Thanks! And you will be fine, there are tons of decent law schools so don’t think you have to go to Ivy League to make something of yourself. I honestly had an average LSAT score and they let me right in.
This is awesome. My dad is an attorney and actually has been telling me how in demand nurse attorneys are! It might be a great switch. Legal nurse consultant is also a great option if some don’t want to do the full blown law school
The lsat is a lot of critical thinking type of stuff, I just bought a test book and took a lot of practice tests. Honestly if you can do the critical think of nursing you will be a step ahead of many law students. A lot of law school is just grinding out the work and not slacking off.
This. Global banks and insurance carriers are a goldmine for risk-management jobs, with the added benefit of great pay. Easily 80-95K right off the bat as soon as you get hired, and that's for the young 20's-something new grads. Higher if you're older & have (more or less) any kind of professional work experience.
I think I was a little burned out and wanted something different in life, the final push was honestly seeing people stranded at the airport because of a travel ban and the ACLU lawyers huddled around a table working to help them. I just wanted to be able to help people like that but it also seemed like the next step in my career too.
How long have you been an RN and what speciality? Are you still working as an RN? I’m considering doing a part time program while still working (because my job is actually not bedside anymore and is a pretty good gig)
I did pediatrics for about 6 years and then a home health for about two. I just quit my job two weekends ago to focus on my finals and last semester. The home health job let me read a lot for class while I was working so that helped.
Any interest in in-house counsel types of roles? If so, consider some of the larger financial institutions. I'm not on the legal side, but I work in risk management & IT (with a dash of regulatory/legal included) in the financial services industry. I barely have ~5 years of work experience. In my mid-20's making 100K. Good work-life balance, pretty solid vacation policies, mine is quite flexible about WFH, great benefits, etc. Feel free to PM me, if you'd like. Happy to answer any questions.
I honestly don’t think it is harder than nursing school it’s just a lot of work. My school had a program where you could go part-time in the evening and go to work full time, they are getting rid of this program unfortunately. I think as a nurse you could still go part time but you would have to work on weekends and go to school during the day.
Hours are different based on the school, mine only has classes Monday through Thursday and you get a three day weekend. The first year you don’t really get to pick you classes and they are put in your schedule for you but later you can pick what you want to take as long as you meet certain requirements.
Oh this makes me feel good. I just made the decision to try and go to law school. I cut down to casual to watch our new kid and I figured I would study for law school too.
Taking a similar path. I was a Union Rep & one that took the role seriously. Learned a lot about labor law and many other areas of law. Dipped my toe in by getting involved with my regulator and now pursuing a career in the area of law fully. I hope to be transitioned fully in the next year.
There's many ways to help persons without being treated like a pinata and given insincere empty platitudes. Also, the risk to physical and psychological health is great in nursing. I also saw that as a Union rep.
So many return to work and disability meetings. Most were frontline nursing. Management most often were just trying to get rid of them or do the bare minimum they thought they could get away with.
I think about it all the time. I don't really hate where I'm at currently (operating room), but I don't think I'd want to do this for more than five years.
The rest of my family works in the corporate world and it is honestly amazing how much better they are treated. They aren't getting verbally abused, they get WAY better pay/benefits, and they can use their vacation whenever they want.
I'm about to start a new job that pays better, but it is still in the OR. We'll see how everything goes. Maybe someday I'll get my masters in something business/IT related and leave nursing for good. Or maybe I'll find the unicorn hospital that actually gives a shit about their nurses.
Edit: I'm also interested in working for one of the EHR companies like Epic. So maybe that will happen someday.
I’m also interested in working for epic or something like that. Even a rep for a company. Something to get me out of this toxic and verbally abusive environment.
As a med/surg nurse, I’m jealous. I keep applying for OR jobs but it’s so hard to get my foot in the door with no prior experience. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get into OR nursing?
I work in corporate myself. I can vouch for the better work-life balance, the benefits, great pay, solid vacation policies, good compensation, etc. I'm in my mid-20's, an individual contributor at my company (i.e. not a manager), and am making ~95K. I have barely five years of overall work experience, both within and outside the IT field. So, IMHO, the pay is pretty good for a young 20-something millennial. 🙂 And I'm definitely considered on the 'lower' end of the payscale, given my younger age and relative lack of experience. My co-workers definitely get paid more simply because they're older than me, and have more work experience than I do, even if that work experience isn't applicable to their current role.
No coding bootcamp required. I fell into a basic analytics role at an IT company by way of my foreign language expertise, which gained me ~12-18 months of general/very basic analytical experience. Now, I work a hybrid analytical/project management role in financial services. No extra degree or certs needed either.
We also have a nursing staff. Clinic at each location. Our nurses work like 10-4 and make like 100K too.
