Switching Careers After only 1 yr

BrookeeLou_RN · Mar 12, 2011

I totally agree.. take some time off to get sane again.. then process your feelings. I suspect it is your current position you hate not nursing.. Changing positions after A yr is pretty common. Do not quit till you find something else but do not agree to do any overtime in mean time!!

Work on finding a job where you think you would feel better.. all nursing is stressful and all employers push to the max.. You must be strong and set the limits. You can do this. Best of luck in your choices.

martymoose, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2011

totally relate- today was a bad day, and my thoughts were ok, do i quit now- which means I lose my house and insurance? I dont see my family anymore. Yes it s like being married to the job. Always short staffed. Always being told youre not a team player if you dont come in and help.One of my co-workers said " boy you need a drink- we should get one some time" I was like why- getting bombed only covers thing up temporarily and then your are back in reality. why bother. I a,m fried fried fried, but if I quit I have no income and no house. just dont know what to do.

so I completely understand.

btw OP if you are changing careers, what are you changing to?

GM2RN · Mar 12, 2011

People need to realize though, that 12 hr shifts are NEVER 12 hours. If you can tolerate three 13-14 hr shifts a week, go for it.

Of course, that's a given, especially once you factor in 1/2 hour for lunch and travel time to and from work. But if one is consistently staying over to finish work, then time mananegment needs to be tweeked.

However, the point I was making is that if the OP is working 6 out of 8 shifts, she is working more days than required by choice and should cut back to see if that makes enough of a difference.

DeeAngel · Mar 12, 2011

I schedule myself for 3 12 hr shifts per week, it's all I'm willing to work. I could work many more days if I wanted but I always let my answering machine pick up every call and just pretend to work that I was not at home. Every nurse I know does this - you have to to have any kind of private life.

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2011

It's interesting that one poster wants to be a teacher now. My first job out of college was teaching high school science, and I had to get the hell out of that so I quit mid-year my second year.

Note: I didn't major in that in college. I just fell into it.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Mar 12, 2011

My first year I worked 8hrs nights. It was horrible. I loved what I did, but I was not sleeping more than 3-4 hours between shifts, I had NO social life, and I was getting sick from the lack of sleep so my doctor was threatening me to put me on disability for exhaustion. I now work 12hr day shifts after we voted to have a mixed until and a bunch of people quit (not as a result of the mixed unit; just various reasons) and I am 110% happier. Are you working 6 days a week because you are picking up an extra shift working 8s or are you working 6 12's in a week? Either way they can not make you work extra shifts; although I understand the pressure to work an extra shift when the department is short.

miteacher, ADN, MSN · Mar 12, 2011

I would not recommend going into elementary education. The jobs are extremely difficult to find unless you want to move to a rural area in the middle of nowhere, and even then it is tough. The workload is difficult, and I often find myself working several hours a day beyond my school day. I also spend hundreds of dollars of my own money on my supplies that the school refuses to supply.

There are also other issues. I started the year with 35 kids in my classroom this year in fourth grade. Many of my students were working at a first grade level. I think teaching is no different in terms of being exposed to poor working conditions, or being overworked. Many states are taking away the rights of teachers, and jobs are no longer secure. THe pay is another negative thing about being a teacher. You could also get stuck with a crappy administrator who doesn't care about discipline. I have been threatened by my students, and put in situations I feel that are unsafe.

Just my two cents about elem. ed. I am the opposite of you, and going into nursing after 3 years of teaching.

NaKcl, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2011

Nursing profession demands a lot of your time.

like someone said earlier, you don't have to work more than you are scheduled for. They may pressure you to work more, but you are not obligate to commit to that.

Since you have been a nurse for a year, you can work as per diem or prn. It gives you much flexibility on your schedule.

If you don't have have the benefits, I think per diem status works great for the working mothers with small children.

I don't have small children but after dealing with so much of difficulty in arranging schedule, I decided to work as a per diem nurse. I pick the days that fits my schedule, the shif with people I rather work with, and it is working out pretty good so far.

