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.

[DeeAngel]

If you would be taking a pay cut to take another job would it be feasible to drop working down to two days a week? I am assuming your full time is 3 days a week here, or you could even just drop two days a month. My last employers was extremely flexible and I know many are not.

Is there something you can change at home to get more rest, blackout shades, white noise machines etc? I found blackout shades to be a must have for night shift workers. Try to work with what you have where you are before changing jobs.

[AliNajaCat]

Get out of the hospital. There is a huge big world out here where you can have greater control over your work-life balance.

I hear you about not be interested in case management but if all you know about it is the discharge planners you see in the hospital you are really not seeing the bigger picture. My first out of hospital job was in work comp case management, and I can pretty much guarantee you don't have a clue about that --or how much fun it can be, and what doors it opens for you. I never went back to hospitals, but have had a wonderful career as a nurse. Imagine.

Just for fun, look up the online lists of nursing specialties. I'll bet that as a pretty new nurse who's only worked a year-plus of nights you've never even heard of some of them. Spend a day or two just messing around online checking on scopes and standards of practice, what it might take to get started and then certified, and maybe attend a specialty organization chapter meeting to schmooze and network. Sometimes all we need is a fresh perspective to feel better about things.

Good luck! Let us know what happens.

[kendoes_2000]

I think it depends on where you are located whethr in a large city or rural area. I'm in a rurl area and the best jobs here are the home care option in my opinion. especially if you like the sharing more in a patient one on one nursing aspect of it. I like it a lot. there are some possible drawbacks tho too. generally the pay Is not as much as in a hospital setting but the stress can be lots less. too the care varies from patient to patient but some are pretty much full care to some just need basic help a few minutes a day then on to the next patient. so it is not all one thing. great for a single nurse student too if needing a livein position too.

[Longleggedstar]

You kind of sound like you just need a break..I smell burn out all over your post. You don't HAVE to move around because it's been a year and half. When you do find a specialty or something you love, the more med/surg experience you have the better! You've expressed that your not sure what you want to do. I suggest being still until you have an idea. But definitely take a break dear our health is important too!

Good Luck!

Extra: If the advice of taking a break and just being still doesn't tickle your fancy--outside hospital jobs you might try as an RN are Treatment nurse in LTC, home health, QA nurse (nurses who give prior authorization for home health visits from insurance companies), school nurse.

[MrNurse(x2), ADN]

Your request isn't that crazy. I left floor nursing after decades, and it is the best decision I have ever made. No matter what area you look in, you will make less. Home health deals with 1 patient at a time, lots of documentation that you can take home with you. School nursing pays much less, but is 180 days +/- per year. You are normally isolated so you need to be comfortable working independently. Case management, may need more experience, but you can work from home, again, you are isolated. Hope this gets you thinking outside that box that is the hospital.

[chacha82, ADN, BSN]

If you leave acute care inpatient, you will most likely take a paycut. I would suggest trying a different floor of the hospital but still inpatient. You could also do home health, but I believe that will be a paycut.

[Workitinurfava, BSN, RN]

Seems like you have pretty much done it all. and honestly I can't offer you any advice other than, stick with it or do something else.

[Everline]

I left the floor and went to work at an outpatient community clinic and it was the best thing I could have done. My particular job as a hospital floor nurse was pure hell for me. I dreaded every shift and spent every shift feeling like I was on the brink of having a heart attack. When I left the hospital and went to work outpatient, I got my life and my peace of mind back. It's not to say there was no stress, because it definitely had its stressful points. But it was the kind of stress that went away once I got into my car to go home and I didn't dread going to work. I also made about the same hourly rate as I did at the hospital. I have no regrets for that decision. I do believe I would work in a hospital again, but not on a high acuity med-surg floor.

[NotYourMamasRN]

I am transitioning out of nursing, for many of the same reasons you are discussing.

[sltrbovich]

I felt the same fairly quickly after starting to work. I was an OB nurse and worked mother-baby, L&D, and high risk OB. I loved what I did and I still have a passion for OB nursing, but it was just too much. I didn't want to leave OB, so I went back to school. Now I am a nursing instructor and I love it. It's a different type of work, all daylight, and you still get to see patients during clinical teaching. Once in a while I moonlight on my old unit when I am craving to get back on the unit.

Have you you looked into furthering your education to move on?

[Callmeflo84]

Seems like a lot of nurses on here yelling at the member for being unsure of what they want, fellow nurses...that is why this person are asking for advice:) I got exhausted working cardiology/medicine floor nursing and went to Critical care. BEST DECISION EVER. You have two sick patients but only ever two, the stress level I find to be much more manageable and very rewarding. I went to ICU after after two and a half years, you could definitely do it! Go and shadow and give it a whirl!

[Pinky16]

I can feel your pain OP and empathize. I worked nights on medsurg/hemeonc for two years and then switched to days on the same floor thinking the shift would make a change. It did for a while and then I went back to hating my job again. I ultimately left for outpatient endoscopy which I love. I work 4 ten hour shifts. No nights, weekends or holidays and no call. I took a small pay cut but with working 40hrs instead of 36 it really is marginal. I still get to do all of the nursing stuff I love (IV starts and then assisting with sedation, procedures biopsies etc) but I have no more than 1 patient at a time in prep/procedures and only 2-3 in recovery. There are other options out there and don't be afraid to make a change.