Did you take a risk?

Published

Specializes in Critical Care.

Are YOU an RN/LVN that was fed up with direct patient bedside care, that was fed up with the lifestyle and burn out and ACTUALLY did something about it?

We often hear the dissatisfaction from our coworkers and we live through the stress that caring for critically or acutely ill patients can bring to our lives.

However we see those same coworkers (just about everyone on the unit) become complacent with the dissatisfaction and the stress. Critical and acute care coupled with budget cuts and poor staffing ratios can leave one extremely fatigued emotionally and physically.

Everyone talks about moving on to something bigger and better, but rarely do we see these claims become reality. I truly have a hunch that it is because we just become complacent, we go home and we forget. Or perhaps we are afraid of taking a risk and leaving what we've always known behind.

Personally speaking I'm ready for change. Many of you know... Many probably have seen my threads and know that by now. Yes I'm ready for change. Yes I've only been a nurse just a little over four years but I am just exhausted.

I am ready to take a leap of faith and try something different. I'm currently finishing up my BSN, so I know that will open up more doors.

What other roles can nurses partake in that aren't direct bedside patient care?

I've thought of:

Working for an insurance company?

Occupational Health RN?

Wellness Coach?

Diabetic Educator?

What other ideas do you have? And where and how can I go about finding these positions?

I honestly think these positions do exist, and I think they're out there and ready to be filled. I think that we just never see our coworkers move on because of complacency, not because everyone is shopping for these jobs.

Money is becoming less and less of an important factor, as I'm becoming older my quality of life is beginning to matter more. I'm only 25, but I mean as I've grown in my 20s - the appeal money brings has diminished. What is the money worth if I'm going to be fatigued and drained?

Also, I'm so unhappy with my current position that I would never want to work overtime. And I'm not going to work OT doing soemthing I can't stand.

I mean, eventually I want to become an NP and I do want to become an entrepreneurial NP. Think outside the box and own a business... NOT because of the money but because that's whay I WANT TO DO. I want to impact healthcare and create soemthing ingenious. Approaching health and medicine in a completely revolutionary way.

Until then though, idk how much longer I can keep this gig going in the ICU.

I am ready for a change.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.

Yes, I did something about it. After 11 months of working inpatient, I got a job on an act team.

You have 4 years in cvicu right? The question is not "Are there jobs out there for me?" But "What do I want to do next?"

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care.
Yes, I did something about it. After 11 months of working inpatient, I got a job on an act team.

You have 4 years in cvicu right? The question is not "Are there jobs out there for me?" But "What do I want to do next?"

Yes yes you are right. That IS the question. One that has been on my mind a lot. I am passionate about education (patient and student/nurse). I am passionate about wellness. Ideally in my mind I'd love to be an educator of students and maybe RNs.

However I would also love to have a wellness clinic, one that is truly about wellness not just weight loss or short term changes.

Basically in simple words what I enjoy are:

Motivating others

Teaching others

Guiding others

Wellness and health promotion

Preventative medicine

Community outreach

Things I do not particularly enjoy:

Technical side of nursing (IVs, Foley Cath, and other psychomotor skills). However, interestingly enough if I'm teaching a nursing student about a skill performing said skill becomes that much more enjoyable - will you believe that?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology, Clinical research.

I moved into oncology clinical research. I still work with patients as I enroll them on clinical research trials and follow them throughout the protocol, but a lot of what I do is administrative. It's still a lot of work, but more intellectual, less physical, much less stressful.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I did it. I went from being a flight nurse to working in a clinic. While it certainly doesn't have the cache of flying in helicopters my quality of life has increased exponentially. It was totally worth it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care.

I'll add that my boyfriend is going through a health related field where he had to take a A&P.

I helped him study and prepared study aides for him. He commented in which the way I organized and the order in which placed all the learning (big idea first, small details later) really helped him out. Needless to say he has an A in his class.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I hold a license as a RN and as an Advanced Clinical Sonographer in Echocardiography. I hold part-time positions in both and I enjoy the fact I am not getting too burned out in either. Of course I'm recently debating on going full-time echo and casual RN. At least for now. I do like being a RN as I can hold multiple positions in multiple roles and test out what I like and don't like.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.
Yes yes you are right. That IS the question. One that has been on my mind a lot. I am passionate about education (patient and student/nurse). I am passionate about wellness. Ideally in my mind I'd love to be an educator of students and maybe RNs.

However I would also love to have a wellness clinic, one that is truly about wellness not just weight loss or short term changes.

Basically in simple words what I enjoy are:

Motivating others

Teaching others

Guiding others

Wellness and health promotion

Preventative medicine

Community outreach

Things I do not particularly enjoy:

Technical side of nursing (IVs, Foley Cath, and other psychomotor skills). However, interestingly enough if I'm teaching a nursing student about a skill performing said skill becomes that much more enjoyable - will you believe that?

I believe it because I am the same way.

I think you would really like community health. Getting your bsn is a wise decision, because many jobs that focus on education will require it.

