Is It Time For a Change in Your Nursing Career?
A few months ago I was listening to a nursing podcast. The host was interviewing a nurse who had used her nursing background and expertise to start her own health-focused business. She said she had come to realize that she loved nursing, but she hated her job.
As contradictory as that statement may seem, it rang true to me, and I suspect it would to many other nurses, as well. Burnout is an all-too-real phenomenon in nursing. Compassion fatigue causes some nurses to become jaded and less effective in their jobs.
If you have been a nurse for some time, how can you decide if it might be time for you to consider a professional overhaul? Here are a few signs of burnout that may signal a time to take your career in a different direction.
You dread going to work. Most people do not jump out of bed with excitement at the prospect of going to work each day, but if you find yourself feeling anxiety over the simple thought of stepping foot in your place of employment, it is time for a change.
I accepted a position on a medical-surgical unit out of financial necessity. I knew when I started that my assignments would include up to 8 patients at a time, more in total if you count the ones who were discharged and then immediately replaced with new, sicker admissions. I hated every day of that job. I felt like I was simply walking from one end of the hallway to another, completing tasks between putting out fires. I left that job for an ICU position at another facility. A year and change later when my father-in-law had surgery at my previous hospital, I felt my heart pounding, hands shaking, palms sweating, and breathing becoming more labored as I entered the building. Yes, even though I was no longer employed there, my body still had a visceral reaction to the immense stress I felt there every day.
You know you could be happier in your workplace if certain changes were made, but feel no hope that anything is going to ever get better. Everyone has ideas on how their workplace could improve, but many feel like there is little hope anything is ever going to change. Employees in many facilities are solicited to give input, most of which never transpires into meaningful change. If you feel this way about where you work, a different environment may well be the answer for you.
You find it difficult to put on a smile and present a professional front in spite of your frustrations. Most of us try our absolute hardest to be professional in front of our patients. We save our griping for the nurses’ desk, out of earshot of patients and visitors. But if you find that you are complaining in front of patients or family members, or to them, you may need to stop and reconsider if you are ready for a change.
Your job is no longer compatible with your lifestyle. Just as the earth’s seasons change, so do the seasons of our lives. Working night shift was great for me as a brand new nurse, but once I got married, I did not want to be away from my husband three nights a week (and he didn’t fare well with me gone, either). I also struggled with the repeated 180-degree turn in my sleep routine as I neared my 30s far more than I did in my early 20s. Once I became a parent, I no longer wanted to work 12-hour shifts, not seeing my child for days on end some times. Many nurses decide to return to school for advanced practice degrees and need more flexibility in their work hours. A new job with a different schedule may help to alleviate such conflicts.
If you are interested in suggestions for alternative nursing career options, check out this blog post from MotherNurseLove blog writer Sarah Jividen, RN. She explores eight different roles for nurses outside of the hospital bedside setting.
One of the things I personally love about nursing is the wide variety of options available. Different specialties are suited to different personality types and lifestyles. In my next blog post, I will add to Sarah’s list of options for nurses who are searching for something new and different.
