I need a change!

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I am currently Post Partum RN. I have been for about 6 months, and was previously in Med Surg as a new grad for 1 year. I LOVE my patients (moms and babies) but HATE bedside nursing. I LOVE working three days a week, but HATE counting down the hours until my shift is over. I feel like I am wasting away working two or three days in a row stuck inside hospital walls for 13 hours at a time, but at the same time I do like the flexibility of being able to have the schedule I choose. I have the job I always wanted but can't help but want to get out and do something else! Or maybe even go per diem and do something else on the side. But not sure what that something is. Maybe I am bored? I'm not sure. Positive advice please!! I want to enjoy work, thrive in it and look forward to it. I know it is still going to be "work", but I love working and contributing to society so I know it's not that I don't want to work, I just want it to fulfill me which it isn't doing now. Help!!

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Specializes in ER.

Positive advise? Don't be a job hopper just because you you get the 6 month itch. Count your blessings. Be grateful.

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1 minute ago, Emergent said:

Positive advise? Don't be a job hopper just because you you get the 6 month itch. Count your blessings. Be grateful.

I don't want to leave my job. I want to branch out and do something more. Believe me, I am very grateful.

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Go prn..and do something else on the side. If you can keep your foot in nursing and do something else what would you choose?

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Specializes in Psych/Mental Health.

How about outpatient?

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
11 hours ago, Nrs4Sunshine said:

I LOVE my patients ...but HATE bedside nursing. I LOVE working three days a week, but HATE counting down the hours until my shift is over. ...Positive advice please!!

Positively sounds like a love/hate relationship which is often contributed to inner turmoil in which I would advise some self-examination.

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Not sure where you are located, but some cities have family partnership programs, wherein a nurse makes home visits to mothers and babies.

The outpatient idea sounds good, too.

If you dont need your own healthcare/benefits package, agency work is a good choice. You can try a variety of settings and the hourly pay can be more than what regular workers get.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatrics, Wound Care.

When I get "bored" at work, I sometimes just do some studying. I use our online education portal to complete mandatory education, then I move on to things that are interesting. Sometimes I think about getting a master's degree. Other times, I realize I hate school and prefer to just learn things on my own. :D

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

What opportunities exist in your workplace to expand your activities? For example ... precepting, charge nurse, teaching classes for new moms, teaching prenatal classes, fund-raising events, becoming certified as a post-partum nurse, becoming certified as a lactation counselor, participating in quality improvement projects, helping with staff education projects, participating in a local, regional, or national nursing organization, etc. etc. etc.

Those are common "next steps" for new nurses who have successfully made the transition from student to professional -- and who are now looking for a "next step." Participating in such professional activities helps you to grow beyond you basic job and helps you develop a sense of the "bigger picture" of the nursing universe. As you try our and get experience with such activities, you interact with more experienced nurses who have chosen different paths in nursing as you develop new skills. You also get a chance to experience different nursing roles. After a while, you get a larger/deeper sense of your place within the nursing profession and begin to see career pathways that might be a good fit for you for the long term.

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Specializes in ICU, ER, Home Health, Corrections, School Nurse.

How about home health? You're out and about, you're one on one with the patients, you're independent....

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What about going back to school? You will be exposed to non-bedside nursing realms, such as public health, government, home health etc. and might find your next adventure.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
Just now, Golden_RN said:

What about going back to school? You will be exposed to non-bedside nursing realms, such as public health, government, home health etc. and might find your next adventure.

I would strongly advise against the OP going back to school at this time. It would be a shame for her to waste time, effort and money on an education if she does not yet know what type of work she wants to do long term. Too many people go to grad school without having an adequate sense of their identity as a nurse, the type of work they want to do, etc. They end up with student loans, degrees they don't know what to do with, and/or still unhappy with their careers because they haven't yet found the right path for them.

Figure out the type of work you want to do by trying a few things while you are young. Then (and only then), invest in a graduate education to give you the credentials you need to get the jobs you know you want and that you will be happy with.

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