Taking a pay cut for my sanity?

[DierkyBrewster]

I am an fairly new LPN (graduated in 2014) who currently works in LTC. I have been at my facility for over 2 years and I make decent wages. $17.50 to be exact, and with the rotating 12 hour shifts ibalso get around 10 hours of overtime on each check.

The money is great. But the hours, work, regulations, and upper management politics have stressed me to the max, causing major burn out. I'm on anti anxiety meds, BP meds, and the last couple of months my bosses have been on top of me over small errors (nothing threatening pts, mostly documentation related) and have put me on a 90 day probation period. I'm only 25 and I feel 55. I've been in LTC a total of over 5 years, -'d have missed so many holidays and family events I can't even keep up. I haven't been able to return to school to persue my RN because this job overwhelms my life. I'm supposed to work 6-6 but the majority of the time it ends up being 5:30-7 or 8pm. I'm just tired of it.

Not one but two opportunities have came up for new jobs. Both of them are your typical 8-5, mon-fri jobs. One is in a Pharmacy, 0 direct care, mostly computer work and dealing with insurance. The other is a specialty clinic for geriatric pts. The hours are great, and NO holidays?? I have never had a job where I didn't have to come in on holidays. And I would be able to go back to school too. Both of them sound like great jobs, except I would be taking a major pay cut. I would only be making $13-14 an hour. Without my overtime that I'm used to. My husband works too, but makes even less than that. We relied a lot on my income. And while I know that we would be making enough for our bills to be paid, we won't have a lot of wiggle room whatsoever. I guess what I'm asking is if you were in my shoes, what would you do?

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

The higher wage you make now won't make a difference if you're dead or disabled from health concerns. Go for the sanity-saving job and go back to school- it'll be a long term investment in your future...

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

On BP meds at age 25? You need to find a way to make the pay cut work. Buy a Dave Ramsey book or another financial planning book. It is not worth it to have that much stress.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Last year I accepted a lower-stress position that resulted in a $13,000 yearly pay cut. I do not regret it, although I do miss the additional income.

Sometimes quality of life takes precedence over quantity of money.

[smartassmommy]

Pay cut and back to school

[RN2BE83]

I actually have a very similar situation. Went from working fulltime nights in the ED and having a prn ED position, then switched to days because my mom passed away and I did have any help with my kids any more at night. It was still extremely hard on the days I worked because daycare closes at 6pm and school doesn't open tile 730, so I ended up taking a m-f no weekend, no holidays position. Took about a $16000 paycut and paying an extra $5500 a year for after school care, but I'm home every night with my kids, I dont have to worry about how I'm going to get them to school or get them home after schools. Being a case manager is a lot less stressful than an ED nurse, it has its stressors but its very different. I don't know what I'm going to do about school breaks yet, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I know I made the right choice and a feel like I'm a different more happier person because of it. My kids are 5 and 6 and they'll only be this age once and I'm thankfull I'm able to be home for it all now. I get that living is expensive but money ist everything and if you can swing it, I say go for it.

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