Low/moderate stress nursing jobs???

redshiloh · Aug 6, 2004

I got my BSN specifically so I could get those hours M-F days only. Increase your education level and/or look for a clinic position of some type. In the VA system, most clinics are closed at night and on holidays.

I work as a patient educator so I have contact with patients and work as a part of a multidisciplinary team as well.

I would LOVE to say my job also has low stress...or even medium stress, but unfortunately stress seems to go along with nursing.

Don't have stress stomach for nothin'!

CHATSDALE · Aug 6, 2004

look for jobs such as legal assistant or government health clinics etc there are a lot of jobs just as you describe...md office usually don't pay as well as hospital work but you might find it a good trade off....you spend so much of your life at work, find something that you are happy to go to every morn...

danu3 · Aug 6, 2004

I am not a nurse yet (a long way to go).

How about Hospice Nursing (stress may not be low however), Public Health Nursing, nursing at a clinical as oppose to a hospital environment, occupational health nursing (don't know about the stress again), Nursing Education where you train the next generation of nurses, health educator nurse (work in a health education department in a hospital), medical searcher who specilize in nursing... etc.

-Dan

sdg · Aug 6, 2004

Either a Drs office or OR nursing. My MIL works in the OR and she works from 6-5 four days a week no weekends no holidays.

AimersTriageRN · Aug 6, 2004

HI there!

Don't despair, I have the exact job you described. I am the nurse manager for a community health center. I work 4 10 hour shifts a week, with Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. We are federally funded and therefore are closed all major and minor holidays..we are never open on nights or weekends. My pay could be better, but I have also seen a lot worse. I work with patients doing education classes, some triage and whatever else comes up. I also manage a staff of 15, mostly LPNs and MAs. I am often sent out of town on business trips and have been to some really great places I never would have seen otherwise. I do not have my BSN, just my AA, but I have been nurtured here to become a great manager and you sure can't beat the hours! I fell into it by accident, but there have to be other jobs out there like this one!

MelissaRN · Aug 6, 2004

I am curious as to whether any of you have experienced "low to moderate stress" nursing jobs??? I imagine that there are no "low stress" nursing jobs...I'm not looking for no stress...just a LOT less than what I'm experiencing in acute care.
I am also looking for some of the following perks (maybe I'm a dreamer, but let me have that dream anyway):
* Mon- Friday regular daytime hours
* No holidays
* a real meal break guaranteed every work day (without 1,001 interruptions)
* working directly with people/patients at least some of the time
* being able to collaborate with peers or colleagues
* a slower pace (not a slow pace...I don't mind busy, I just am tired of the frenzied pace of hospitals)
Okay, now nurses, quit laughing! :rotfl: Am I crazy? Is there such a dream job? Do you have it? now fess up, because I want to know!

I work in an OR at a small hospital and work Mon-Fri 7-3. The only problem is that I'm stinkin bored to death and am lucky to get my 40 hours in because we don't have many patients. Wish I could find that perfect job where I'm challenged for the whole 8 hours I'm there and go home content.

Dixielee, BSN, RN · Aug 6, 2004

PACU in an outpatient surgery center is the ticket! If I lived close enough to one now, I think that is what I might do. I have done it before and it is great. Usually there is a low turnover of staff because it is such a good job. No call, no week ends or holidays, usually good pay especially if affiliated with a hospital. You still get to do patient care but people are not very sick, usually have few complications, they get well and you feel like you have done something good. Generally patients are clean, not drunk and are appreciative of what you do. The drawback is that it can get very boring. It is fairly routine but that is the tradeoff. If you work PACU in a hospital it is not nearly as boring because you get sicker patients, ICU patients, called in the middle of the night for something potentially interesting, etc., but you have call, which may include week ends and holidays. Again, a tradeoff but the pay and benefits are usually good.

bloxi · Aug 6, 2004

I work in a hospital cardiology department. MUCH slower pace!!, and yet very serious situations occur with stress testing. So I can eat my lunch - potty when I need to - leave on time with my nerves and brain intact and yet be challenged and get into occasional high-stress situations. I also very much have been able to keep my IV skills. I was always an ER nurse and I wanted a more 'normal' nursing job but still wanted some excitement. I work M-F 7-4, no weekends, no holidays.

It has just been a year - I really still miss the ER - but this might be the type of situation you are looking for especially if you like heart patients.

MarcusKspn · Aug 6, 2004

I am working in a Home Health office. 8-5 PM, no holidays, always a break, no call. But I always have the option to do evening and weekend visits, but only if I want to. That give me a chance to keep up with my skills while I'm going to school to get my RN license.

Chrislynn2003 · Aug 6, 2004

As some already mentioned, the OR. Now it's not always a M-F type of job unless you just do outpatient surgery in a small setting. I primarily work M-F, but we do have Saturday cases and we have 11p-7a call M-F and weekend call. But I don't think my job is "low stress". Good luck.

Christine

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Aug 6, 2004

As some already mentioned, the OR. Now it's not always a M-F type of job unless you just do outpatient surgery in a small setting. I primarily work M-F, but we do have Saturday cases and we have 11p-7a call M-F and weekend call. But I don't think my job is "low stress". Good luck.
Christine

Christine - I have to agree, I didn't find anything "low stress" about working in the OR. I have worked trauma OR (docs were high strung, to say the least), general surgery (which wasn't too bad when I was in any non-ortho case, but oooohhhh I HATED orthopedics!), CVOR (call out the wazoo - worked about 70 hours a week) and in an outpatient surgery center (docs who thought they were little demi-gods because of their partial ownership of the center - UGH! Definitely were not pleasant to work with).

I enjoy the off shifts and I love the NICU, but I realize its not for everyone. I have to have a certain amount of stress to maintain interest, but I don't like dealing with visitors - that's why OR was so appealing to me, no visitors in there. I'm sure people mean well and do not mean to get in the way and take you away from more important things, but that is exactly what most of them do.

I am not an early morning person and I would hate working 5 days per week. On the other hand, 12-hour shifts can be so hard on the body. It's all give and take I guess. I'm looking for something I can do to supplement working in the NICU. I don't like doing anything all the time - I get bored. That's probably the biggest plus about nursing is that you can do something completely different and still not change careers.