Would you be content if you worked your current job/specialty for the rest of your career?

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Lately, I've been trying to decide what my next move in nursing should be. I have worked in a rehab/LTC facility for a year now, and am still not content with where I am. I honestly cannot say that I would be content being a rehab/LTC nurse for the rest of my career, as I still constantly look at other jobs and have a desire to be a different kind of nurse. I still cannot say that I'm proud of my job or what I have done. So, for me, I'll be moving on eventually.

How about you? Are you content where you are, or is there something else you would rather do or try?

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Specializes in ICU.

If I stay a NICU nurse for the rest of my career, I will be very disappointed. Can't figure out why people enjoy this specialty so much (been doing it 5+ years) and why every nursing student and their brother want to grow up and be a NICU nurse. Have an interview for something else coming up and can't wait.

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Specializes in CMSRN, hospice.

I can see myself enjoying the psych aspect of my job for a long time, but the med-surg/tele piece of my current position is not my thing. And even though I find mental health to be extremely fascinating and compelling, I'm pretty sure I will burn out on it in a few years. Nope, I'll be moving on at some point, just no plans to do so quite yet. One of the big draws of nursing for me was the variety of things to do, so it would be a shame not to sample another specialty or two.

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Specializes in acute dialysis, Telemetry, subacute.

I see myself working as an a hospital RN case manager for the rest of my career.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.

As long as I stay at the bedside in the hospital setting I will continue floating. I honestly could be a float nurse for the rest of my career if all patients/families had boundaries and respect for healthcare workers and we didn't live in a customer service world.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
If I stay a NICU nurse for the rest of my career, I will be very disappointed. Can't figure out why people enjoy this specialty so much (been doing it 5+ years) and why every nursing student and their brother want to grow up and be a NICU nurse. Have an interview for something else coming up and can't wait.

Because they think NICU is all about cuddling babies and changing diapers. They have no idea what it entails.

I really enjoy my NICU job but I find it very monotonous and repetitive. I don't feel challenged and my skills aren't growing. I am so glad I kept my med-surg job as I feel mentally stimulated and I use way more skills.

I have many NICU coworkers who are in grad school /graduated to become an FNP and they can't find jobs do to lack of adult experience. I kind of want to yell, "you think you are too good to work as a bedside nurse to adults, why should you be hired to care for them as an APRN?"

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Specializes in ICU.

I really enjoy my NICU job but I find it very monotonous and repetitive. I don't feel challenged and my skills aren't growing. I am so glad I kept my med-surg job as I feel mentally stimulated and I use way more skills

Right! I do ECMO and take care of our sickest patients and I'm STILL bored. It's the same thing over and over and over again. I'm looking to move into PICU (where I work a big portion of the time anyway) or adult cardiac ICU.

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Yes, have approximately 20 yrs in my speciality, though different positions over the years, and I still want to be a part of it

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVICU.
Right! I do ECMO and take care of our sickest patients and I'm STILL bored. It's the same thing over and over and over again. I'm looking to move into PICU (where I work a big portion of the time anyway) or adult cardiac ICU.

Funny you mention that. My aunt has been a PICU nurse for 40 years and says whenever she picks to OT in the NICU, it's beyond boring because it's so redundant. She always said PICU was the way to go!

I've been a unit jumper I think. I've done Med/Surg for 14 months, MICU/CCU for 14 months, now SICU/CCU. Now I'm going to a CVICU that has open heart with specialty surgery patients as well and CCU in a new state. I feel like I am honing in on what I want. I'm particularly glad I left MICU; I enjoyed it when I was working it, but now I've remembered why I loved the surgical patients when I worked Med/Surg. My end goal is CRNA but who knows when that will happen. For now, surgical critical care whether it be cardiac or non-cardiac is where I seem to enjoy myself the most.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

Job, no. I suffer from "restless life syndrome" and I'm not wired to be able to work at the same job for more than about 5-7 years. Specialty, yes. No plans to do anything outside of women's health.

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Specializes in OB.

Yes absolutely! I love working in OB and get enough variety going back and forth between L&D, M/B, antepartum and triage. I've been in this area for 29 years now.

I hope to finish my working years continuing as a travel nurse in my specialty.

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

Yes I would. I love Psych. I have tried other specialties and always came back. I will likely work at my present facility until I retire.

Hppy

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