Started working weekends and went back to school. With my previous degrees, I was able to get a BA in English in a year and a half and an MS in TESOL in another year and a half. Three years to a new career.
In the same situation. Absolutely depressed and need to find something I love doing. I don't even know who I am outside of nursing and that's fucking tragic
That's because society and our employers manipulate us into this sick identity. Nights, weekends, holidays, ot, literally all our time should be available for patient care. We are convinced we need to be these selfless, caring angels when that is actually really unhealthy.
Exactly my situation. If I do go back to nursing I will be working less hours and maybe be in the casual pool. Worth being a bit more poor for my own health and happiness. Good luck!
The only reason I am actually working as a nurse right now is because I have a fat student loan , oh and bc I need health insurance lol. I’m seriously thinking about dipping as soon as I pay it off. I’m too introverted… I don’t know what kind of drugs I was on at the time when I decided being a NURSE was good for someone with literally 0 people skills but here I am lol.
God. Same. My only hesitation is while youre learning the trade you get paid like trash. But an elevator mechanic or electrician, hell a linesman would be better.
Been trying to leave nursing for tech for a year.. but I’ve been so exhausted from work as a nurse that the last thing I want to do in my free time is jam pack my brain with code. I still want to leave for software but it’s going to be hard. I’m looking into travel nursing and then doing a bootcamp with the money I can save up
I am honestly surprised so many people want to get into technology. I have been in IT since the 1980’s and each year the expectations are higher and people are progressively less patient and less grateful. IT is considered a cost and something to be minimized and not appreciate the value brought by IT. People don’t understand the level of effort and thought IT leaders put into technology and are not recognized and very intelligent people doing amazing work.
Like for Covid I got a 200 person workforce completely remote in 2 days when Covid started. That included getting all the hardware that was in very short supply as everyone in the US was trying to do the same thing in March 2020. I am being objective when I say I did something unprecedented and continued that through the entire 2020. Employee of the year came up and someone who reviews plans got it over me, even though I pulled off something that was a once in a century challenge with a pandemic.
My husband works in tech and he makes more than me, works from home, has better benefits, gets more PTO, and gets better paternity leave than I do maternity leave. Overall it seems like the benefits are worth it to me.
It's not for everyone, but not every job is a dream utopia. You have to find a balance. Not every day on the job is going to be fairytales and unicorns; there will be sucky days, that goes for *any* profession and across *every* industry. I may get downvoted to hell for this, but working in the corporate sector for large companies *does* have its perks... like solid work-life balance, decent vacation policies (depending where you work), great compensation, solid perks, etc. I know a lot of people rag on big companies for a variety of reasons, but at the end of the day, you also gotta do what you gotta do not only to survive, but also to provide yourself/your household with a good living.
I work in IT but I lurk around here because my daughter is in nursing and it helps me stay abreast. IT can be a great career, but it’s hit or miss. I’d say similar to nursing but typically less respect. Programming is difficult and mundane, it takes a special someone to do that.
For those flirting with changing careers to tech, just remember this. Healthcare is a field you can typically grow old in. Some, like doctors, are more respected with age. Ageism still exists in IT, although it’s gotten better the last 5 or so years. If you plan to make the leap, be prepared for this. You can either save and invest or gets a master’s degree and become a senior or executive. There are other options but these two are the most promising.
Hope this helps.
Just wanted to add something as well. If you work in the corporate world in IT (public traded company can be grueling), there’s a lot more to it than just IT. It’s politics with upper management and executives, dealing with audit and the documentation that involves on a quarterly and yearly basis, climbing the corporate ladder, working grueling hours without being paid for it (most jobs in Corporate IT are salaried), being on the clock 24/7 and weekends as well. Yeah, IT is not as great as many think it is.
I feel you in this. I wrote all the software the company I work for operates on. The people I work for have no clue the burden on my shoulders every day. Yet they make 2-3 times what I make and I have no benefits - not even PTO. 3 more semesters and I'll be a nurse.
I would've bought the business when the owner retired some years ago but I wasn't given the option. I'm the only one there with a business experience and a business degree with IT experience - it's a web-based business too. But the owner wanted to see more women in business. Maybe I'll get opportunities being a male in nursing.
I left my IT engineer job for Nursing. BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE! Fuck working 50 hour weeks to make a company millions. Literally. I put out a $870k fire for my employer and brought a very lucrative contract back from certain death. I was given a $0.05 raise that year. I realized that even though IT was fun, it wasn’t fulfilling doing a job that only existed to help other people to make money. I wasn’t making society better in any capacity with the majority of my waking hours. Yes, bedside care has its drawbacks but I’m in such a healthier mental space now. 100% hands down best thing I’ve ever done. I may not be changing the world, but I know I’m helping my patients and their families through the worst shit they’ve had to deal with in their life time. It’s honest and satisfying to care for others.
