Career Change with a Nursing Degree

[cmmason]

Hello all,

I'm new to this website but I've been struggling lately and I'm ready to get some advice from someone who isn't my family member.

The quick and dirty is I'm an RN and I'm more than ready for a career change and I'm looking for ideas on what career options are available with my degree.

Quick background about my experience: I have always loved health care. In high school, I volunteered at local urgent care clinics. In college, I worked doing ICD-9 billing and coding. Throughout and after college, I was an EMT-I in the District of Columbia for 6 years. I was pre-med in college but realized that the medical tract was NOT for me for a large number of reasons. So I turned to nursing and got my BSN. At first, it was incredible, my dream job. Then, I actually hit the job market...

I've been working at a major academic hospitals for about 2 years. I've split my time between a Level 1 Trauma center Emergency Department and a cardiothoracic surgical ICU. I much prefer the ICU to the ED (despite my EMS background) but ultimately, I'm fed up with nursing as a whole.

I'm moving soon for personal reasons and leaving my job in the ICU which has prompted my search. I had previously thought I would just endure bedside nursing until I had enough experience to get an advanced degree and get out of it. I have come to terms with the fact that I can't work at the bedside for that much longer. While my experience has been emotionally validating as taking care of people is something I love to do, my career has been mentally exhausting: I have been bullied by managers and hospital administration, I am constantly cited for discrepancies without being recognized for my successes, my pay is menial for what I do, my schedule is physically taxing, and our nationwide staffing crisis just means I get overworked and become less efficient.

I know this seems specific to one hospital but, trust me, it's not. In college, I did internships at hospitals across the District, Virginia, and Maryland. Recently I've interviewed at almost every hospital in Manhattan. The process has been slow and aggravating with behind-the-scenes communication and underhanded tactics that are making it feel impossible to get a new job for reasons that aren't being honestly revealed to me.

The more I think about it, the more I realize I don't WANT a new nursing job. Nurses are bearing the brunt of the stresses and change going on in health care right now and that's not for me. While I know I'm good at what I do, and a part of me enjoys the "goal" of what I do, I know that in practice I am never achieving the "good" nursing care we strive for (because of staffing or disrespect or bullying or inadequate resources and technology) and I'm not the type of person who tries to "tough it out" for things to get better. I've been in and out of health care from almost every angle for a decade now and nursing has more work to do before it feels "welcoming".

I know I'm on a site championing this career and I'm not trying to put it down, and I'm sorry if it sounds that way. I'm coming from a pessimistic angle, I'm sure. There are thousands of fantastic nurses out there (I've had the pleasure of working with many) and hundreds of hospitals that I'm sure at least have SOME departments that treat their nurses well (rather than using them as warm bodies), but I'm sad to say this institution has beat all that eagerness and compassion out of me, and I'm moving on before I break completely. For someone as young as me to get burnt out after only 2 years (when I did EMS in DC for 6) says a lot.

I tell my story because I'm not looking for pleas to "give it another try" or be told that "things will get better somewhere else". I'm not going to "look for resources on stress management and improving worker relations" - I've done my share and I've come to terms with the fact that nursing is not right for me. I don't have the personality to put on a happy face and wait for a better day. I've sat on committees, e-mailed superiors, written proposals to change practice and policies, built my resume and searched and searched and searched for new opportunities, and not much has changed. It's a slow, inefficient machine.

SO, long story aside, I'm reaching out to see if anyone knows what else I can do with a degree in nursing. I'm happy to stay in the hospital, just not at the bedside. Clearly I'm not management quality. I hear a lot of talk about informatics, which partially interests me because I'm great with computers, but I don't know how nurse informaticists are used (would I just be a glorified IT worker?). I don't think I'm "friendly" enough for social work, and not interested in case management. Any of the advanced degrees require more experience than 2 years, so CRNA or ACNP are out it seems. I think it would be really cool to go into perfusion technology but I can't find a single perfusion training program in my state (anybody know how most perfusionists get their certificates? There can't just be 10 training centers in the country with how many perfusionists there are). I also considered being a clinical specialist or product rep for companies like Meditech or Thoratec but they don't seem to be hiring in my state either.

If all else fails, I have other passions - I could try and get my EMS license back, but that pays worse than nursing. Before health care I was certain I was going to be an architect and even put together a portfolio - I can see myself going back to that but am not looking forward to having to pay for another degree (especially since I can't get any financial aid with the shutdown...).

Again, all pessimism aside, I do love the concept of nursing, it's why I got my BSN in the first place - I've worked with incredible people and learned more than any other job I've had. Unfortunately I got dealt a bad hand and got pushed to far and I'm happy to be moving on and more happy that there are people stronger than me who stay and are great at what they do.

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom/advice/resources/chastisement/angry tirades.

Cheers!

[daisygirl5]

I know Wellpoint (anthem) hires RNs for positions. These are usually work from hime jobs or you would work in one of their building locations. Though not sure if Anthem is in your neck of the woods, though Im sure similar health insurance companies might (Aetna, etc).

Good luck! Life is too short to be in a career you aren't happy in anymore!

[nursegali]

Have you ever thought of teaching nursing?

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

You have options as the previous poster suggested. Nursing Informatics is NOT a "glorified IT worker" the Informatics work I did involved chart reviews with CMS Advantage programs. I enjoyed how I could see the nursing process in place in terms of nursing informatics, however, I love the beside too much, as well as the line of work was seasonal and I was not in an area where there was an option for a permanent type job. The work I did helped me in terms of where I work now in LTC, I am very comfortable with skilled documentation.

What I did was just the tip of the iceberg in NI; I would suggest you go over to the NI forum and gather information into this specialty, if you are interested in NI.

I also suggest-transport nursing? You can become a pre-hospital or transport RN...that's bridging your past with your present...I also suggest to go over to the transport nursing forum as well. Best wishes in finding your niche in this business; it's possible. :)

[nmillrn]

I realize that this post is almost 3 years old, however I am curious as to what path you chose to go down. I am an RN with 5 years bedside care experience and I am already feeling "burnt out". I currently working on my BSN, and am researching different opportunities available, since I am extremely sure that I no longer feel the desire to do bedside nursing.