Quitting nursing after only 18 months!

nicechap

Working with MH patients has given you many transferable skills if you are thinking of a change.

There are opportunities to use your training in other environments. Have you thought about community MH nursing? Prison service? Emergency services? MH nurses work on the 999 call centres as well providing on call advice for front line police & ambulance staff. There are even a few that go out with police officers to attend calls.

Wider afield you would have no problem doing care work but also managing others doing care work. Specialist service providers like st mungos would be worth looking at too.

Or you might want a complete change - office admin or retail would be a doddle after what you’ve done.

Good luck with whatever you decide

Fen1

Could you work abroad? Medicine Sans Frontiers has MH units. Also look at this list:

https://www.msf.org.uk/other-organisations-working-overseas

Some of the positions available are salaried field workers, others are voluntary ( usually with living costs covered.)

There are hundreds of projects - some voluntary, some salaried - here and abroad that would welcome you with open arms.

AstroTurtle

Another point, No age is a "now or never" for a career.

Job satisfaction should always be your goal first and whenever you don't enjoy a job seize that as an opportunity to find something you do enjoy.

Don't stress over elements of work out of your control like shifts and rota's etc (Although difficult in NHS due to staffing) as you can't influence this so focus on things you can control instead.

LushesFaith

What about a clinic job. clinical nurse specialist, research nurse etc. Some work fixed shifts in clinics with loads of support and hca's present who assist

Fireflyaway

My mum was a bank nurse when I was young so would report for a shift not knowing what ward she was going to be sent to. One night it was paediatric then A+E, then Spinal etc. She definitely preferred some to others. That might be the problem ? Maybe that particular specialty isn't for you. Could you experience some other wards by working as a general ward assistant to see if something else appeals? How about a private hospital? I'd imagine it might be slightly different? Or move into teaching something like health and social care? Or how about community nursing where you would be out and about?
I totally agree that we work too many hours to dislike it and be stressed. You might require some extra training but for a happy work life it sounds worth it.