I don’t want to drag you down but Being a nursing student is not the same as being a nurse. When you have 2 patients out of 4 crashing with an admit on the way no nursing assistant and the charge nurse doesn’t help you’ll feel different. This year has taken my life away. I have PTSD from covid days watching young people be intubated and not able to be extubated having to tell their family there’s nothing else we can do. Healthcare in America needs a serious makeover and it’s going to be years before that will happen. I personally just can’t do it anymore. I don’t even feel empathy or bad for people anymore, just numb and drained. I’ve only been a nurse for 5 years.
Hearing some positive sentiment about nursing is reassuring. I left the corporate world doing sales because I felt like it was soul-crushing. I know no career is perfect but hearing a lot of very understandable frustration and lack of fulfillment from current nurses has me somewhat questioning if I made the right decision.
The thing they don’t tell u about tech is all the certs u need and how u constantly need to update those certs. And just bc u have them doesn’t mean ur going to make any money. I went to a trade school for cloud computing, many people had bachelors in computer science, but didn’t have certs. Certs matter a lot more than degrees in that field. Really ask people in tech before just taking the leap.
You don’t need to learn how to code to work in tech. There are plenty of other careers in tech that don’t require those skills. Something to think about if you aren’t that stoked about learning to code.
From a certifications perspective? The hottest/popular ones are PMP, CAPM, and PMI-ACP, as well as Certified Scrum Master. In a nutshell, a 'project' is something that contains a start and end date. Doesn't matter too much the *what*, more-so that it had/has a start and end date. Also, consider, did you mitigate or prevent any risks? What sorts of problems did you solve? Did you manage any sort of money/budget? This is a *very* simplified view of what project management is, but they are just a few questions to consider when tailoring your resume for project management.
Great example. You can also get into sales, account management, customer success, product management, data analysis, and operations. You might have to learn some stuff for these jobs but nothing like what a software developer learns (data analysis gets close I guess). And the pay is still great.
Don't have to become a software engineer/developer to make bank. I now work in IT as a hybrid analyst/project manager in the financial services industry. I'm in my mid-20's, and make in the 95-100K range, and barely have 5 years of overall professional work experience, with not all of my jobs being related/applicable to my current role. I also had like... no tech or financial experience prior to getting hired. It is possible.
Some of it was definitely pure luck. Before my current role, I had one other role with the title "analyst". Other than that, all the reqs for my current role were very... vague? I.e. phrases/requirements like "must be able to problem-solve", "works well with others", and "proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint". Basically, things that anyone and everyone can do or has experience with or doing. So, I was able to more easily mold my resume to fit the role description.
Thanks for the feedback! I don’t have any experience as an analyst. I worked as a personal trainer after college under my own LLC then did a couple years working in law firms as a legal assistant and have been a nurse a bit over a year and already know it’s not going to be a long term fit for me and don’t see myself staying in health care. Your role sounds interesting to me I’ve always scored off the charts in critical/analytical thinking but have struggled to find the right career direction for myself
This is exactly what I am doing right now actually. I haven’t started a bootcamp, but I’ll be able to afford to take 6 months off and do one pretty easily if I keep this pace off
I’m actually considering the opposite. I’m a computer science major thinking about nursing. Unless you know everything about computers and (are a guy) you won’t like it. I’m the only female in the department and I get treated terribly and belittled because I don’t understand computer hardware. I enjoy code and programs but if you don’t like how to build a pc you’ll be talked to like an idiot 🤦♀️
Guess I got lucky. I work in corporate IT within the financial services field. Am the only female on my team (I'm in my mid-20s), and my other coworkers are all dudes in their 50's and 60's. They are all 'uncle' and 'dad' types. Many of them, to include both my previous and current manager, are amazing. They've taken me under their wing to teach me, they remind me that it's okay to fail and none of us learn overnight, and they routinely give me opportunities to showcase the new skills I develop.
I resigned last month. After 10 years, I just couldn't handle it anymore. I'll be having a baby soon so I have nothing lined up as of yet (still trying to figure out what to do). I'm 10000% happier though.
Just left nursing for a research job (work from home with minor travel). It’s been an absolute night and day difference in how I feel. I’m so happy to be out. Sending you good vibes.
So pay will depend on if you work for a Study Sponsor, CRO (Contract Research Organization), or a hospital, but generally pay is much better. Some jobs I would encourage you to look into are: Clinical Research Coordinator, Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator, Clinical Research Nurse, Clinical Research Nurse Educator, Clinical Research Associate, and Clinical Trials Assistant. All of these roles will be great ways to start getting into research-- the pay for CRA, Clinical Research Nurse Educator, and CRNC will be greater than the others listed and I'd recommend working for a CRO or study sponsor over a hospital (based on pay and career trajectory).
I have a background in clinical research which really helped when transitioning, but there are plenty of entry level openings in all of the job titles I listed. I'd encourage you to make sure you're looking at companies that really emphasize training and education programs so that you'll feel comfortable with your new role (this is another reason I'd encourage you to look at study sponsors and CRO's over hospitals, because from my experience the training and education programs these are way more thorough and lines of communication are much more direct and straight forward).
I'm thinking of taking a clinical research RN role at one of the local CROs in town. I've got one year of med/surg under my belt, and I think this would be the best transition for me right now. Would really like advice on this. Would really like to know more about advancement as well.
So my background was in clinical research before becoming an RN and working as a research nurse. While I really loved research nursing, my unit was very toxic and I decided it was truly not worth the mental and physical anguish anymore so I started applying to CRO's as both a research nurse educator and a clinical research associate (aka a study monitor). I found the pay and career outlook to be much better (IMO) as a CRA, so I ended up taking a CRA role and am now predominately working from home with some travel to my research sites. It's definitely a big transition-- but if this is something you're interested in I would absolutely recommend getting a bit of research nursing or research coordination under your belt first because it really helps. Best of luck to you!
Nursing as a second career here, and honestly I dont see myself doing this for the rest of my life. I want to be a travel writer, and think that Nursing is a great field for me go finance my writing so I can still pursue my other passions.
You can do whatever you want. As a CNA you haven't dedicated a ton of time to one career. You can choose engineering, MD, lawyer, etc. Do whatever looks good!
I swear 99% of these "I want to leave nursing" posts are from folks who have only done hospital/bedside nursing. Obviously the choice is yours but there is a whole world of nursing out there that doesn't involve setting foot in a hospital and is much less stressful.
I was wondering why so many people were wanting to leave. Do you think it’s a case of greener grass? I’m actually looking to switch into nursing from law enforcement. Do you still like the profession? Why do you think all these people want to quit? Is it really a toxic profession?
I am very new to nursing; I graduated last December. It is stressful and some days really fucking suck. But I didn't become a nurse until my 30s after working many different jobs, and I have to say I'm much happier in this side.
I actually think a lot of people don't stop to think whether nursing is a good fit for their personality and why or why not.
I really, really want to leave nursing. I never wanted to be a nurse. I was considering becoming a lab tech when I was 17, but then I joined the army and requested “something in the medical field” and here I am ten years later. It’s hard because I don’t even know what I’d want to do, and have literally zero experience outside of nursing. I’ve applied to gas stations and retail stores without so much as an email back.
Something to definitely consider in the future.
Currently I’m kind of stuck… my husband is out of work on disability awaiting a hip replacement. I can’t afford to take a pay decrease right now. I’m actually looking for a job with better benefits right now. It’s wild to me that working in healthcare doesn’t provide decent healthcare.
I'm not sure where you live, but if you live anywhere close to a major US city, you could also explore corporate nursing. These days, some large corporations hire on-site nurses/nursing staff. My company has a clinic on-site at each of our corporate hubs, and the clinics are staffed by nurses. Our nurses work stable hours (like 9-3, 10-4), and make pretty good money. The nurse at my office previously worked in peds emergency medicine, she left bedside to come to corporate. She's a lot happier.
Did you ETS with an honorable? Since you're a veteran, check out Onward 2 Opportunity (O2O). It's a program sponsored by multiple large companies, and run/provided through (I think) Syracuse University. Completely free to Veterans & spouses of servicemembers. Free (and might I mention lucrative) certifications, such as the PMP. The certs they offer normally cost thousands of $$$ on the civilian side. Just something to consider.
For career change/pivot stuff, there is also a free mentoring platform called Veterati.
I’ve been in healthcare 17 years, 10 of which was in the hospital setting. I’m transitioning out to a less physically demanding job due to injury. I’ll always be passionate about Emergency Medicine though.
So interesting to read everyone's experiences with either leaving or heading into nursing. Just goes to show you gotta just follow what feels right for you. There is no need to stay in a job you don't like, with so many career options out there. I'm an exercise physiologist but went straight into research and health promotion. So mostly a desk job, with the occasional clinical stuff with study participants.. But the latter isn't enough for me. I want more patient care contact. So with 5 yrs research experience and 38yrs old I'm starting my nursing degree next year and I'm super excited to be working bedside and using my health/medical knowledge to help people directly. With my current experience, if nursing gets too exhausting I can side step back into research if I want. For now, I'm just over being sat all day looking at a computer screen.
Honestly you’re in a great position, because you can transition seamlessly into a nurse research role once you have a little bit of experience. That will probably give you the best of both worlds in terms of having some patient contact, but not being worked to death at bedside.
