OK, guys, any ideas other than mother/baby? Not interested, but my feelings about where I work are exactly what have been said here - stress, stress, stress. Thanks -

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What do you like? A clinic setting is one area I know a lot of stressed NICU and ICU nurses seem to go to.... You know, like places where they do MRIs or minor ambulatory setting procedures and such.... I always thought dialysis would be a cool place to work too....

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OK, Just finished my resume and it looks a little ridiculous. OBJECTIVE: A position as a staff nurse in a Level II Nursery...Blah blah blah down to my work experience and my now irrelevant credentials...ccrn,acls,pals,atls, CV, VAD, IABP, CVVH,Neurosurg, trauma surg...you get the picture. It looks like I made a typo in the objective part. I am signed up to take neonatal resuscitation next month, that should help.

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Dialysis has always intersted me, too. I must speak to the nurses who come to our hospital. I really do like the hospital, but these days it's just too dangerous. I'm stressed before I go to work, worrying about what might happen, and stressed when I get out of work worrying about what I missed. Doesn't leve too much time for relaxation!

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Pacu is a great place for burnt out ICU nurses. I worked ICU for 5yrs before I got burnt out. PACU is great. I get to use my ICU skills, airway management, vents, art lines, cvps, drips. Very independent area. Lots of critical thinking skills. People do not usual die in pacu and you only have them for an hour or two. People come in for surgery you make them better and send them away. I can now sleep at night knowing I made someone feel better, not something I could always do in ICU.

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Who cares what people say or think? I mean, really who cares?

If you want to work Level II NICU, then go work Level II NICU. I'm sure they would welcome you with open arms, you might find a whole new area you love, and you will be HAPPY.

Just be happy.

Best of luck.

Cherry

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hey guys, im new to allnurses. i am in real need of help. im a third year general student nurse and have to do a literature review. I have decided to do it on `nurses burnout in accident and emergency/intensive care departments`. I can only find abstacts of articles and can't get any full text. time is passing me by and every one else seems to have theirs half finished. please, please, please, can someone out there give me a hand. any information on where i could go would be great!!!!

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Hey Skelly, I remember my college librarian helping me out A LOT with the reviews of literature. I remember starting out my search on MEDLINE.

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my2sons, God, I can relate. I HATE my current job in ER and have applied to a level II nursery. The first interview was tough because the first thing they wanted was what experience I had with newborns. Other than delivering a couple in the ER, none. I pressed the fact that clinical skills can be learned as evedenced by my current credentials, but intuition and nursing judgement only come with nursing experience. I'm waiting to hear from the Nursery Manager now, but have decided if I don't get this job, I'm going to apply for every available nursery job in the Philly area :) Good luck in your search.

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There are also specialty courses you can take which cover newborn patho and theory. Some even offer clinical placements.

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