Yet Another Post About Low-Stress Nursing Positions???

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^^^^^ Not quite. Many nursing students or new nurses will start their posts off by asking what field/specialty or position offers the highest amount of pay for the least amount of stress. I'm not trying to find the holy grail, I know that might mean a pay cut and I'm fine with that. I figured I'd give a little background information to help see what might better fit my personality type. I'm not looking for stress-free, just something that is lower stress. I'll try to be as concise as possible....

BACKGROUND: Recently graduated and licensed, BSN-RN, working on a med/surg floor for a few months now (

Time management- It's an acquired skill that I am still struggling with, as I assume most new-grads are, but I feel like I get flustered easily when something unexpected happens -which is completely opposite to my personal life where I can throw myself into completely unexpected/unknown situations, improvise and thrive. In the clinical environment, however, if something happens that I didn't plan for (patients being extra needy when I'm in the room, IVs going bad or being pulled out since we have to do our own IVs, IV pumps or other equipment not functioning properly, etc) I take too much time trying to solve the problem and then start worrying about how much time I'm wasting or how behind I'm getting and then my capacity to critically think decreases.

Other stressors- I don't want to become bitter or dislike people because of how whiny, needy, deceitful or otherwise difficult they can be. During nursing school rotations, all the nurses on any unit I had ever visited looked haggard and aged and I know it's because of the stress. I've been noticing I have less patience at home lately as well. Lately I've been starting to look at my patients and their needs as a series of tasks, hoping they don't need anything extra so that I can get my other stuff done. I don't want that, I truly care about people which is why I question whether or not I'm right for this environment, that my patients deserve someone better and that I should just step aside and let someone more capable take my place. I don't feel like I'm able to perform the care I want to deliver. I feel like I just complete a series of tasks until the shift is over. Additionally, I'm visually impaired and although I have found ways to accommodate myself, it does slow me down a little.

Strengths- I have been told by professors, clinical instructors, and preceptors that I have excellent written and verbal communication skills; I speak to patients with empathy, I'm good at quickly establishing rapport, I am bilingual, I don't mind a potentially threatening environment (like the prison or psych), I'm compassionate, I don't mind physical labor (although repositioning bariatric patients in bed is not ideal) and I'm willing to learn/try anything.

Goal: I'm simply looking for a lower stress area of nursing that is attainable for a new grad with only a few months under his belt. I know that some specialties that are lower stress pay less, I'm okay with that (within reason of course). I'd like something that is full-time or close to it, that I can at least make about 35-40k a year and lower stress than what I'm doing now.

Areas that I've considered

Psych and/or behavioral health- I was good at it in school (the class portion anyway, I didn't have a very good clinical; not a whole lot of patient interaction)

urgent care- seems like it might be nice, but they probably wouldn't take a new grad

school nursing- seemed very low stress during my clinical, but not my first choice

OR- I read a post saying it was nursing's best kept secret even though you really have to know your stuff. I wonder if being visually impaired would be more troublesome here since there are likely many pieces of equipment that look nearly exactly the same, I don't know.

ICU- I don't really consider this low stress, but since a lot of my stress comes from time management, maybe not juggling as many patients might help? I don't know, I was pretty intimidated by it in school so who knows.

Community health/clinic- So far this is what I've been gravitating towards the most lately. most patients are non-emergent, I can do a lot of patient teaching and therapeutic communication, I'm bilingual and I can feel good about impacting my community. Downside is that other than maybe vaccinations, I don't get to keep my clinical skills up, which I might be okay with, I haven't decided.

Home health- I've heard a lot of mixed things about this.

CDC- a long time ago, a recruiter came to my college talking about how RNs work for the CDC in a different role than the bedside; haven't looked much into in since. Maybe someone out there knows and can shed more light?

Cosmetics- Yes, I know I want to help people, but if this provides me the best work-life balance, I'd be willing to consider it. I've heard some people making more in cosmetics than the hospital, then I could always volunteer on my off days to get my fix for helping people

Hospice- Another one I've heard mixed things about.

Correctional- I enjoyed a rotation there in school, but most of the prisons are so far from me that they would not be my first choice. I already drive an hour to work because of traffic (and it's only 30 min away).

Doctor's office- This one is highly dependent on the individual office which makes it hard to pin down. Most likely the lowest pay.

Occupational health- not sure if this is a niche thing that might be hard to get into

Pharmaceutical/medical sales- Another one that I hear is hard to get into

Insurance companies- Another one that probably requires years of experience.

Well, sorry for the novel. I'm interested in what you guys have to say

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Specializes in ICU/UM.

I felt tele was overwhelming in a way that ICU never is, even when my patients are train wrecks. Maybe you could shadow at your facility?

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Thanks SierraMoon, I really should have taken the opportunity when my preceptor got floated to the ICU. They asked me if I wanted to go with her but my preceptor said since I was going to be on the medsurg floor, she didn't want to take a day of training away from me, but that it was my choice. Looking back now, I should've done it. Unfortunately my unit is so in need (because of high turnover) that they don't really let you "explore" within the facility until after several months. I have always wondered though

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Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.

I always found critical care easier

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.