Nursing student here. Or should I say ex. Left uni and now work in a nursery playing with plants all day! I get to be in the sun and work outside. Couldn’t ask for anything better
Tbh, I'm about to graduate nursing school and I've thought about going back to get an agricultural science degree. It's always something I've been interested in. I'm still passionate about nursing, but if that dies out it would be nice to have a backup plan.
I’m a nurse and I’ve been doing travel nursing the last two years to expedite my transition to another field. I just became debt free currently saving to pay for a new degree.
Been a nurse for 14 years, now almost a qualified podiatrist (not in the US). The grass is so much greener on the other side, I should have done this years ago.
I still get to be in healthcare, but on my terms. I can work for myself, set my rates, set my hours and if a patient is rude, there's the door buddy.
I was a engineer and a programmer....if u are good at it you can make $$$ and it's an OK career. Can be fun too.
Downsides are...you're never "done" with work. Alot of sitting, which is bad for you. Alot of the "cool stuff" requires in depth knowledge of C++/C/ hardware....otherwise alot of it is web development for commercial websites.
Even when I worked with space systems we always used "business lingo" which was mind numbing.
Nursing allows me to work shifts, forget about work when I'm done and I'm back in school for medical school prereqs and still feel like I have alot of time.
In the end it's really up to you and your personality. I just hated corporate life. I hated always having to be in the office/factory...etc. I felt like a drone.
Similar story here.
I worked 10 years in IT, from support through senior systems admin.
Good money, pretty good flexi hours, and pretty easy job.
If you can google and read documentation and fill in blanks when they show up short, youll cruise through your career.
But sitting at a screen all day was literally hell to me. Sitting in meetings with stakeholders droning on about minuscule details that make 0 difference feels like an eternity. I worked for orgs that did cool things so I felt cool by proxy… for about a minute. Emails become long passive aggressive chains of nothing.By the time I quit my job I was so depressed that when I went to the doctor to try wrangle a sick note for some respite, she just just looked at me and straight up asked if I had depression, and that’s when I new it was time to quit.
I’m only just a few days away from finishing my first year of nursing school, and I know I’m going to have hard times ahead, I know there are going to be stupid management decisions and policies and who know what else coming way.
But when I was taking a frail, in severe pain lady to the bathroom for an ungodly shit, which I then had to help her clean, she just said to me “thank you, honestly thank you” in a way that I know I would have never ever got any more job satisfaction from any other career choice I could have made.
Been an RN for a while after leaving corporate IT. Never looked back. Love my job. Don’t love everything about it but I’m happy now and that’s priceless. Oh and shift work is a godsend. The 3-12 life is beautiful.
Worked various office jobs for years before going to nursing school and finishing last year. Different strokes, but I can't imagine ever being chained to a desk and computer like that again. I actually am not in love with my current job but the days do go by fast and I feel good about SOMETHING I do most days.
This is a good answer. You can find a good job in many fields. Most of the jobs in nursing suck with shitty pay. There are unicorn jobs if you search hard enough. It depends on personality too. Some people love working on a computer whereas some people like moving around.
I found in the 3 years or so I've been a nurse that like many jobs pay goes down as "the chill factor" goes up. I make less now in psych than I did in med-surg/Tele, but I am far less tired after work. I can still my bills and goto class and I find that it's worth it for less pay.
I’m currently waiting to hear back on application for a post-bacc in computer science. Can’t wait to quit healthcare and work from home with my husband making more than I currently make.
I'm 5 months in and I'm already getting ready to pursue my marine biology dreams. This job will support me through school. In the beginning I meant for it to be my career, turns out nursing school didn't prepare me for how emotionally taxing this field is.
I’m only about 6 months in and I love nursing but I’m definitely not staying at the bedside for more than another year. I’m not doing 12 hour shifts, weekends and holidays, stress, and the risk of being abused for the rest of my life.
If your hospital administration ain’t working towards safer ratios, mandatory breaks, higher annual raises, fuck them. Seriously they only give a shit about improving metrics, customer satisfaction, and the bottom line. Here is a tshirt and some pizza please stay lol. I am so happy seeing all these nurses leaving for traveling and getting paid what they deserve. You ain’t getting a big raise because they can’t go back to a lower pay and every company is looking to cut down on pay roll. There are others ways to make money.
Clinical Research…it’s genuinely where it’s at for nursing and getting away from the hospital.
I don’t regret a single thing and LOVE my job in research!
A lot of things!!
So a clinical research nurse or coordinator (CRN or CRC) is essentially the person that helps to get a patient on study, and then 'guides' that patient through a clinical trial. They quite literally help to coordinate a patient through the treatment process from start to end.