My job is a lot of teaching, coaching, goal setting, and is all about developing a trusting relationship with the people served.

Look up assertive community treatment to learn more about my job. Most states use this model. Not sure about Texas. Bsn is preferred, but I work with an adn nurse.

Another program you might like is nurse family partnership. It pairs a nurse with a high risk, first time pregnant mom to work with her until her child is 2 years old. Bsn required I think.

Search public health RN on job sites.

Home health is a great way to start working in the community. Lots of jobs out there, and HH would be thrilled to have you with all of your inpatient experience.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Rapid Response Team (some hospitals have full-time nurses who respond to RR and Codes). Education- sounds like you love it. Program Coordination- that's what I do- it's a great mix of bedside/ behind the scenes/ education/ public health. The latest thing hospitals are doing is creating population health programs- that can be any number of things depending on how a facility sets it up.

Definitely look into public health, that seems to encompass a lot of what you enjoy doing.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Are YOU an RN/LVN that was fed up with direct patient bedside care, that was fed up with the lifestyle and burn out and ACTUALLY did something about it?

We often hear the dissatisfaction from our coworkers and we live through the stress that caring for critically or acutely ill patients can bring to our lives.

However we see those same coworkers (just about everyone on the unit) become complacent with the dissatisfaction and the stress. Critical and acute care coupled with budget cuts and poor staffing ratios can leave one extremely fatigued emotionally and physically.

Everyone talks about moving on to something bigger and better, but rarely do we see these claims become reality. I truly have a hunch that it is because we just become complacent, we go home and we forget. Or perhaps we are afraid of taking a risk and leaving what we've always known behind.

Personally speaking I'm ready for change. Many of you know... Many probably have seen my threads and know that by now. Yes I'm ready for change. Yes I've only been a nurse just a little over four years but I am just exhausted.

I am ready to take a leap of faith and try something different. I'm currently finishing up my BSN, so I know that will open up more doors.

What other roles can nurses partake in that aren't direct bedside patient care?

I've thought of:

Working for an insurance company?

Occupational Health RN?

Wellness Coach?

Diabetic Educator?

What other ideas do you have? And where and how can I go about finding these positions?

I honestly think these positions do exist, and I think they're out there and ready to be filled. I think that we just never see our coworkers move on because of complacency, not because everyone is shopping for these jobs.

Money is becoming less and less of an important factor, as I'm becoming older my quality of life is beginning to matter more. I'm only 25, but I mean as I've grown in my 20s - the appeal money brings has diminished. What is the money worth if I'm going to be fatigued and drained?

Also, I'm so unhappy with my current position that I would never want to work overtime. And I'm not going to work OT doing soemthing I can't stand.

I mean, eventually I want to become an NP and I do want to become an entrepreneurial NP. Think outside the box and own a business... NOT because of the money but because that's whay I WANT TO DO. I want to impact healthcare and create soemthing ingenious. Approaching health and medicine in a completely revolutionary way.

Until then though, idk how much longer I can keep this gig going in the ICU.

I am ready for a change.

Yes and my only regret is not doing it years earlier. I was burned-out with the white-hot passion of a thousand suns on all of; bedside nurses are carrying out a series of cookie-cutter, soul-sucking tasks demanded of endless regulator agencies; FDC, CDC, DEA ad infinitum dictating everything how long a Foley can stay in to how happy the patient was with their nurse answering call-light and responding in X number of minutes or less..."anything I can get you Ms/Mr xyx? Take-out? An insta-cure? A dime bag from your connection? I have the time!"

Occupational, corrections there is a lot out there; I dragged my heels because I did not want to lose skills and not be 'marketable' for a type of nursing I once loved and had grown to loathe, that and sticking NGs/IV, FCs into people is something I was good at but hardly enjoyed. My last hospital nursing job was contract a few years ago and I walked out of there thinking to myself I would rather eat out of dumpsters than do it again...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I love being a NP but get bored of the day to day clinic work. I decided to do something totally different and acquired my United States Coast Guard Captain's License. I'm now certified to pilot up to 100 ton yacht/ships. I do it for fun on the weekends and when I'm on vacation. I have my own yacht as my personal residence but I always enjoy driving somebody's else large vessel if they are paying for the fuel. They also appreciate that I can perform life saving interventions on any of the party people while we are away at sea.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care.

The nurses I know who switched to clinic jobs and even day surgery jobs are happy with the change. I'm not so sure about home health though, I think it has a lot of downsides such as wear and tear on your car, long drive times, and even pay per visit vs hourly pay, plus a lot of unpaid time spent on paperwork. Your ICU background is highly desirable and you should be able to transfer to any job you want from dialysis to working in PACU or cath lab or working for a cardiology or E-Phys clinic. Dialysis pays well but it can be long hours, better working conditions if you work in an outpatient dialysis clinic from what I've heard. PACU is well liked and there is not a lot of turnover, it's considered a good job to retire from! Good luck with whatever you decide.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion