Okay so I know that I may get a bunch of responses that I am not looking for with this post, but I wanted to get opinions about nursing jobs or specialties that are not extremely stressful. I am aware that nursing is a stressful profession and everyone experiences some deal of stress on any job, however I currently work in critical care which is downright physically and mentally exhausting. I am looking to move into a specialty that doesn't require so much physical labor as well as a slower pace, and patients with lower acuity.
I am not interested in Medical Surgical nursing, as I already tried that and did not enjoy it.
Specializes in PACU, CARDIAC ICU, TRAUMA, SICU, LTC.
Divergirl said:
If you are an ICU nurse, you might consider the PACU. You would still be able to use some of your critical care skills but it tends to be a less stressful environment. The PACU is known as the "ICU graveyard"
I don't necessarily agree with you here. I was a PACU nurse for 19 years in a Level I trauma, inner city teaching hospital. The PACU was a 17 bed unit, constantly busy, and a lot of stress in terms of "no beds in the inn" upstairs. Numerous times we were responsible for caring for ICU overflow patients (most did not belong in a PACU); no physician wanted to "lay claim" to them. Most were medical patients who fell by the wayside, so to speak. Medical residents would assume the anesthesia residents would care for the patients...nope, doesn't work like that. So much time would be spent on the phone in an attempt to find the physician responsible for the care of the patient. Try managing patients who had tenuous airways; bilateral total knee patients who had S/G catheters, hemolyte autotransfusion machines, and epidurals that needed to be replaced, all in addition to caring for a ICU overflow patient who "was circling the drain." Visitors were also an issue, but that is a topic in and of itself.
Because the PACU (where I was employed) was not governed by the dept. of nursing, it was "everyman for himself." The PACU was a tight knit unit; we came to each other's rescue, and would work MANY extra days, evenings, or nights (the PACU was "always open, never closed"). We were a tough bunch, but the care given was superb. The PACU was also a "catch basin" for outlying depts. who had a "sick patient" that needed monitoring. After 19 years, I had enough of hospital politics; I jumped ship.
Granted, not all PACUs are like this. It's the nature of the beast, IMO, when you work in a large inner city teaching hospital. All in all, I can honestly say I enjoyed working in the PACU, but in terms of low stress, I don't think so, but again, it's the size of the hospital as well as the surgical services offered that set the pace.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
zoeyzoe said:
OMG this is so funny:p... I'm a school nurse... For the most part i'm not stressed out... But there are a few days every once in a while that are stressful... Like the student i had, that stop breathing, after aspirating on some juice:uhoh3:... By the time i made it 2 her class room she was blue... But thank GOD for good old fashion CPR!!
Yikes! But you saved her life and I hope you got Employee of the Month for that one! Actually your "few days every once in a while" made me smile as I recall my son when he was in 3rd grade creating some sort of mass hysteria (he has a flair for drama) telling the (new) teacher he was "dizzy" so the teacher let him go to the nurse. Then a couple more kids realized that they too were indeed suffering the malady, so she let them go too. Can you see where this is going? That poor nurse had 20 "dizzy" 3rd graders packed in her office - and all I can say is I'm glad I wasn't there to witness the mayhem*.
To the OP- just want to add my outpatient clinics, MD offices, rehab units for longer-term illnesses, med nurse at alcohol/drug facilities, or (this may be only in urban areas) stepdown facilities whose purpose is to wean people off ventilator dependence, and nurse for those high-end private pay "concierge recovery" centers, or a medspa doing cosmetic procedures. Not endorsing- just suggesting. ?
* I add there was no new paint, formaldehyde emitting particle board or sick building syndrome.
Post partum has to be the easiest nursing job in an acute care setting. Everybody is young, healthy, and happy. Famili members will do most of the care.
are you kidding me? not everyone is young, healthy and happy to say the least.
No need to read this whole thread. The least stressful jobs in nursing are the ones where you don't have to take responsibility for your own decisions. May I suggest management. Otherwise, lacking the interpersonal skills necessary for a "leadership" position, you could choose nursing education.
I have worked in the ICU for years and still do in addition to being a nurse educator. I take responsibility for my own practice and decisions in both areas. I work full time in education, work a 16hr shift every weekend and am also a full time doctoral student. I have no free time. It always makes me laugh when people comment on how easy and low-stress my job is as an educator. I have to maintain competence in my field of practice AND as an educator. When I leave work, I grade papers for several hours. All my lectures are frequently rewritten to reflect current practice and research. I actually work more hours with more stress than I did in full time ICU. No need to insult an entire group of nurses by saying they aren't responsible for their actions and lack interpersonal skills. Every area of nursing is different but there are nurses who do just enough to scrape by in every area, just as there are nurses who strive to excel and be an success in every area.
Just wanted to pipe in on that one, as this is my area: Being an RN in a chemical dependency/detox unit is not a low-stress position, in my opinion. You tend to get many dual-diagnosis patients (psych), and people addicted to opiates (majority of our cases these days) are notoriously PIA's. Now, that being said, I really like my job, but this is not something that is easy to deal with. The inappropriate behaviors, staff-splitting, and sometimes gut-wrenching personal lives of the patients are enough to make you want to chuck it all and go live in a cabin in a remote corner of Alaska. Yes, it isn't as intensive with your skills, but long-term drug/alcohol abuse tends to make for terrible health conditions, so you tend to deal with lots of renal/hepatic failure, clotting/pancreatic/neuro/compromised immune system issues. You still have to do IVs, understand lab results, and remember much of your pathophysiology coursework. I have found that this area is nursing is oft-misunderstood , and undervalued. Just my. Good luck on your job search!
Specializes in med/surg, TELE,CM, clinica[ documentation.
I think the least stressful unit is the one that you are happiest in. I am happiest when I am working at the bedside, I am not doing that now so I am stressed. But, I am working to get back to bedside care and actively interviewing.
Hi, I don't work as a nurse yet as I am enrolled in school. My aunt is a nurse for a agency that provides care to Developemtally disabled clients. She comes to work at 7 am, drives them to program, runs one or two appointments and comes back to the house. She orders meds, checks the MARS and pushes paperwork for the rest of the day. She gets to leave at 3pm and doesn't get mandated, and never has to answer her phone after work hours. Pretty good gig.
Specializes in Med Office, Home Health, School Nurse.
:rotfl: Okay, I'm laughing out loud at the idea of school nurses just sitting in their office, reading Star magazine....
Maybe that's how it was back whenever, DEFINITELY not the way it is now!
I'm a school nurse for a elementary and high school (side by side) and stress is a big deal most days! There are days where everything goes relatively smoothly (and thank goodness for those days!)...those days balance out the insane ones where administration is wanting 15 things done, every kid in the school is sick, oops! someone has lice, you've got 3 kids waiting to go home with fevers, but no one will answer the phone, screenings have to be done, classroom presentations have to be done, and the phone is ringing off the hook!
It's also stressful to realize that you are the only medical personnel in either building, and with both schools together (and staff as well!) there are about 900 people depending on you to be there if they stroke out or choke or have an asthma attack!
But, I love my job and wouldn't have it any other way!
patricia farrington
4 Posts
I did Quality assurance and utilization review for insurance companies. The hours were 9 to 5 and no weekends. I loved that job. No stress.