I've kept in contact, through texts and emails, with a some of my Ex Coworkers/Friends from Wrongway Regional Medical Center. I worked there for 17 years, was honored for being an "Extraordinary Nurse" in February, and fired in March of this year.
Rooty Payne, psych tech texted me once and said, "Dave, you got out just in time... it's horrible..." Jason Hiney RN texted me and said, "It's not the same around here Dave. I did something excellently, and nobody worthy was here to offer me external validation".
I respected, liked, and could go as far as admitting that I loved, many of my old Coworkers. I felt a connection with both them and many of the patients I serverd. I truly enjoyed working as a Nurse for over 36 years and have no regrets in my decision to enter my this profession.
But... do I miss anything about working as a Nurse?
No. Nothing. Not one teeny tiny bit.
I do not miss the drives to and from work, the schedule, my Coworkers, the Patients, duties, responsibilities, charting, or even the great pay.
I currently have a schedule where I go to bed between 9:00 and 10pm, get up between 6 and 7:00, work around my place (mainly doing art) from 9:00 to 6pm, wind down, watch a movie, and drink a couple glasses of wine. I also work out and bicycle every day.
On the days my wife Belinda is off, Monday through Thursday, we do whatever she wishes. On the days she scheduled to work (as an IMU Nurse), I keep house and make her work transitions as comfortable as possible.
I am enjoying my retirement to the Nth degree and miss absolutely nothing about working as a Nurse!
Okay- for you other retired Nurses: Do you miss anything about working as a Nurse?
Just a quick update, my bully mgr is gone, has left the building, Yeah! I'm sure she will be a thorn in the side at her new job. Several more nurses have quit in less than a month since I did. I still keep in touch with my former coworkers but it is bittersweet, because I know they are having a rough time due to Wrongway Hospital.
While I'm glad my mgr is gone, I have no regrets and no desire to return. I'm enjoying the peace of mind and total lack of stress. To go from 100% work stress to none is so amazing! I highly recommend early retirement!
Now that I've been retired for over a month, I've had time to relax, refresh and enjoy my life. Spending time walking the dog, hanging with friends and family in small groups, of course. Also I enjoy watching a lot of you tube videos and Ted talks on everything from health, psychology to dog behavior and training. I love the internet, it is a virtual encyclopedia at your fingertips, almost a library in fact!
I've had time to reflect on my nursing career and feel proud of all I've accomplished as a nurse and the lives of people I've touched. I cherish memories of all the special patients and families I've cared for over the years.
I'm having less dreams about work and especially less nightmares, yeah! Before I was having constant nightmares, dread 24 hours before work, needed tranquilizers just to sleep and function, and was filled with anger due to managements mistreatment of us. It was like being in an abusive relationship. I'm so glad I broke the ties and left that horrible company behind! The anger has faded and my mental health has improved dramatically.
I just got my first hyacinth this week and its heavenly scent fills my house! My house is like a jungle full of plants, jasmine, lemon, lime and orange tree and bushes, Christmas cactus and african violets, as well as a Jade plant and pothos. I have a fluorescent light garden in the basement where I house my plants when the Christmas tree is up in the window. I can't wait till Spring when the tulips, daffodils, creeping phlox, bleeding heart and peonies bloom.
I'm so happy!
Can you please please help me?
I am 58 and have been working as a RN staff nurse in LTC beginning in 1992.
How difficult is it to retire early?
I have been bullied and now they are attempting to get rid of me.
I really want to quit. Afraid I'll never find another LTC nursing job because I physically and mentally can not do this anymore.
I am 58 and have been working as a RN staff nurse in LTC beginning in 1992.
How difficult is it to retire early?
I have been bullied and now they are attempting to get rid of me.
I really want to quit. Afraid I'll never find another LTC nursing job because I physically and mentally can not do this anymore.
If you can't afford to retire, I would try clinics, Dr offices where they do things that they need nurses like urology, neurology for IV meds, cardiology or you could try an outpatient dialysis center. They will train you and the techs do a lot of the work. You could try to get an insurance job as a case manager. Or maybe you could get a PT job with health insurance if you can't afford to retire completely that could be the best of both worlds!