Extra shift=extra $$, but it is at your life's expense. Children grow so fast, no amount of money can compensate the time you are missing during your kid's growth. :nurse:

anotherone, BSN, RN · Mar 13, 2011

Don't get me wrong, I love nursing, but, I can definately see why many leave the field and why many just get burnt out. I feel like I have aged 10 yrs in the 1 yr that I have been nursing. We are always short staffed, the schedules suck and management doesnt give a crap if you have a family that needs you to be home a few days a week. I feel like as a married mother of 2 that my job takes too much away from the people that I love the most. For example, this past week I worked 6 out of 8 days and I am sorry but I need to rest, not only for my own sanity but for the safety of my patients and the 2 small children that I have to care for when I am not at work. For the mothers out there you know that we NEVER have a day off. It just irks me that some managers think you can work like a robot. I stay in nursing bc i love my patients just wish I had another venue to take care of them. Can anyone relate?

I chose to be single just like others chose to be mothers but i feel the same way. The management where I work is the same and you know what PLENTY of nurses come in whenever they are called and work 6/7 12 hour days a week . Since some do this if you don't you are looked down upon and it will come up I sure as not being a team player. I have had other type of jobs and most where like this from office work to retail to restaurants. i think it is just part of having a job. Many people are willing to sacrifice their personal life for their career/job so managers think everyone should do this.

anotherone, BSN, RN · Mar 13, 2011

I don't have kids, i'm not married yet but I can start to feel the beginning phase of reality shock which will eventually lead me to the burn out phase. With that being said I can't imaging how tough it must be for you and changing careers after just 1 year seems like the best solution but it's not. Just realize that this is part of the burn out phase where you will feel like you may want to switch careers but first try to change a few things. Tell your boss you need the time off for the safety of your patients and for your own health. Remember, you got this far to become a nurse, don't give up without a fight. I know you must be so exhausted but don't give up until you truly feel like nursing isn't for you. The 1st year is always the hardest for us new nurses and just like in nursing school, it will either make you or break you. I wold maybe suggest transferring to a different department where it's less taxing on you and your life/family (but what nursing position isn't taxing on us?). Try that before really throwing in the towel because i truly believe that nursing is a fulfilling career once we pass the burn out phase. Good luck to you. = )

When do you know it is just a phase ? After how long of feeling this way is it ok to quit? I have heard nurses who have been doing the job 20-30 years tell me they feel this way still...........

anotherone, BSN, RN · Mar 13, 2011

I schedule myself for 3 12 hr shifts per week, it's all I'm willing to work. I could work many more days if I wanted but I always let my answering machine pick up every call and just pretend to work that I was not at home. Every nurse I know does this - you have to to have any kind of private life.

Some nurses do this at my job but many don't and come in. Plus we are constantly being mandated to stay up to 16 hour shifts.

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN · Mar 13, 2011

I would not recommend going into elementary education. The jobs are extremely difficult to find unless you want to move to a rural area in the middle of nowhere, and even then it is tough. The workload is difficult, and I often find myself working several hours a day beyond my school day. I also spend hundreds of dollars of my own money on my supplies that the school refuses to supply.
There are also other issues. I started the year with 35 kids in my classroom this year in fourth grade. Many of my students were working at a first grade level. I think teaching is no different in terms of being exposed to poor working conditions, or being overworked. Many states are taking away the rights of teachers, and jobs are no longer secure. THe pay is another negative thing about being a teacher. You could also get stuck with a crappy administrator who doesn't care about discipline. I have been threatened by my students, and put in situations I feel that are unsafe.
Just my two cents about elem. ed. I am the opposite of you, and going into nursing after 3 years of teaching.

To add; if the weekends, summer, spring, and Christmas break is appealing then think again. Christmas break seems shorter than it used to be as are summer breaks. Much of the time you get off in the summer will be spent in in-service training. Weekends will be spent grading papers and planning lessons if you're dedicated. I wasn't obviously, lol. When I quit teaching the state required all teachers to receive 60 continuing education hours EVERY year. Right now the same state requires RNs to receive 15 hours of continuing education every TWO years. :rolleyes: With increased income and the opportunity to work three 12 hour shifts a month I'd say nurses have the cake on the benefits end of the deal. Heck, even elementary students will spit on you, curse you, fight you, and burn your house down these days. You're on your feet constantly as a teacher just as you are a nurse. Record keeping is essential, and no student is the same just as no patient is the same. Prioritization is keep in teaching just as it is in nursing. The two fields are similar. One may not be better than the other, but I'd rather be a nurse than a teacher. However, I really wouldn't care to do nursing five days per week. Three or four every other week seems like enough. I did a psych observation recently and the RN on duty did two 16s and an 8 every week. Dang. I could dig that.