Quitting

[JJ1991]

Hi there,

This my first post on here but I need some help/advice of some sort. I am genuinely thinking of leaving nursing.

Just a bit of back story I am a paediatric nurse who has been qualified 2 years or so working on a NICU. I have been off for a long time due to pregnancy illness/maternity leave. As I work in a NHS hospital I have to go back from maternity leave for at least 3 months or pay back my maternity leave.

i went into nursing to go into community care specifically health visiting. As you all know their are absolutely no jobs in this field and the one interview I did have for a band 5 position went to someone with more experience. I cannot carry on with what I’m doing along with ongoing medical issue due to my pregnancy and new childcare concerns (I now have two children) I am so disheartened from working the front line with all the short staffing, blame culture, awful shifts and the fact I cannot get a job within the field I want.

Obviously I cannot up and quit with two children but I just need some advice on what I can do. I need better hours a better life balance and better working conditions. I feel trapped in the position I’m in I know I picked a very specific field to start in but I feel so under qualified and just rubbish.

sorry for the long post and please no judgements I love the patients and parents I work with I’m just so tired already.

[skylark, BSN, RN]

I'm not entirely clear what your grievance is?

So you had a lot of time off, have come back to work, and want better working conditions. What specifically are you asking for?

If you have child care issues, then its easiest to work something that is 9 to 5. Outpatients maybe?

Some clinical areas are prepared to be very flexible in order to retain key staff. I was fortunate that my A&E allowed me to work Mon to Fri 8 to 4 when I was a single parent, so can you request similar school hours?

Health visiting is a separate qualification, I think its a community practitioner degree, but I'm overseas now so not up to date with post reg training at all. But you have minimal experience, and training places are highly sought after, so its not going to be an option until you have a few more years experience.