I need a change!

Golden_RN, MSN · Feb 19, 2019

39 minutes ago, llg said:
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.

Interesting, thanks. I disagree though. The OP doesn't say she has a BSN, so going back to school may mean RN to BSN program. In my experience, the RN to BSN program exposed me to non-bedside opportunities (home health, public health, school nursing) that I didn't see enough of in an ADN program.

I agree about the student loan situation. Too many people overlook state universities, which can be affordable.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 19, 2019

On 2/15/2019 at 6:58 PM, Nrs4Sunshine said:
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!!

After six months in post partum, you don't really have enough experience to do any of those cool post partum jobs like lactation specialist (if that's what you're thinking of.). You probably need two years of PP experience before you'd even be considered.

The best thing you can do right now is enjoy the job you have right now and learn everything you possibly can. Challenge your critical thinking every day -- learn how various disease processes affect a mother's pregnancy and recovery. Diabetes or even gestational diabetes -- what should you be looking at and why? Smoking? Learn about peri-partum cardiomyopathy and what can be done to treat it. A family history of Marfan's? How does that relate.

You've only been in the specialty for six months. If you're bored, you're not doing it right. There is so much to learn -- if you're not learning, you need to fix that.

Sometimes, no matter how perfect your job is or how hard you work at it, you don't get your fulfillment from your job, but get it from something job-adjacent. An annual mission trip to South America to do well baby check-ups? Volunteering somewhere local? Mentoring teen mothers in your church or your neighborhood? You'll find something to float your boat if you keep looking for it.

smarie72, BSN, RN · Feb 19, 2019

I think it’s not such a bad idea to bounce around a bit as a nurse. I earned my associates in nursing in 2011 and then my BSN in 2016. In that short time, I’ve worked in a small OR, flu clinic, dialysis, opthomology and now I’m a radiology nurse (for the past 4 years) in that time, I realized that I would be better in a practitioner role; I am starting a FNP program this summer. So, my advice? Maybe bounce around a bit and figure out what your passion is! If you don’t already have your BSN, I suggest getting it. Good luck!