Least stressful nursing job at a hospital?

llg, PhD, RN · Mar 25, 2019

Something with regular non-direct patient care tasks such as:

1. Some staff education jobs (routing training jobs, like teaching orientation classes or CPR classes, etc.)

2. Some quality improvement jobs (in which you teach a few classes, audit charts, etc.)

3. Some patient education jobs -- teaching routing classes

4. Some research jobs -- enrolling patients, gathering data, teaching staff the protocol they have follow, etc.

Note that I said "some" of those jobs. Each category of jobs has its potential to be bad ... but if you are part of a good team, the work is not too onerous and you have decent work hours.

Forest2 · Mar 25, 2019

Teaching patients a better way and teaching new nurses is what I love. I couldn't get those jobs after getting my MSN in nursing education because I didn't have recent hospital experience. So back to the floor which I detest because it is not up to the standards I am used to. Not that I am anything special, I just want to give excellent care and the system is not set up for that anymore.

I will start visiting the education department and showing my face more.

nhayes1984 · Mar 26, 2019

Maybe in plastic surgery? I’m not in the field yet but that seems like lower stress levels. I could be wrong.

TriciaJ, RN · Mar 26, 2019

Preop nurse - meet patients a few days prior to scheduled surgery to provide information, reconcile meds, get preop labs, EKG, etc. Also short stay or day surgery: regular hours, once they're able to start hollering for stuff they can be sent home. Nurses in those positions seem to be pretty happy with their jobs.

Matthew RN, MSN · Mar 26, 2019

On ‎3‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 11:01 AM, Forest2 said:
Teaching patients a better way and teaching new nurses is what I love. I couldn't get those jobs after getting my MSN in nursing education because I didn't have recent hospital experience. So back to the floor which I detest because it is not up to the standards I am used to. Not that I am anything special, I just want to give excellent care and the system is not set up for that anymore.
I will start visiting the education department and showing my face more.

I work at a community college as a nursing instructor and "recent hospital experience" can mean a lot of things. I would find out what the place you are wanting to work really wants (also be aware it might be an excuse and there is another reason they don't want to hire you).

Most places consider being a clinical instructor "recent hospital experience", depending on the area clinical instructor jobs can be easier to get. This usually works as a "foot in the door" for other nursing instructor type jobs. I work full-time at the college and per-diem (2x a month) at the local hospital. The hospital work does help students take me more seriously.

My first job as a nursing instructor at a college did not require "recent hospital experience" so if you are OK moving there are nursing instructor jobs that don't require additional work experience.

malloryrenee · Mar 27, 2019

Case management? My mom has been a nurse for years as well and she says that case management is an ideal job for her to retire with

adventure_rn, MSN, NP · Mar 27, 2019

NICU is fairly high-reward and low-stress. However, it's tough to get into. Also, if your ultimate goal is an education position, NICU probably wouldn't be the most helpful 'recent hospital experience.' It's such a specialty niche that it wouldn't be beneficial for teaching related to general or adult care. It's also pretty tough to get a peds-specific teaching role (you'd probably need several more years of bedside experience).

allnurses Guide · Mar 27, 2019

I am a nurse educator in the hospital (professional development). It is pretty low stress. Good money. Challenging and rewarding. Good life balance.

caringkevin · Mar 27, 2019

I love reading about the range of nursing!

Workitinurfava, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2019

You can run into the problem of later needing to go back to the bedside and not having recent hospital or acute care experience. It may help to go per diem and keep your foot in the hospital door.

Forest2 · Mar 28, 2019

On 3/27/2019 at 2:49 PM, not.done.yet said:
I am a nurse educator in the hospital (professional development). It is pretty low stress. Good money. Challenging and rewarding. Good life balance.

I'd love a job like that. My MSN is in education, but they don't think home care qualifies as experience( even though I have been a nurse since 1983). I find that most nurses don't know what home care is. I guess they think it is sitting with the patient and reading to them or something. We had an interim director once that was also the ER director of nursing. He said he had no idea what we did. Was totally impressed and surprised that what we did was above and beyond what hospital nurses do. You better know your stuff if you are going to work homecare. AND we teach allllll the time. Dang, I feel so unappreciated and looked down on. So, here I am at a hospital, just basically not using my talents just to prove I have recent hospital experience. It, to me is not nursing. You click boxes for things because it is required and don't really assess patients or teach them, just pass out meds. Geesh. I used to really make a difference as a nurse. But , this, I do a lot of aide work and pass out coffee, tea and sugar and what ever else they ring the nurse for. Guess I will put in another year of my life and maybe before I die I might get someone to give me a freaking chance. I am really good at teaching( so I have been told). It's easy to be good at something you have a passion about. As you can tell I am pretty down to earth and don't Lord it over anyone. I feel I am just playing a part. Sigh.