Sick of floor nursing, what now?

[r0seRN]

I'm getting tired of floor nursing. And I'm getting burnt out on night shift.

I've only been nursing for a year and a half. We're always told that med-surg is where you should start to get your experience. I just don't know where to go from here. What do you do when you don't WANT to advance to another area (within the hospital)? I don't want ICU/ED/L&D/Mother/baby/PACU/OR/Charge nursing/Case management.

I love everything about the job of night shift, but it's killing my body. I miss sleeping normal human hours, and being awake for the day. I miss the sun. However, it's not as simple as switch to days”. No way in HELL I would work dayshift on the floor. Less pay, more stress, more families and doctors and discharges. No thanks.

The only non-hospital options I can come up with are all ones that include a paycut, but I'm seriously at the point to where the money isn't worth the physical and mental exhaustion anymore. I'm considering home care, clinics, doctors offices, or one of those work from home insurance approval positions.

I don't need the excitement or challenge that drive some people. I like stable, steady, routine. I want to do my job, know that I helped someone in some way, and go home. I don't want to feel like I'm spread so thin that I barely get the tasks done, not able to give a patient quality care because I have to rush off to another, walking on eggshells, and sit here on my days off dreading the next day.

I feel stuck.

I would appreciate advice from those like me who have made the change from floor nursing to other positions, and how it turned out for you.

[Sour Lemon]

I find psych nursing somewhat relaxing compared to med/surg. In fact, I'd say I get a little underwhelmed, at times. There are different types of units, though ...so stress level can vary. And I work in a hospital that floats me to med/surg at least half the time lately, because they know I have med/surg experience and a lot of the nurses that I work with do not.

Working per diem has also helped sooooo much. It's wonderful to have control over my schedule and be able to establish some sort of routine with my home life. My benefits are limited, though (not a problem), and I'm among the first to get cut when census is low (also not a problem). These things can be problems for some people, though.

[bear94, BSN, RN]

Currently pending a job change from an ER nurse at a level one trauma center, to an ER Clinical Supervisor/RN at a rural, 8 bed ER. Will keep you in mind and let you know how this transition goes for me.

I won't go into great detail about why I am making the switch, but to sum it up, I enjoy high acuity, but do not enjoy a non-stop, frightening flow of people I have to take under my wing. I don't like being so busy that I am neglecting other people's needs- it puts me and the patient in a bad situation.

I am sure there will be days where I drown at this new, tiny, rural ER, but I am doubtful it will be every single day. I had three interviews before getting the job and every time I went in, there wasn't a single patient present (my interviews were always between 2-4, which are some of the busiest hours where I still currently work). The thing that really sent me over the edge to apply for this job at the rural hospital, and accept the position, is when I nearly died from falling asleep at the wheel on my way home from the hospital I currently work at. The hospital I currently work at is an hour away from my home, and the rural hospital is only a 15 minute drive.

Good luck to you.

[DowntheRiver]

I love, love, love Community Health/Public Health. I'm a Community Health Nurse. No call, only weekends very occasionally IF I want to. I make my own schedule and can flex my hours as I see fit. I work in the community, perform outreach, and work in the clinic. It is a pay cut but it was worth getting my sanity back. I used to have to work every third weekend, and even then it wasn't very fair at my last job. With this job I have all holidays off, paid vacation, paid sick leave, tuition reimbursement, and excellent benefits. I did take a pay cut but ultimately it wasn't too bad. I did stay PRN at my old job in case something comes up and I need to work extra shifts.

[showbizrn]

wish I could hear from someone who has been there, made the change, and give me some kind of hope that there are better options out there that are worth making the change. I just can't see myself doing this forever. I did home care on a free-lance basis during the daytime hours IN ADDITION to working nights because I WANTED SOMETHING DIFFERENT!!!

And I got it--- less pressure, more independence, more relaxed patients/families---I liked it and did it for about two years. The extra money wasn't bad either.

But that was MY CHOICE!

YOU DO YOU!---but it takes courage and perseverance to experiment and jump into a Job mix that's not the necessary "tried and true."

It's you doing you!

