Stress free nursing?

Sour Lemon · Mar 23, 2017

Hi! Would love to hear from someone who are not stressed at work. Where do you work ? I work in a very high acuity job and find myself often very anxious about work and looking for a career switch but still hoping to stay in a hospital setting. I realize personality and years of experience plays a big part here so feel free to let me know how you are able to stay relatively stress free at work. My only experiences so far is critical care and medsurge

I work in a community hospital in behavioral health and med/surg. It's probably the lowest stress job I've had for a few reasons.

1. It's in California with enforced ratios. I never have more than 5 patients in med/surg or 6 in behavioral health.

2. The hospital actually staffs a lot better than they have to most nights. It's unusual for me to have more than 4 patients on either unit.

3. The smallness of the place allows me to get to know everyone in every department. So when I call lab or RT, I'm dealing with familiar people who I like. There are a smaller pool of doctors to deal with, as well.

4. I work per diem and have complete control over my schedule.

5. I live very close to work and can roll out of bed at the last minute without being late. I can also park right by the entrance. These seem like little things, but I tend to wonder what's waiting for me on the way to work and I have less time to wonder this way. I also get to spend more time with my family instead of stuck in traffic.

6. We have free charge nurses who also answer call lights and route appropriate staff to patients' rooms. Since they are nurses, themselves, I never hear "Room 205 wants to talk to the nurse." They'll actually find out what the patient needs. They even take and make calls to doctors when needed ...and put in orders!!

7. The CNAs are excellent and cooperative ...and it probably helps that we're (nurses) not overloaded and have more time to work together with them.

8. The climate is very non-punitive. They don't sweat the small stuff.

...but the patients are still very heavy, and it's still work! ...and I would still quit right now if I won the lottery.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 23, 2017

I am a case manager with a desk job that is far removed from the floors or units. In fact, I work from a home office. This minimizes my stress levels substantially.

My role is not stress-free. I still must meet predetermined productivity requirements each week. However, this job entails far less stress than the floor/bedside.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Mar 23, 2017

Clinical nurse educator. Love what I do!!

Libby1987 · Mar 23, 2017

I'm doing something now that I've been preparing for my entire career but I wouldn't call it stress free. I can't honestly think of anything stress free but non stressed out? Rural home health case manager living in my patient territory where I worked primarily from home, worked with wonderful staff and caredfor endearing patients families (vast majority of them), made a good living, knew my resources well with flex schedule having never missed anything significant for my kids.

MrNurse(x2), ADN · Mar 23, 2017

School nurse for small private school. I would honestly do this volunteer if work was optional. Back in 1990, I truly had no stress at work in acute care setting for a religious based hospital system. Pre health care reform.

NanaPoo · Mar 23, 2017

School Nurse for a small private school. Incredibly low stress job. BUT, the other side is that my finances can become stressful because school nursing pay can be really, really BAD. But the schedule is fabulous and if I wanted to I could easily pick up extra hours on the weekend or a summer job.

SaltineQueen · Mar 23, 2017

School nurse for a small (300ish) K-3 elementary. Most days are pretty low stress and I absolutely love it! It does take an emotional toll on me some days, and I worry about some kids over breaks and summer.

As NanaPoo mentioned, low pay might cause stress, but I'm fortunate to have a husband whose job provides well for our family.

missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN · Mar 23, 2017

There are a few reasons why my nights are stress-free. Nurse to patient ratios, co-workers, time, and available resources.

I work in a progressive care unit with a nurse to patient ratio of 1:3. Some weeks my patients have been there a while and are much better, making for a fairly easy night. Other weeks I have 2 hot messes from the ICU because beds were needed, so they send us their "most stable" patients to make room. My other patient will be stable. Regardless of what type of patients I have, the ratio makes any night doable.

The main reason I am not stressed is because I have co-workers I can count on. I don't have to ask for help, they offer it, as do I with them. My floor has 2 progressive care nurses, one tech, and six beds. The three of us ensure that there is patient continuity, the assignment is fair, and no single nurse is overloaded. If one of the two nurses is busier, we will split up the groups for the incoming morning nurses. There are times when the shift is more stressful than it could be due to the luck of getting a new assignment. I used to be stressed every single shift when I first started, but that has eased up due to experience.

That brings us to time. I've been a nurse in neuroscience for almost 2 years. The first year was rough and stressful, but as you gain experience it becomes easier. At two years of experience, I can say that I am competent. There are still those patients with issues that throw me for a loop. When that happens, I have multiple resources.

I work at a University hospital which means there is not just one neurosurgeon in the building, but generally four neurosurgeons I could call if I have an issue. I have a certified nurse expert at my disposal (sometimes two) if I have questions or need an extra set of eyes. I call pharmacy if I question an order, and the ICU is ten feet away if I can't get ahold of any of the above. We also have a Nurse Practitioner in the ICU that I can call, and there is also rapid response. Rapid is not just called for a code, they are also a resource.

I may change floors in this hospital at some point, but I have no plans to leave. The hospital I work at is amazing.