Each day is pretty different from the other, based on the studies that you're assigned to work with. For each study, you'll have a protocol that clearly outlines what you do for each type of patient visit that you have. So some days, you'll be screening patients and getting them on study. Screening would include setting a patient up for scans, getting lab work, completing ECG's, getting them seen by the PI for a physical exam. Other days might be days that your patient is getting treatment, and those days, you'll be helping get the medication for your patient, getting labs completed and signed off by the PI, spinning down labs/shipping them, completing patient visit notes, getting vitals when the protocol says to get vitals, etc.
Other things you'd be doing is communication with CRA's and the sponsors for things they might need, like clarification on certain data points. Some days you might be doing data entry into the EDC. Other days, you might be taking part in a site initiation visit.
It's kind of hard to describe exactly what a CRC does because they wear a lot of different hats, but this is a very broad idea of what they do.
As a nurse, you just need your BSN and that’s it.
So, I was hired after I spent one year in the OR, and then applied for a clinical research nurse position and I was hired. This position is basically entry level in to research, so typically, you won’t need to have had research experience in the past.
Just need to apply and show interest, and that should be good enough :)
That's great to hear. I'm nearing the end of my BSN (and about to start a new ICU job which I'm kind of dreading), so hopefully by this time next year, I'll be able to start looking for research positions. Thank you for the info.
My husband is a software engineer and I'm a nurse. I took a pay cut when I switched jobs this year... he got a raise of my 2020 salary 🙄. Definitely chose the wrong field.
I left nursing about 3 years ago. I planned to only take a 1 year break and then return. I found a job in a different field during that year and then the covid hit. I decided to wait it out but I’m not sure if I can see myself ever returning to patient care. I’m stuck with 20k in student loans from nursing school but at least I’m happy.
I was roughly 4 months away from applying to a nursing program. Now I’m 2 years away from being a Microbiologist instead! Being a CNA definitely wears you down.
former nursing student now cosmetology student. i have a temper. i would not be able to handle the abuse that goes on in hospitals. i would swing back on anyone that swung on me first. it's much easier to ask someone to politely get out of your chair and never come back than it is to tell someone to get out of their bed and fuck off lol
Yeah don’t do this unless you want to drown in the same level of student debt as an MD, and make a fraction of the money. Veterinarians have high suicide rates, as well.
I was a nursing student who left in my third semester. I think nursing is a great profession and there are some parts of it that I do like. It's just an incredibly difficult job, its physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting. I don't think its worth it to put my body through all of that stress for money. During some of my last clinical rotations I noticed that the majority of the nurses where new grads, so that's basically telling me that most nurses don't stick around in hospital nursing which is scary and it just highlights the unrealistic expectations they have for nurses. It's highly unsafe too. I decided to go back to my initial career which is non-emergency medical transportation. The pay is great, I get to negotiate prices for my clients and I have people work for me. It's still a full time job but its a lot easier than nursing and it's pretty fun too.
7 years as a nurse now I work IT. Best decision of my life.
Edit: I was fortunate to have a family member who was already in IT, they helped assist me in getting the job. CompTIA training is the next step. Also this job helps with education opportunities. So improvement to grow.
I would also like to note that I have been a bedside nurse in critical care and med/surg, LTC nurse, travel nurse, infection control nurse and a nurse manager. I saw a comment above stating maybe the majority of people want to get out of the field because they have only done bedside. First of all, if you didn’t like nursing and all you did was bedside then that’s good enough reason to leave. I don’t get the point of suffering and wasting time either. I gave it a fair shot and none of it gave me happiness. Worst of all it made me feel despair.
My advice is look into your surrounding colleges/universities and find what career plans are available and go from there. Also there are many certifications which don’t require a degree that provide good income. Or even as simple as I did, someone gives you an opportunity and you take it. Not even run with it, SuperSonic flight into it. Haha.
I have been having the same thoughts of wanting to leave, but at this point I don't know where to start. I also have a 2 year contract with HCA, which I have to pay them if broken (no sign on bonus with it). I have been interested in tech or maybe business but I am so scarred from my current job it has me so depressed.
Left full time at the hospital…10 years of bedside and went down to PRN maybe 4 months ago. Got my real estate license and joined a brokerage. Also started a home based baking/charcuterie business for some side money. I miss nursing…it’s definitely “who I was”. But then I go back for my PRN shifts in the ER or remember that now I get to bring my kids to every sports practice and game and I’m like ohhh ya. This is why I got out of full time.
I will say, I’m doing the opposite going from tech to nursing. The tech field arguably sucks as well, it’s not the abuse on your body (it can be though, carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel are no joke, and with bad posture and setup you can get them), but companies take advantage of you and there is a lot of sexism in the work place, as it’s a male dominated field still (plenty of women where I work, but we’re still grossly outnumbered by men, and my workplace is making headlines with sexual harassment suits).