I had been saving money for a long time, had a Roth IRA, HSA, 403b and had a small pension and used the Rule of 55 to retire early. It allows you to take money out of your 401k/403b without penalty as long as your employer allows this option. Most allow you to roll any IRA into it and some old 401k/403b's as well. But you would have to check with your 401k before you quit your job that they would allow for multiple distributions and you have to keep it at your employer. If they do, many do, you can take periodic withdrawals as needed to pay your bills but be forewarned they withhold 20% for taxes even if you are not in that tax bracket until you are 59 1/2. You get the excess back the next year when you file taxes. Downsides tend to be poor investment choices and high fees. I would use a bucket approach of several years' expenses in a cash account like treasury funds or annuity if that is not an option.
I also had saved thru a Roth IRA where you can take the contributions out you put in before 59 1/2 without penalty and it helps keep my taxable income low to get affordable health insurance thru Obamacare. You need to keep your income at 400% of poverty or less for the best subsidies otherwise it is unaffordable. I have an HSA to help pay for medical/dental that is tax free and keeps my income low. You can do COBRA although it is unrealistic for health insurance so expensive but can use it just for dental and vision as I did for 18 months.
I did a HELOC before I quit so I would have money in case of an emergency until I get Social Security. Have only touched it once to put on a new roof. It also would allow you to take money out to keep your taxable income low if need be if you didn't have a Roth IRA, but you would have to be very careful and frugal and not get over your head. Best rates usually thru a credit union in my opinion, the first ten years you can pay interest only, the last ten years you pay back the loan but it is adjustable, and it can climb to as high as 18%. Mine is currently 7% but we don't know what the future holds. It depends on inflation, the economy and the feds where the HELOC and other interest rates will go so if you get one you have to be very conservative as your house is on the line, unlike credit cards!
I also have a lot of credit cards and use them for points. Get some credit cards if you don't have before you retire. More is better. You can always use them for balance transfers if you have debt as well. That is preferable to the HELOC as your house isn't on the line. Discover has 5% reward cycles and also frequent balance transfers. Chase and Bank of America also have continued the balance transfer options plus rewards. Some credit cards are not offering transfers or only one time like American Express. The credit cards also there for emergencies especially if you don't have a lot of savings.
It's a hard mindset to accept debt as a strategy but that might be necessary to retire early. I pay my bills each month except I retired with some CC debt that I use the balance transfers. My pension pays my mortgage which will be paid off when I'm 63.
I was lucky that I had time to plan and save and prepare vs a coworker who retired early unexpectedly after going manic. It turned out to be a disaster for her. Ascension cheated her out of almost 200 hours of PTO after working thru covid on the technicality that she called in even though they knew she was manic and had put her in charge vs taking care of patients! She panicked and sold her condo at a loss to one of those We buy ugly houses for cash places. Somehow went thru all of her. retirement in a year even though she was living in a cabin in the woods with her husband in the middle of nowhere. She filed for disability but of course was denied as I told her they would do. Disability is almost impossible to get these days unless you have a terminal situation. It took over a year for the first denial, she would have had to keep appealing waiting years for them to finally approve it but she had no money and her husband never worked she was the breadwinner. She had a small pension but it wasn't enough to live on. Eventually she pulled herself together and she is currently working at a nursing home.
I'm also a strong believer in learning about personal finance. I know it's late in the game but some books that helped me were Deal with your Debt, Personal Finance for Dummies and Smart Women Finish Rich.
I'm not an expert by any means, nor a financial advisor just sharing what I did to retire early. I decided not to get another job because I can't stand without pain 2nd to neuroforaminal spinal stenosis and spondy. Just had an ablation but doesn't appear to have worked. Anyway, I hope this info is of some help and hope for you and anyone else out there stuck in a bad job!
58DONTFEELGREAT
2 Posts
Can you please please help me?
I am 58 and have been working as a RN staff nurse in LTC beginning in 1992.
How difficult is it to retire early?
I have been bullied and now they are attempting to get rid of me.
I really want to quit. Afraid I'll never find another LTC nursing job because I physically and mentally can not do this anymore.