Which Nursing Jobs are the Least Stressful?

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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.

Thanks in advance for all of your opinions!

BurntOutRN said:
you guys i have been applying to many of these areas that you suggested (PACU, post-partum, hospice, long term care, case management, teaching etc). Out of the places that I've heard back from I have encountered responses such as "we have identified other candidates whose experience are a better match" yada yada yada. I'm afraid that since all of my nursing experience is primarily acute/critical care that I am stuck in this field!

Nursing is nursing right? I thought nurses had the freedom to move around and try out different specialties. Any job wil have to provide training regardless so I don't understand what the big issue is. I am in school right now and thinking of going for my NP, but I don't want to have to wait 2 plus years to change jobs because i just can't imagine continuing to do this job for that much longer.

I know that it is going to take time to find the right position that fits me, but I am feeling discouraged by the responses that I

The first mistake you made: Nursing is not nursing. The specialities in this field are deliniated for a reason: ER cannot do what OBGYN does who cannot do what MS does who cannot do what XYZ does.

Every speciality is so named because of what it IS, a speciality. As a CCU nurse of 20 years, I would never presume to know ANYTHING about Labor/Postpartum/Preop/Recovery/Orthopedics/MS and pretty much any other floor in this hospital.

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Specializes in ICU, Research, Corrections.
steelydanfan said:

Every speciality is so named because of what it IS, a speciality. As a CCU nurse of 20 years, I would never presume to know ANYTHING about Labor/Postpartum/Preop/Recovery/Orthopedics/MS and pretty much any other floor in this hospital.

You haven't ever recovered a postop patient?

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Specializes in MPCU.
Hoozdo said:
You haven't ever recovered a postop patient?

Or cared for a critically ill ante-partum patient? With a shorter career, I've seen patients who technically belonged on a different unit, on my unit.

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Wow. Post-partum, here I come!

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Specializes in ICU, CVICU, Surgical, LTAC.

well i did it. i resigned from my full time job and am now just working prn for an agency. i'm still doing critical care, but its less stressful because i only have to work 1 day per week and still earn the same salary as working 3 days at my full time job. i don't have to work any weekends or holidays, no required staff meetings, no politics. i get in and out. its still physically stressful, however i get the least critical assignments now, so it gives me a break from the mental stress.

This may not be the least stressful but its definately LESS stressful. I actually have a life now, and time with my family, so this will have to do until i finish graduate school.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

What about mental health? I work there a lot. No IVs to do, rarely do more than 1 set of obs per day, no lines, though you still have insulins, meds, etc . U get time to actually talk to the patients as well, though it can be mentally stressful and sad some days. Also what about community work?

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Specializes in Emergency Room.
BurntOutRN said:
well i did it. i resigned from my full time job and am now just working prn for an agency. i'm still doing critical care, but its less stressful because i only have to work 1 day per week and still earn the same salary as working 3 days at my full time job. i don't have to work any weekends or holidays, no required staff meetings, no politics. i get in and out. its still physically stressful, however i get the least critical assignments now, so it gives me a break from the mental stress.

This may not be the least stressful but its definately LESS stressful. I actually have a life now, and time with my family, so this will have to do until i finish graduate school.

This is not a new, many new nurses enter nursing and have the reality of hospital nursing hit them, 12 hour long shifts, holidays, weekends etc... especially those with young children... they get their critical care experience and make a huge amount of money with only part time employment via an agency, per-diem or travel nursing. The good ole days of making Per deim money and getting benefits from the spouses job!!!

Hospitals need to do a better job of keeping nurses. They do not allow nurses to be honest about their feelings with their current job or unit, so the nurses just look for work else where.

Which is too bad I am jealous of those nurses who were and are able to work 2 times a week and bring home more pay then a full time staffer. I entered nursing hoping to work those 3 12 hour day shifts and make some extra on the side with some easy nursing employment on my other days off. Unfortunately with the economy most of those type of part time jobs are gone. With cost being a major factor for most healthcare facilities, I believe those days of nurses bouncing from specialty to specialty and facility to facility to huge raises are not going to return.

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I'm loving this post's responses! So many opportunities for nursing out there that I hadn't even considered...

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Psych nursing!

Yes it's stressfull (I'm in pediatric psych) because you have 20 patients and you are in charge of the unit, but no one is on the verge of life or death from a physical medical issue. Of course there are patients who have suicidal ideations and attempts and that's why they are admitted, but if you are working in a safe facility there shouldn't be any serious attempts. Working in pediatric psych I have never had any issues, most of the kids are there with MOOD D/O NOS, IED, etc. Most aren't there because they wanted to kill themselves...most are there because they are aggressive or really hyper. Now, the other thing is I know a lot of nurses want nothing to do with psych, I was a psych major before I switched to nursing and have always wanted to do psych nursing, so I'm sure that's why I love it. Anyways just a suggestion!

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I think I may be the only nurse who finds post partum stressful. The ridiculously anxious new parents or labor patient that you cannot soothe, the drug addicted mother, breastfeeding nightmares (baby friendly BS), teenagers texting instead of caring for their newborns, catching a baby who crumps, rushing to the OR after 2 hours of pushing with a pt., etc, etc. There are times that I love my job, but then there are other times I work days on a pretty busy LDRP unit and sometimes I feel emotionally, physically, and mentally drained. Is there any other nurses out there who feel this way, or am I crazy and ungrateful to have this job??

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\ said:

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!

OMG!! You read my mind!!! AMEN

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patricia farrington said:
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.

Hi Patricia- How did you get your foot in the door with an insurance company? Would truly appreciate your recommendations/ suggestions.- Thank YOu!- Lisa

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