Hi guys, really looking for some advice here I'm just not sure what to do with my career right now. Only been a nurse for a year now, have been working in psych/AOD from adults to pediatrics (5 y/o and up) so far. I apologize in advance this is probably going to be a long one. LOL
Love caring for the population but have worked for some pretty crappy employers that made things crappy to make a long story short. Was feeling like I was starting to hate being a nurse/just overall lost and decided to finally listen to everyone's advice and try working in acute care at a hospital to get down the whole NuRsInG sKiLls thing. I literally quit two months in (yeah, still on orientation I KNOW) because I felt like I was going to end up on a 3 day grippy sock vacation myself if I had to work one more shift.
Overall I'm just feeling like a failure as a nurse because I hate working as one. I know it's a hard time in healthcare right now for everyone AND I happen to be 6 months pregnant and hormonal as all get out which doesn't help, but I just want to give up on the profession as a whole for my mental well being...
That being said, I've done a lot of reading about becoming a CDA and it does sound really enticing. I've always enjoyed caring for Littles and wanted to become a teacher before going to school to be a nurse but let friends and family talk me out of it because of the pay quite frankly. I know childcare isn't all butterfly and rainbows but I do think the job better aligns with what I am good at/enjoy doing. Not only that but I could take my daughter with me to work/ save cost of childcare, have a more stable schedule, and potentially not be depressed everyday anymore! LOL I say my happiness is worth the pay cut but I still would just like to hear some confirmation or maybe some guidance, I dunno... I hear all the time about teachers switching to nursing, but was wondering if there was any nurse out there that pursued teaching??? Thoughts? Opinions?? Please go light on the roasting and thanks for taking the time to read!
We are so desperate for nurse subs they’d hire you as a sub and you could pick which days you wanted to work. That’s something no one ever considers. We don’t require the subs to have the same qualifications as a full time permanent nurse but here’s the thing, if you work as a sub for a couple years then you’ve just gained 2 yrs school nurse and acute care experience as far as the school system is concerned. It doesn’t pay as well as a hospital PRN job but it sure pays more than a daycare! Our subs have a better chance of getting hired full time than someone unknown. So something to consider. So much less stress than the hospital and a much better schedule. Call your local board of ED, ask to talk to the head of health services and you can find out if they hire subs and what the process is. Just something to think about.
I agree with giving school nursing a look, even if it seems like you wouldn't have a shot due to lack of experience. I'd also look into private nanny jobs as opposed to working at a daycare--in my area nannies are making $20-$30/hour due to enormous demand for childcare, whereas daycare workers are making $10-$15/hr.
School nursing does sound like it would be nice for you. When I was younger I did think about becoming a teacher but where I am at teachers get paid in peanuts. Money isn't everything but you do need to pay bills and have a roof over your head. I understand how hard nursing can be. My first hospital job I hated it. The drug seeking from patients, how demanding they were, so many confused patients getting out of bed and not being able to get a sitter, the list goes on. I never had a job before that gave me anxiety before going into work or crying before a sift. What I like about nursing is that there are so many specialties to switch from. Granted some are harder to get into. If you really want to teach even a nurse educator can be in your future with more experience.
How much of a pay cut would it be to switch careers? How much money do you need to make?
What if you could make more money working once a week per diem as a nurse on a weekend night shift(assuming good shift and weekend differentials, and no need to pay for childcare) than you could as a daycare teacher in a week?
What kind of work did you do before nursing? If you liked it, returning is a possibility.
while this is something to think about, I do not think this should be the main focus. Happiness means more than money. If she hates nursing, she will be wasting her life. even if she makes 2-3x more as an RN
22 hours ago, toughcookie said:
School nursing does sound like it would be nice for you. When I was younger I did think about becoming a teacher but where I am at teachers get paid in peanuts. Money isn't everything but you do need to pay bills and have a roof over your head. I understand how hard nursing can be. My first hospital job I hated it. The drug seeking from patients, how demanding they were, so many confused patients getting out of bed and not being able to get a sitter, the list goes on. I never had a job before that gave me anxiety before going into work or crying before a sift. What I like about nursing is that there are so many specialties to switch from. Granted some are harder to get into. If you really want to teach even a nurse educator can be in your future with more experience.
yes! my understanding is that school nurses make nothing to begin with. but if you stay in your position for a long time or do travel school nurse you can make $$. I work at a children's hospital and tons of my coworkers are getting a master's in school nursing. most places only require the cert, but many nurses told me that the cert requirements are so close to just getting a master's that they usually just get one
I'm definitely interested in school nursing, but don't have the acute care experience in the books to ever get called for an interview ?
I am substituting now as a school nurse. I have zero inpatient experience, and near-zero pediatric experience at all. They are so hard-up that when I went for the interview, they said “One of our full-time nurses just quit, are you interested?” I wasn’t. But if you have any interest- APPLY. Work as a sub a few times, and when a nurse quits, they will already know that you are competent and reliable.
RatherBHiking, BSN, RN
592 Posts
We are so desperate for nurse subs they’d hire you as a sub and you could pick which days you wanted to work. That’s something no one ever considers. We don’t require the subs to have the same qualifications as a full time permanent nurse but here’s the thing, if you work as a sub for a couple years then you’ve just gained 2 yrs school nurse and acute care experience as far as the school system is concerned. It doesn’t pay as well as a hospital PRN job but it sure pays more than a daycare! Our subs have a better chance of getting hired full time than someone unknown. So something to consider. So much less stress than the hospital and a much better schedule. Call your local board of ED, ask to talk to the head of health services and you can find out if they hire subs and what the process is. Just something to think about.