Quitting nursing after only 18 months!

Keo11

I have been a RMN for 18 months and already considering a career change! I have only worked on one ward which was an older adult organic ward. I did enjoy it to an extent. However, after only 18 months of nursing, I am really beginning to feel the stress that nurses are put under. Staff shortage, many shifts being the only qualified nurse for 12.5 hours, lack of managerial support, documentation/paperwork resulting in lack of time being spent with patients... to name a few!!!!

The money is okay, as this is the highest paid job I have had. Although, I do not feel it is worth the stress, anxiety and dread that comes along with working in such a stressful environment.

I have now joined the nursing bank and left my job on the older adult ward. I am yet to work on other wards as a bank nurse, but feel as though they will be a lot harder than the ward I was originally working on.

I honestly cannot see myself working as a nurse for much longer! I feel really disheartened and sad that I've worked hard to become a nurse and just not enjoying it! I'm 28 years old and feel it is now or never with deciding what career I will have for the future...

Advice needed please!

LawAbiding

In the short term, I would also sign up the an agency. Whilst morally, its wrong that Hospitals are having to use agency and pay much more money for agency staff, until they put more into the NHS, it cannot be helped.

This will help alongside doing bank.

I worked in a Hospital for 4-5 years, and saw the pressure and stress on nurses, and I don't blame you at all!

fred246

I have a feeling it's all part of the government's plan. Reduce investment till everybody has had enough of the NHS. Make patients unhappy with the service AND make the staff unhappy. At some stage announce that the NHS can't carry on in it's current form and needs privatization. Job done.

Marcon

Advice? Why? Sounds as if you've made your decision, sadly (and a loss to the NHS).

Fen1

Might you be happier in a different department? Theatre, paediatrics, A&E etc. Still the same paperwork/managerial nonsense, but you may find that a change enthuses. My friend thrives in A&E after finding other departments interesting but lacking the excitement and challenges of A&E.

Alternatively, work outside a standard hospital: palliative care, hospices, GP surgeries. Have you considered joining the Forces, either full time or TA ( Force equivalent.) medic team?

trailingspouse

When I was 28 I was thinking exactly the same as you - I was working in insurance, I wasn't particularly enjoying it, but I thought it was too late to make a major change and I should just hunker down and get on with it.
Since then I've retrained as a teacher, run an art gallery, taught English as a Foreign Language abroad, and now I run a Consultancy company with my husband.
So, you go do what's right for you. Grab every opportunity - you never know where things will lead you.

sazdes

have you considered theatres? (DOI: anaesthetist), only we definitely aren't exposed to the same outside pressures that the general wards are (in the sense that we only focus on 1 patient and a time, tend to be well staffed and relatively less paperwork and competing demands).

There's lots of other areas of nursing that could be considered with different pros/cons eg as mentioned above community/GP pratice nursing or working in respite centres/hospices etc

Keo11

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Unfortunately due to being trained in mental health nursing, I wouldn't be able to work on a general ward or theatres etc. I'd have to re-do my nurse training and become an adult/general nurse.

getmore4less

Pick a speciality like eyes and aim for consultant nurse, the one I see gets paid well and the work is generally less stressful as it is about controlling conditions.

One of the nurses my OH trained went into diabetics as a speciality you gets less of the NHS crap that ward working seems to have.

GlasweJen

getmore4less wrote: »

Pick a speciality like eyes and aim for consultant nurse, the one I see gets paid well and the work is generally less stressful as it is about controlling conditions.

One of the nurses my OH trained went into diabetics as a speciality you gets less of the NHS crap that ward working seems to have.

You can't be an eye nurse with a mental health nursing degree. The OP would be looking to get into CAHMS nursing assessment units, mother and baby units and other mental health areas.

t0rt0ise

Consider additional training to become a general nurse. Usually 18 months. Much more choice of jobs then.