I'm a Mental Health nurse who wants to get out of nursing....

Croatoan

top_drawer and DKLS I've taken your advice. I'll apply for the PWP and have registered with eHealth. Will spend the day looking through the eHealth website and their jobs advertisers.

niftythrifty33

I'm glad I came across this thread. I'm in the same boat though slightly different. I'm a substance misuse counsellor which means dealing with clients with severe mental health also. As a result of studying and working too much and raising a family I kind of had a breakdown and I'm still not right, though feel trapped in the job! It's so hard for others to understand that if we don't feel well we absorb all the stress and anxiety from our clients, add to that the lack of support, huge amounts of paperwork etc etc.

I'm at a crossroads now and don't know which way to turn? Whatever happens I will have to have a big pay cut. Im too scared to work anywhere where I have to hold a case load and be accountable, I don't want to have to 'deal' with ANYONE. I'm earning a decent wage for the 1st time in my life (still a lot less than most). I used to do cleaning and have been asked whether I want some work but I also scared that I'll regret leaving my current post after all the hard work I put in doing the training.

I heard this very good saying yesterday "I don't want to be the richest man in the graveyard"...I love that, I just wish I had the balls to walk away and start again! and does it mean going back to what I did before training?? AArrggghh my head hurts from thinking:(

Croatoan

niftythrifty33 wrote: »

I'm glad I came across this thread. I'm in the same boat though slightly different. I'm a substance misuse counsellor which means dealing with clients with severe mental health also. As a result of studying and working too much and raising a family I kind of had a breakdown and I'm still not right, though feel trapped in the job! It's so hard for others to understand that if we don't feel well we absorb all the stress and anxiety from our clients, add to that the lack of support, huge amounts of paperwork etc etc.

I'm at a crossroads now and don't know which way to turn? Whatever happens I will have to have a big pay cut. Im too scared to work anywhere where I have to hold a case load and be accountable, I don't want to have to 'deal' with ANYONE. I'm earning a decent wage for the 1st time in my life (still a lot less than most). I used to do cleaning and have been asked whether I want some work but I also scared that I'll regret leaving my current post after all the hard work I put in doing the training.

I heard this very good saying yesterday "I don't want to be the richest man in the graveyard"...I love that, I just wish I had the balls to walk away and start again! and does it mean going back to what I did before training?? AArrggghh my head hurts from thinking:(

Sorry to hear that. It always surprises me - actually it doesn't - how many of the patients we see who have a health care background. Some may disagree, and I certainly don't have any evidence to support this, but while I'm not for one minute suggesting our job is the most stressful job in the world (indeed, I'd imagine for most us not having a job at all is much more stressful) the type of people who are drawn towards caring professions can be the type of people who are most easily damaged by them.

DKLS

Croatoan wrote: »

top_drawer and DKLS I've taken your advice. I'll apply for the PWP and have registered with eHealth. Will spend the day looking through the eHealth website and their jobs advertisers.

Have a look on linkedin in as well, search out groups that are working in: ehealth, telemedicine, Health Informatics etc that may give you some more info, people to pick brains and also job ads.

Oh and just remembered Occupational Health is an area worth exploring as well.

niftythrifty33

I totally agree, it's the old catch 22 scenario. You have to be caring but then you don't have as thick a skin as others, now I've learnt a lot about self care and have grown a thicker skin, I've no compassion left for clients. I have become hardened but have lost my 'joy' in the meantime. Isn't it ironic, I would know exactly what to do/say if one of my clients was in this situation, but I can't do it for myself.

makeyourdaddyproud

Why don't you take some time out? For years I struggled with staying in IT and I accepted a break settlement. Best thing ive done.

Tbh, I don't enjoy working for corporations prefering only to do my hobbies and interests. I dont really accept work, in particular long hours.

silverwhistle

Croatoan wrote: »

<SNIP>I could survive (survive is enough, I'm not after luxury) on a small UK pension plus a bit of TEFL work, <SNIP>
It'll likely never happen, but it's about my only ambition, so I may yet do the course and see what happens. If it opens other doors, then that's great.

That's how I survive, on my early (i.e. small) pension, although in slightly higher cost Western Europe.. (Mind you, this cheap Lidl red is very acceptable;) ) Looks like you've thought about it, and I don't see why it shouldn't happen as age is not quite the barrier it is in some fields (..I'm ex-IT). For me at my age (I'm a _very_ veteran footballer) a Delta/MATESOL has never passed a CB analysis and Dubai and Saudi (aka the Magic Kingdom) have limited charms.

skipsmum

Really interesting thread.
I was an RMN & RGN for nearly 15 years, but left a few years ago for the same reasons you have all given. Being hit, kicked and bitten, feeling a failure, not always being able to help people, crappy shift changes, constant extra training days, paying hundreds of pounds to park in the "staff" carpark, were all minor niggles compared to the main issue, which was that management never actually gave a damn, and never backed us up when we had to make snap decisions.

I'm retraining as an illustrator and also do learning support within the college. I love it. It really hit home when I had bad flu at Christmas and realised I didn't have to get up and drag myself in - no-one relies on me so much that I can't be ill!

It is a shame, I loved care work and (if I say it myself) I was a bl@@dy good nurse.

Poppy_Jane_Parka

Hi all, so pleased to see am not alone in my feelings! i too am in the MH field - working in the community and agree its so hard to remain empathetic while not developing too hard a skin!!

rainbow12

Im also a nurse and whilst the politics drives me mad I love the clients I work with and this makes it fine for me. Im fortunate enough to work in the community so when things get a bit much in the office I go and see clients.

I havent always been a nurse and there are loads of things you can try for alternative jobs:
1) Voluntary sector eg Age UK / Alzheimers Society and other such agencies - there are all kinds of jobs available with or without direct contact with clients and having nursing experience will be really beneficial
2) Housing - working as a floating support worker to help people maintain their tenancies / enhance social inclusion. Or working in supported housing / hostels - these organisations have frontline workers but you can also go into policy stuff etc
3) Health promotion
4) Carers support

Have a look on Guardian Jobs but dont restrict your options too much when searching, be a bit creative. Or do a google search for voluntary sector in whichever specialist area you are interested in eg dementia and then go directly to their websites and see if there are any vacancies. The voluntary sector love networking and usually respond really well to a phone call to arrange to come and have a chat and find out more about what they do. There are lots of free conferences etc you can go to which are great for networking and can open up loads of doors.

Also, for the healthcare assistants - the voluntary sector arent hung up on qualifications / pin numbers - they value your work and life experience. Youd be surprised how differently you are treated and the responsibility you are given. I went from being a HCA to working in the voluntary sector some years ago - I had my own caseload, was assessing, care planning etc. I moved into management quite quickly (which drove me mad so I left and did my training because I love the direct client work).

Good luck