Want to get out of nursing, what can I do with my degree????

BOOYARN · Jul 2, 2011

very interested in what people say about this. I've seen humana ads for case manager work , i've applied many times and have not received a call or reply. but it may have something to do with the economy....

any success stories out there?

Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN · Jul 2, 2011

Hey Pale,

let me just say that you are not alone in your feelings, there are hundreds of nurses in your situation, however what I want to point out is that technically you are still a new graduate and many new nurses state that they have not felt confident and comfortable with bedside nursing until their second year, usually.

It has been my experience that most places usually want some sort of bedside/acute care experience for non-bedside positions. If the stress level is too much maybe you would enjoy something like home health.

In regards to PT, you would have to take a few more courses to qualify for a PT program and even then there is a growing trend that requires PT to obtain a doctorate degree in order to practice.

Best of Luck

evolvingrn, BSN, RN · Jul 2, 2011

case mgt is an evolving field but i think you have to have 2 to 3 years of experience in most cases. I do have friends that got jobs as case managers right out of school and they LOVE Their jobs, they do get paid quite a bit less but they work monday thru friday 8 to 430....those jobs will be expanding with health care reform. I suggest just doing a search on job websites i look weekly just for fun and there are lots of 'non-bedside' jobs out there. the problem you will most likely run into is you have less than a year of experience.... that is a tough sell. Other things to think about would be home health....one pt at a time , more of a case mgt job. what about an admissions nurse for home health? those are usually 9-5 kind of jobs . those kind of experiences can lead you to other opportunities. I suggest trying out other areas of the field until you find you niche.

sameyjaney · Jul 2, 2011

Ever thought of outpatient surgery centers? From what I hear...great hours (8-5), no on-call, low stress, increased independence, very strong sense of teamwork and collaboration etc etc.

suanna · Jul 2, 2011

Well, : "you can make a hat, or you can make a brooch, or a pterodactyl ......"

elprup, BSN, RN · Jul 2, 2011

Wow currently 18 reading this page..........hello, we are all thinking of the same thing.

BOOYARN · Jul 2, 2011

i dont get that quote???

love-d-OR · Jul 2, 2011

telephone triage, teaching in a nursing school's skills lab, office nursing, research, transplant coordinator, hospice/home health (although you will still be caring for patients its less likely you will encounter the problems of acute care settings), teach in cna or lvn schools (although I doubt you will get a position with your minimal experience, public health, school nursing... The possibilities are endless. You could also get out of nursing entirely and do something else.

love-d-OR · Jul 2, 2011

Ha! Just looked at your previous posts. You only just got out of orientation a couple of weeks ago. Be certain that your frustration has nothing to do with the stress of being new as opposed to you not liking bedside nursing. Once you are out of the acute setting, it can be hard to get back in especially in this economy. Good luck

Genista, BSN, RN · Jul 2, 2011

I feel your pain, my friend. Though I didn't want to "get out" of med surg till I was 4 years into it. I agree with the previous poster that you may want to ride it out and see if things get better after 1 year or so. It truly takes that long to feel confident in what you do (maybe even longer). But, that being said, as a RN/BSN with 12+ years experience, I am feeling like acute care is not my cup of tea either. I love direct patient care and the job itself is not bad, but the crazy insane fast paced heavy heavy work load on med surg floors is emotionally/physically/mentally taxing.

Personally, after my 1st year of med/surg, I was just like you and ready for a change.I tried some other specialties. I am now thinking of trying a new nursing job something not "acute care."At one point I also went back to school for more education into another (non medical) career, but there's no job stability there. My point being that that's the hard part...nursing jobs are wonderful in that if you can get a job, you will often have a nice stable income there. Not true for many other fields. Maybe the starting point would be to do some informational interviews/job shadows and see what interests you??? With the job market so tight, I have found that many employers won't even look at you even if you have 10+ years nursing experience...unless you are already experienced in that specialty (for example...breaking into case management, or another acute specialty). But it can't hurt to look! Follow your heart!

Aside from non acute care positions, you could try medical device sales, pharmaceutical rep, utilization review, or train for a management position. Once you leave acute care though, it might be hard to get back in, as the economy is down and competition is fierce (maybe keep a per diem or casual job if you are not sure about returning). Just my 2 cents. Good luck!! I am still searching, too. I thought I found my niche for awhile, but things changed and now I'm back searching again. I find med/surg is not my favorite place to be either, but it is a valuable place to fine tune those clinical skills. I hope you find a happier match for yourself! :nurse:

I want to get out of bedside nursing. What can I do with my degree? I have a BSN and less than a year of acute care experience. I want to do something different now. I think my body and mind cant handle the stress of bedside nursing anymore. My figure deteriorated since I started to work. There are multiple times that I didnt eat for 14 hours at work! I hold my pee many times also. I hope I didnt develop renal problems. I cried multiple times coming home late from work. Now, I need a change. Maybe a 8 hour/5 days a week job. I dont care if the pay is less as long as im happy. Im thinking of getting a desk job for a change. If not, then maybe I can use my degree to become a physical therapist.
Has anyone done this before? Any suggestion? What career change did you end up doing? Thanks for the vent.

cherubhipster · Jul 2, 2011

You can try to get a job as an mds nurse or mds coordinator at a long term care facility. Though it's also possible you don't feel comfortable because you are still new, or Kay e it's specifically the place or unit you work in? I'm only a year out so I understand how somedays you just want to run screaming out the door. But also try to think of he good got doing. Nobody would blame you if you decide bedside isn't rigt for you, but it's easier to find something else with a little more bedside experience first.