Venting About Leaving Bedside

[anewsns]

First, I need to safely vent. I've done my time at the bedside for over 11 years now and have had ups and downs in my mindset, but lately SOMETHING in my heart just changed. Truthfully, I've never really loved it, but liked it/tolerated enough to keep going. I just powered through most of the time. I got into nursing because when I was in my early 20s I figured nursing would be a secure job with OK pay and also would be satisfying . At the same time, I'm not even really a hands on person! I don't care for the hard skills of nursing except for a few very random things, (foley insertions and trach care, dilt drips, IM shots), but overall nursing was a strange choice . I AM great at this job, people tell me that in all sorts of ways. I always looked on the bright side of the job such as cute old ladies , making a visible difference, feeling valued, and working with a team. Lately my brain cant ignore all the bad stuff. The rude patients, overbearing families, condescending coworkers, politics, patient satisfaction obsession. decline in working conditions. Now, I know most workplaces have politics and some bad apples, but dealing with them in an already harsh environment is killing my spirit lately. 

Second part. I've applied for a transfer center nurse job recently and pretty sure I can get that job and am a good fit (for multiple reasons.) But I'm very scared to leave bedside. Has anyone been in patient flow/bed flow positions? What were the pros and cons of that job? I would like some encouragement! 

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

Sounds like you're ready to make a change, and it's probably worth the switch to try something new. I have two friends that went from bedside to a bed management position and they both said the decreased stress level is fantastic. Good luck with your decision. 

[amoLucia]

Ditto to above post. You're sounding burnt out in earnest.  

[JKL33]

1 hour ago, anewsns said:

But im very scared to leave bedside.

Don't be. Many of us in one way or another bought into the idea that patient care inside a hospital is the (only) worthy work for a real nurse. It isn't true.

Fear of the unknown can keep us from better opportunities or from making all kinds of personal improvements across various facets of our lives. I strongly recommend that if people are pretty sure they're ready for a serious change, don't mess around. You'll be pretty upset if you wake up 5 years from now in the same place feeling the same exact things. What a waste, you know? If you try something new and seriously don't like it, go back to a bedside job--or you may find at that point that you've branched out a little and now see even more possibilities for what you could do next. But inertia, when you have thoughts of trying something different, can really limit your peace and happiness in life.

Get a positive mindset and go make your change! ??

[anewsns]

1 hour ago, JBMmom said:

Sounds like you're ready to make a change, and it's probably worth the switch to try something new. I have two friends that went from bedside to a bed management position and they both said the decreased stress level is fantastic. Good luck with your decision. 

Thank you! A friend who worked in bed management said the same thing, but its nice to have any extra confirmation. I don't want to get too far into a "grass is greener" attitude so I like to know what im signing up for. 

[anewsns]

14 minutes ago, JKL33 said:

Don't be. Many of us in one way or another bought into the idea that patient care inside a hospital is the (only) worthy work for a real nurse. It isn't true.

Fear of the unknown can keep us from better opportunities or from making all kinds of personal improvements across various facets of our lives. I strongly recommend that if people are pretty sure they're ready for a serious change, don't mess around. You'll be pretty upset if you wake up 5 years from now in the same place feeling the same exact things. What a waste, you know? If you try something new and seriously don't like it, go back to a hospital job--or you may find that you've branched out a little and now see even more possibilities for what you could do next. But inertia, when you have thoughts of trying something different, can really limit your peace and happiness in life.

Get a positive mindset and go make your change! ??

Yes its so true. I've worked 3 different nursing jobs (and other jobs for comparison) and one day (literally just one day)  a few months ago and I was like "is this feeling at work ever going away?" . As many of us know it can be cyclical. Youre finding some joy for some months but then you swing into a burn out phase again. And no matter if I feel good or bad, I still experience more stress than needed. I am excellent at this job but I am not a natural so it takes extra stress and energy to keep it up. Also, bedside will ALWAYS be hands on and im not sure I will ever be happy with that for myself. I greatly admire that trait in others.

 I said to my husband I didn't know how many burnout cycles I had left in me. He asked " if you go back into a better phase, would you stay, even knowing youll continue this cycle?" And I said "yes! I will always buy some more happy time there." And he goes "why?" And I really didn't have a good answer. My unit is the best of the best, truly. I think other units see us as spoiled. It's still a bit too much for me though. Your post gave me a good serotonin boost, thanks! 

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

On 8/21/2021 at 1:21 PM, anewsns said:

Lately my brain cant ignore all the bad stuff. The rude patients, overbearing families, condescending coworkers, politics, patient satisfaction obsession. decline in working conditions. Now, I know most workplaces have politics and some bad apples, but dealing with them in an already harsh environment is killing my spirit lately. 

Welcome to the club.?