Want to leave Bedside. What are my options?

[care2share]

I've only been a nurse for 6 years but I want to leave bedside. I feel abused and dehumanized by patients, families, even other nurses. I want to leave direct patient care and hospitals in general but not the profession (I've invested too much time and money). What are my options? Where could I work?

[klone, MSN, RN]

What are your areas of specialty and expertise?

[care2share]

I've only worked in med-surg and pediatrics.

[klone, MSN, RN]

You would work at a primary care clinic. You could do home health case management. With peds experience, you could do Nurse-Family Partnership.

[firstinfamily, RN]

Have your tried a Pediatrician Office? Are there out-patient type services where you live? What about an urgent care center? Do you have a BSN or higher degree---if so, you may look into doing some educational nursing for a college. Have you looked into home health or public health, also school nursing might be good. Some of those jobs do not pay as much as an acute care facility, so you also need to know what your financial needs are. Yes, the bedside can be the hardest place, but also the place where you can make the most impact on the patient. Try to not let others drag you down, have confidence in yourself, realize what is really important---your feelings or how you are helping the patient. Is this a unit issue or are few co-workers making things miserable for others? Make your unit manager aware of your thoughts/start documenting what exactly is going on so that if it all comes to a head you will have your documentation to back you up. Managers want specifics, so you should be able to provide that information. Are you getting the dump assignments all the time?? Look a little deeper before you jump. At six years into the field, you should just be becoming more comfortable in the field, is there something you feel you are weak in? Perhaps you need to review some nursing stuff, I still do this when I don't feel my knowledge is where it should be. Are you disappointed because you do not see any room for advancement? There must be more than one reason for you to feel this way.

[enchantmentdis, BSN, RN]

Try hospice. It's so much better than acute care. You're on your own the whole day, and no annoying co-workers or management to hover around you. You don't have to watch the tele tech file their nails and the CNAs hide from call lights. You're basically independent, call the doctor for orders, management and ancillaries for assistance. Hospice has lots of flexibility.

[KeepItRealRN, BSN, RN]

Become a WalMart greeter.

[Mommy TeleRN, RN]

I got into my hospital's quality department doing chart abstraction and eventually started working from home. Love it! Find out who your PI/quality manager is and put out feelers!

[hbjf]

Im feeling the same way......I have 7 years exp including Med/Surg/tele, PCU, ICU......and with a BSN. Applied for a state job and was told I didn't meet minimal requirements. Im maxed out stressed, tired, depressed, don't know what to do