Do you ever plan on leaving the bedside?

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Just wondering if the RN's out there plan on staying at the bedside for their whole career or do you plan on one day doing something that is not "bedside" nursing?

Me?

yes, one day I pan to to something like case management. It may be soon or it may be in 10 years.

I have been an RN for 13 years.

Been doing this only a few months and if I could leave the bedside now I would. I love nursing but the nurse to pt ratio sucks as as among other things. I'll hopefully end up in case management.

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

Eventually,

However, I CANNOT see myself in a management or administrative role. Education, perhaps?

My body reminds me when I get home from work how physically exhausting bedside nursing really is. I don't want to grow old before my time.

excellent thread, BTW.

Best,

Diane

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Specializes in acute rehab, med surg, LTC, peds, home c.

I would love to but those positions seem to be few and far between. The thing is, nothing really appeals to me. I dont really think I want to teach, management does not appeal to me and clinic/office jobs are really hard to come by. What else is there? It's been 16 long years and I don't know how much longer I can take it. I was actually considering getting a job at a local store but I just couldn't take the pay cut.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
I would love to but those positions seem to be few and far between. The thing is, nothing really appeals to me. I dont really think I want to teach, management does not appeal to me and clinic/office jobs are really hard to come by. What else is there? It's been 16 long years and I don't know how much longer I can take it. I was actually considering getting a job at a local store but I just couldn't take the pay cut.

There's so much possibility in Nursing...the options are truly endless! There's so much that's available outside of management and teaching...

Pharmaceutical Rep, Telenursing (my aunt has been a nurse for 20+ yrs and has been working as a Telenurse, out of her home for an agency for several years), Nurse Consultant for Medicaid/Medicare (I hear that there's a great need for nurses in this area), the Centers for Disease Control also hires Nurses...speaking of which, there's also a great need for nurses within the Public Health field, working for an insurance company, Legal Nurse Consulting...

I know there's more out there but these are just a few options that I've been able to think of off the top of my head.

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Yep. I've left, come back, and plan on leaving again.

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Oooooohhh yea. In fact, I'm already burnt out here after 2 years on a very heavy and busy floor, and I'm looking into grad school to become a NP. I have found that I'm really much more interested in the medical side of things. Nursing is important, but to me just gets mundane -- especially the paperwork and totally unrealistic expectations. I like most of my co-workers, but can't see myself in management and don't look forward to trying out every unit until I find my niche. I'm ready to go back to school and get the advanced degree, not to mention make a bit higher salary for my efforts.

I honestly feel that especially on a med surg floor, that nurses are worked like animals. There is no respect and the harder you work it seems the more they expect. I don't know how they can expect educated women to go on and be treated like this day in and day out. I personally will not and will just get back to school as soon as possible. I hope I can swing it. I honestly and truthfully am already burnt out after 2 years. It's sad, but I am.

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Specializes in EC, IMU, LTAC.

Absolutely. I'm going back to school for IT this January, and I'm hoping to do healthcare IT, maybe get away from healthcare altogether.

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Specializes in Hospice, LTC, Rehab, Home Health.

Leave the bedside? Now that I'm doing hospice inpatient care -NO, not till they put me in a bed myself! LOL Seriously, at some point I'll cut back to part-time or prn but I'll not quit totally until I have no other choice.

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Specializes in Oncology.

NP school for the win!

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NP/CNL is my next goal.....Love direct patient care but I can help more patients by striving for a systems level position...

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Most definitely. Right now I work as charge nurse on a med-surg unit. I like my job but I am ready to move on. I am seriously thinking about going into management just so that I can gain experience in the area, then I plan to move on as management is a very stressfull job, but working on the floor can take it's toll on anyone.

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Honestly, if they'd just let nurses be nurses and doctors be doctors, I'd consider staying at the bedside longer -- but honestly, I just feel so damn responsible for EVERYTHING, and I'm tired of it. I don't get paid enough for that sort of responsibility. Docs can push things on you, patients can, management can -- we are just the whipping posts for everyone! I mean -- how long can one person take that kind of stress?

There are days when it is tolerable, and then there are days when one gets stuck with unbelievably difficult assignments on our floor -- a couple of patients in isolation, one on a heparin drip who is constantly climbing out of bed and falling, one who is on suicide precautions and calling you every five minutes, toying with your mind, one w/ some heavy unstable condition, despite having been moved from an ICu and takes all your time w/ drips and crazy orders non-stop, or codes, or whatever. Or, simply one in pain w/ multiple Q1H pain meds, or insulin, or wanting to be walked, or whatever. Those are usually the days when there are not enough aides, or no aides willing to be of help and you don't eat lunch until 4 p.m., if at all. Meanwhile, you've got 10 managers on the floor, all micro managing at any given time, but unwilling to actually HELP in any meaningful way and it's just a recipe for burnout and dissatisfaction.

I don't know how ANYONE could stay at a job like this for longer than a few years. It's just so stressful for me that I go home on my days off and just stare at the wall. I can't enjoy my life on my days off. I need something just a tad more manageable and normal.

I feel guilty, but honestly, that's how it is. Bedside nursing on my unit is blisteringly stressful on some days. I'm surprised I haven't had a heart attack on some days, or a stroke. I get headaches that are killer. It doesn't even feel healthy at times.

And don't get me started on the paperwork. It's just insidious.

What kills me most are the managers. All sitting in the back, tee-heeing and drinking coffee, bringing up their lunch at 1130 while I'm starving and shoving a snack in at 1 p.m. so I can run right back onto the floor. All just sauntering down the hall chatting and socializing. It seems once they get into these positions, they are like queens who don't have to lift a finger. Meanwhile us workhorses are out there sweating it and doing all the heavy lifting. I don't get it and I don't know WHY we need SO many freaking managers on our unit!!

So, these are just some of the reasons I don't want to stay in it long term. I hope someone out there is listening.

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