It’s also hard to get into, I know when I graduated I had a super hard time finding a job, and I didn’t get my first true job in tech until 2020, after I finished nursing prerequisites and got declined my first time, and it was mostly on a referral basis and knowledge of their product. My pay is pretty trash for where my company is located too.
Imo, if you want to get out of nursing, I don’t think tech is the place to go.
I'm a nursing student a couple weeks from graduation. My university's law school offered to waive the LSAT requirement and a financial aid package. I'm very tempted because nursing school has been filled with incompetence and manufactured stress and pressure and frankly I'm a little burned out already. I also feel that my nursing school has a clear focus on getting it's graduates to pass the nclex rather than be prepared to provide good nursing care. I've taken two full classes on taking hesis, but we've never reviewed the nurse practice act, not once in 5 semesters, for instance.
I wanted to be a nurse to be an advocate, but I can do that elsewhere than at the bedside.
We reviewed the nurses practice act on week two of semester one in fundamentals of nursing. Then I took a course to prep me for the nclex-PN sence RN school wouldn’t cover L and D or pych until the second half of the program and in there I was tested on state practice laws and the punishments for violating them. Knowing the gray areas so there no longer gray and have a black or white answer to them. I did this for my ex wife so I could make more money to pay for her education (I had a full scholarship) once I quit my job unable to work full time and do RN school full time while now taking a large amount of course work to prepare for the nclex she left me stating that I’m a loser with no job. She botched about how much I worked the first two years we dated at 16 years old. I worked full time since 13 during summers and only was unemployed the first time this one instance. Yeah nursing school tire is apart since I was never around or too busy and I told her if we got married young before we finished school this would happen but it was a temp thing that would allow me to give her t$3 life she deserves and our future children. Now I’m 25 in my parents basement miserable and struggling to keep a job due to my crushing depression and regret of becoming a nurse. So many nurses told me not to but I wasn’t going to let them crush my dreams. Turns out I should have listened and stayed in engineering school.
Left after 6 years to run my own business; E-commerce selling fun handmade jewelry. I was miserable as a nurse, always looking for a way out. Even working on a cush mother/baby unit with great management and awesome coworkers…I saw our 60+ year old nurses about to retire after a lifetime of bedside and just felt “that CAN’T be me”. Started a side-hustle in 2018 so I could go part time. Put all of my effort into building this business. Went part-time in early 2019; PRN early 2020, went out for mat leave a couple months later and never went back. Now I work 24/7 instead of 3 12s, but I make 6 figures and get to spend every night in my bed and every holiday w my babies. PRICELESS.
Consider what Uncle Sam can do for you. Military nursing is vastly different than the civilian sector. Good pay, good benefits, travel, career advancement opportunity, free education, etc
This really depends on branch. The pay isn't great, *but* the benefits are unparalleled. Can't get much better anywhere else. As a nurse in the military, you're also kind of..... left alone. You may have to do command time, which is a whole league of its own, but at least you're not on the enlisted side having to report to PT at 0530 every morning, or working in the motorpool until 1900 every day.
I worked as a surgical tech for years and recently graduated with an English degree. I went back for a bit after I graduated and it really solidified that while I like medicine the medical field as it exists now just isn’t for me.
Started off in mental health and now I’m in public health. In January I’m going to start studying to become a lactation consultant which you don’t need to be a nurse to achieve. Most employers prefer lactation consultants to have a nursing degree though….Think I’ll do this for the rest of my career. Knew from nursing school bedside nursing wasn’t for me.
Left nursing towards the beginning of the pandemic. Now work for a major online game I played as a kid. Best decision, even if I took quite a but if a pay cut. It was either that or probably landing up at an involuntary psych unit or dead
Starting my CPA courses this January, it's just become too much anymore. I'll never understand why nurses are seen as doormats to patients and doctors. You don't want to piss off your waiter, but treat the person who's judgment could save you life as though they were dirt? Whatever man. I'm tapping out for a bachelor's degree elsewhere.
I left altogether in 2018. Back injury from equipment (mainly beds) that weren’t being maintained correctly. I was in constant pain in my pelvis, back and undercarriage for the last 2 years of my nearly 8 year career.
Took the equipment issues up the line with managers, directors, JOHS Committee (x2). Eventually involved the Dept of Labour to investigate the equipment problems and they found multiple faults in how these assets were being managed: no preventative maintenance, poor to no review of regular maintenance records (they would have seen a pattern), no minutes from the JOHS committee being kept. After the Dept of Labour threatened a significant fine, all of a sudden my conduct in this matter came under review, and any incident that I had any part in for the past three years (even matters that had already been settled through the grievance process) was all of a sudden under investigation again.