Many blessings and much success!

[Julius Seizure]

I worked for a while in a radiology recovery unit. It was in the hospital, recovering patients who were given propofol sedation for CT scans and things like that. 1-2 patients at a time, then they discharged home or back to their acute care floor if they were inpatient. I did 4 ten hour shifts a week; no weekends, no holidays. It wasn't the right place for me long term, but it might be great for you - it was much slower pace and routine work compared to working on a regular floor. Other places might call this, or similar, "day hospital".

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

That is a wonderful thought, but not doable at this point in my life (bills, etc). I know I need a change, I'm just scared to make the jump and put myself out there. I've become comfortable at doing the job. It's the environment, schedule, and stress of the hospital/acute setting that is getting to me. I wish I could hear from someone who has been there, made the change, and give me some kind of hope that there are better options out there that are worth making the change. I just can't see myself doing this forever.

I left the hospital for a Mon-Fri job almost 5 years ago. I worked inpatient pediatrics for the first 4 1/2 years of my career. I never thought I wanted a Mon-Fri but, now that I have it, I never want anything else.

When I left the hospital, I went to work in pediatric home care. I managed a pediatric skilled visit program and split my time between seeing patients in the field and doing in office clinical management. I loved the job but the company was poorly run. I also had to rotate on-call on the weekends, which was annoying.

After just over 3 years of doing that, I started looking for a change again. That time, I only sought out Mon-Fri opportunities. The idea of having a work schedule that is drastically different than all my friends' or my boyfriend's is unfathomable at this point to me. I am now back at the hospital I originally worked at but as a liaison. I am not employed by them but spend 40 hours/week there setting up patients who need to go home with services.

[Julius Seizure]

I left the hospital for a Mon-Fri job almost 5 years ago. I worked inpatient pediatrics for the first 4 1/2 years of my career. I never thought I wanted a Mon-Fri but, now that I have it, I never want anything else.

When I left the hospital, I went to work in pediatric home care. I managed a pediatric skilled visit program and split my time between seeing patients in the field and doing in office clinical management. I loved the job but the company was poorly run. I also had to rotate on-call on the weekends, which was annoying.

After just over 3 years of doing that, I started looking for a change again. That time, I only sought out Mon-Fri opportunities. The idea of having a work schedule that is drastically different than all my friends' or my boyfriend's is unfathomable at this point to me. I am now back at the hospital I originally worked at but as a liaison. I am not employed by them but spend 40 hours/week there setting up patients who need to go home with services.

Is your job peds focused still? I've often thought I would love to look for a M-F job slightly further from the bedside, but I feel a little limited with only pediatric experience.

[guest464345]

+1 for Public Health/Community Health! My particular job might not be for you (it's an office job, in Epidemiology) but there are so many other options - home visits with new moms, nutrition teaching, HIV/STD clinic, refugee clinics, vaccination outreach. I have all the time I need to spend talking to my patients, every day; I'm not just grinding through patients so that someone can bill their insurance. Everyone in our department is 9-5 Mon-Fri, all holidays off. I take on-call weekends about twice/year, and most of the time no one even calls. Definitely a pay cut, but the benefits partly make up for it...and, I love my job, I love my coworkers, and my life is fuller outside of work.

[Palliative Care, DNP]

I have some friends that work for insurance companies. How about occupational health, tele health, school nurse, or home health?

[Lightning90]

Become a nurse practitioner!!

[Neurotic Student]

I get what you mean. I feel like I'm in a similar position. I almost got a year in med-surg, and I'm gonna leave it. I finally got that one year experience and I don't ever want to work in a hospital ever again. NEVER. I'm thinking about what I should do next, if I should go back to psych or trying something else. I won't have a job lined up when I leave but I don't care. I started out in psych and it wasn't too bad, it depends on who you work with though and your pt population/acuity, but not as stressful as medical hospitals with their shortstaffing and expecting the RN to be responsible for everything.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

The things that come to mind when I read your post are school nursing (probably less pay), dialysis, OR, psych, day surgery, or endoscopy (the last two are probably very competitive). Does anything like that appeal?