Career Advice...quit again??

bassmasterangler · Jan 5, 2008

Im just starting school, so I cant really comment, but being one of the most lucrative, fastest growing jobs out there I cant imagine there isnt something out there for you. That is soooo wrong to double a new rn's workload like they did to you and to do so w/out all proper cert's and whatnot. Im scared now, lol.

llg, PhD, RN · Jan 5, 2008

Yes. If you take the telephone job now, it will greatly limit your future options. I would recommend staying in your current job for another couple of months while you look for a job that will have more of a future.

If you really want your career to have a more "direct patient care" focus, you may need to bite the bullet and take a job in a hospital for a year or so that doesn't appeal to you -- just to become credible as a nurse who can give physical care to patients. As you yourself said, in your maternity job, you never developed the skills to handle emergencies, etc. And whatever physical care skills you DID have have probably deteriorated a little in your current job. If you want to be responsible for the physical care of patients during procedures, you'll need to be able to handle unexpected complications and emergencies. That's why employers often look for people with some inpatient experience for those positions.

Are there other types of career paths that might interest you? ... Would it help to get some additional education and/or certification in something? An educational program, or involvement in a professional association or volunteer work might open up some doors for you, make professional contacts, and give you a chance to explore different types of jobs you had not considered before.

Good luck to you.

Music in My Heart · Jan 5, 2008

I'm just starting nursing school but I'm leaving a career as an engineer after about 15 years. I'd like to share something which might have some bearing:

I started work right after I graduated from college. It was a great place for a new grad and I learned a lot. Unfortunately, the following years saw steady force reductions and I was laid off after four years. After some time back in school, I got another job -- one which I just hated. After a year, I left that job for one with much more potential. While I liked it, that place had financial troubles and, following some layoffs, I decided to leave on my own terms after 2 years. I found what seemed to be a great job and worked there for 2-1/2 years when they closed our plant and turned us out. I ended up taking the only job I could find -- again, one that I just hated. After about 2 years, I finally found another job with real potential. After 18 months there, they closed our operation and laid me off. I haven't found work since then (though I stopped looking once I decided to go to nursing school).

What is the lesson in this?

Be very careful about job-hopping. In every case that I changed jobs, it was for very good reasons. However, I've had several people tell me that I'm an undesirable candidate because: (a) I appear on paper to be unstable and (b) while I have a lot of overall experience, I have little specific experience since I've kept changing jobs (industries, really).

I'd suggest that you stick out your current job as long as you can and really strive to find someplace that you *want* to be for several years. When you leave this job, it would be very good for your next job to last for quite awhile.

GrumpyRN63, ADN, RN · Jan 5, 2008

What is it about your current job that you don't like ? The patient care? paperwork? travel? Possibly changing to a different agency may help... I think you probably need a few solid years in M/S to get into an outpt surgical suite, sometimes they also require ICU experience.

Any job hospital/LTC will require you to do off-shifts,W/E's, holidays etc. If you want to get the acute care behind you, you will need to 'pay your dues', 'do your time'.

If you absolutely despise the thought of that,then why not take the phone job? There are lots of different avenues to take in nursing that don't include direct patient care that don't make you less of a nurse. If you truly want to go outpatient sx, I really don't see how you can do that s returning for acute care, and those jobs are highly competitive.

I think all jobs have their pros and cons and you have to decide which aspects of the job are more important than others, the grass isn't always greener. Good Luck!

Chloe'sinNYNow · Jan 5, 2008

Hiya Pices,

I'm tempted to suggest you go into agency nursing.

Short term contract w/ better pay and benes, whoo hoo!! :w00t:

You'll get a feel for what you truly could enjoy, you'd keep your skills current, and you'll see and experience many genres without having to stick around for the crap that can happen (gossip, etc...)

Plus you'll get the advantage of learning the facility and having a foot in the door already if you find the right niche to go full time.

You have enough experience to do agency or travel nursing. I wish I did. That's the advice I give myself.

Go for it! :innerconf

Chloe