I have been an RN for 26 years and I have never felt that I was super competent in the technical aspects of nursing as compared to the people aspects of it. I love people and could stand and talk to my patients for hours, just don't ask me to do the technical stuff because I don't like it and never have.

Fortunately for me under these circumstances, I have found that hospice is the best fit for me in terms of stress level and using my best skills to help people. When the goal is not to save a life but to assist and comfort a patient and their family when life is at its end, the stress of having to be a great technical nurse goes away and I can do what I love to do, namely talk to people and comfort them.

The biggest stress in hospice is probably the emotional stress of repeatedly being around dying people and their grieving families, but this is much easier for me to deal with than the stress of having a bunch of inpatients who all need something at the same time and could crash at any time, and the rewards are priceless. I never felt very appreciated as an inpatient, LTC, or dialysis nurse, but the love and appreciation that I've gotten from hospice patients and their families is unbelievable.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
... but I feel like I get flustered easily when something unexpected happens ... in the clinical environment, however, if something happens that I didn't plan for (patients being extra needy when I'm in the room, IVs going bad or being pulled out since we have to do our own IVs, IV pumps or other equipment not functioning properly, etc) I take too much time trying to solve the problem and then start worrying about how much time I'm wasting or how behind I'm getting and then my capacity to critically think decreases.

You have fewer patients in critical care, sure, but if thinking on your feet and dealing with the unexpected aren't your strong points then I don't know that you'll find the ICU to be a "low-stress" experience. Maybe do some shadowing there first to see if it appeals to you, otherwise it sounds like an outpatient setting might be a better fit.

During nursing school rotations, all the nurses on any unit I had ever visited looked haggard and aged and I know it's because of the stress.

I ... can't even, haha. But on a lighter note, if you ever find a job in cosmetics with a nursing license please let me know!

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.

I tell each and every new grad that nursing is a career, not a job. You can get a job in a week or two, a career takes yearS. New nurses are at a disadvantage because you come out with license in hand, a real nurse to employers, despite having more knowledge than skill set, magnified if you are a BSN. The Graduate Nurses of old had 6 months of full time experience before licensure, that's 1100 hours of clinical. You are forced to fake it until you make it because that is the environment today. You are not experienced until the second to third year, that is what a career means. The skill set you are receiving in acute care is very important and is a foundation for almost every specialty you are interested in. School nursing? Forget about it until you are at least 5 years in, you are the only medical person on premises, it's all on you. Stop trying to live your life in one minute, you need this position if you want to move on, you need the time management skills you learn here, you need the critical thinking you will learn, you need the character that you will develop following through on something you agreed to. Pay your dues, then reap the rewards that the hard work will give you. It is with more and more frequency that I hear young people making statements like "I am only going to do day shift!", or "I can't work any OT", or the always popular "I need to work (insert holiday here)". You can do this, and you will thank yourself later.

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I get that I have to "pay my dues" but I just feel miswrable doing it. I work nights, I don't ask for any special days off, I'm not expecting high pay, I just want to not dread going to work.

i just feel like my patients deserve better. I go home feeling stressed because I feel like I gave substandard care.

There is a learning curve and stressors in any position, but some are less so than others.

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Specializes in ICU.
ICU- I don't really consider this low stress, but since a lot of my stress comes from time management, maybe not juggling as many patients might help? I don't know, I was pretty intimidated by it in school so who knows.

What constitutes "stress" to any given person is different. To me, stress is having six to eight people constantly asking for stuff and then complaining when I don't get to them in 30 seconds flat. It makes my skin crawl. ICU is much lower stress to me, because I have more ability to prioritize things according to when I want to do them as opposed to the patients and their ******* call bells driving my schedule.

We don't have CNAs/LPNs/anything like that, and I like that too. I know what the blood sugar is because I got it myself - I don't have to check through the chart or ask someone if it's been done yet. I don't have to ask what my patient's skin looked like, because I did that bath myself. I don't have to ask how full that cup of water the patient just drank was to keep up with the I/Os, because I brought it to the patient myself. Nobody else took the patient to the bathroom and forgot to chart it, so I don't have to worry about anyone else doing their job to make sure my patients' work is done.

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
I get that I have to "pay my dues" but I just feel miswrable doing it. I work nights, I don't ask for any special days off, I'm not expecting high pay, I just want to not dread going to work.

i just feel like my patients deserve better. I go home feeling stressed because I feel like I gave substandard care.

There is a learning curve and stressors in any position, but some are less so than others.

This may not be the position for you, true, but if you take the mindset that this is a continuation of your schooling to actually apply what you have learned, it may give you a new perspective. I truly feel for new nurses, I graduated at a time where I had a 6 month orientation, worked exclusively day shift for one year. This is how nurses were developed back then. Now you come out and are given 6 weeks with one week of classes and expected to be independent. Sad. Years down the road this period will be but a blip on your radar screen, but your takeaway will be immense.

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I would try an outpatient nursing position. You get to know patients over the long-term and develop relationships. Communication skills are very important. There are outpatient settings that are willing to hire new grads but you may have to dig a little harder. I started out in an outpatient role as a new grad.

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Specializes in ICU.

I have a good friend from nursing school who went through the same thing. She ended up switching to per diem days at her hospital job, and picking up a per diem urgent care job too. She LOVES the urgent care job, says it's way lower stress.

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