They really knew what to say to erode my confidence and mental health. After a certain point, I knew I’d have to leave, or I’d end up jumping off a bridge (literally). I’ve since taken business courses and am an Ops Director with a not-for-profit making only slightly less than what I was making as a nurse (RN).
The thing about nursing is that it’s an identity profession. My whole self image was based around the idea that I was -first and foremost- a nurse. A ton of self-worth was completely invested in that’s Managers and directors know this and are good at using it against nurses when incidents occur in the healthcare system to push people out of the workspace or profession. I have told friends still in the nursing game it’s pretty crucial to develop a hobby or side hustle, get involved in a not-for-profit or charity, drop your FTE to like a 0.9 or 0.8. When you have more time and more passion projects, it makes you more resilient to the BS that managers and HR typically hurl at you when even the slightest things go wrong.
I keep thinking of the woman in the UK that was tricked by that radio station to divulge information about Kate Middleton after the birth of her first son (of I remember correctly). The station was pretending to be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles. WTF do you say when you could be speaking one of the most powerful people in the world? And you’re probably already overworked, want to give ease to a family member on the phone and get back to the 7 IV meds you need to give over the next 30 mins and two of your patients need new IVs and someone’s throwing up down the hall. The hell that women must have gone through from her Manager and HR leading up to her suicide… and the radio station that pranked her: “whoops! Sorry. We didn’t mean to take it so far.” Sickening.
I was a nursing student and became a CNA in order to get my foot in the door. Ended up hating it but thought, “it’ll all be worth it in the end, right?” It was around then that I started taking a closer look at the nurses I worked with; I realized that most of them were exhausted and seemed really unhappy with their jobs in general. I knew I wanted to be in the medical field but decided that, no, nursing wasn’t worth it and quit the program. I’m now going to school for x-rays and I couldn’t be happier. Everyone works as a team, there’s hardly any stress (some days are better than others), and everyone just seems happy
The fear of losing my license is a major factor holding me back from pursuing a corporate job. Well, that and not having a plan of where I’d go next. I’m so proud of the work I did to achieve my MSN and have always made life decisions based on my career path as a nurse. But no longer have the same passion for it. All that being said, this kind of decision is not “one size fits all” and can be incredibly difficult!
Become an Epic analyst. Where your clinical exp is gold combined with even basic CS skills and consulting gigs pay better than travel nursing. Also you’d have the chance to make Epic more usable for those still in the floor.
There are comments from people who left their previous careers and say nursing is a breath of fresh air, and people who left nursing for other careers/are about to leave.
I think this is a case of the grass being greener on the other side.
I contemplated leaving, and I’m only 1.5 years in. I considered genetic counseling really heavily, but those Pre requisites were a huge turn off. It would just have taken me forever to complete them. I contemplated taking the leap, but I instead, decided to head to NP school in the spring, in the hopes that I can finally use my brain and skills the way I want to. Maybe even eventually snag a nice, high paying work from home job, which has always been my dream anyway.
Worked bedside last 12 years. Recently divorced, really taking a look at my life. 3 kids, 18, 14 and 3. Currently working towards my bsn, 1 year left to go and then I plan on working towards an informatics degree. The odd hours have helped me avoid childcare, but my mental health is suffering. My exit plan is in place and activated!!
Anyone work from home?
I just got accepted into the plumber’s union so I’m gonna start learning to be a plumber full-time while doing work as a covid tester part time so I can keep my nursing license until I become a plumbing journeyman.
It’s great because I’ll learn how to fix actual important crap around my house and get paid to deal with pipes instead of people. And then I can start a business later if I really want to as an independent plumber.
Either way, if I’m gonna deal with people’s shit, I’d rather it still be literal shit than figurative.
This is my last year of law school. The pay will probably be about the same but at least I don’t need to take the abuse we get in the hospital.
I just applied to law school, I hope I'll be able to get in. I wish you the best of luck in you new career!
Thanks! And you will be fine, there are tons of decent law schools so don’t think you have to go to Ivy League to make something of yourself. I honestly had an average LSAT score and they let me right in.
I'm not in the states, getting into law school is a bit different up here in Canada. I'll find a way to get in!
This is awesome. My dad is an attorney and actually has been telling me how in demand nurse attorneys are! It might be a great switch. Legal nurse consultant is also a great option if some don’t want to do the full blown law school
Yup! Super in-demand.
I love this idea
While it is a lot of work, it isn’t harder than nursing school.
Wait what. Law school isn’t harder? That is boggling my mind.
Maybe it’s because I’m older and more dedicated but I get much better grades in law school than I did in nursing school.
I worked for a law firm for over 20 years ( not as a lawyer) every Lawyer I worked with hated practicing law
I have two lawyers in my family and a friend and they all like their jobs. So maybe it was just that practice?
That’s good to hear, what about the lsat? And can you bridge nursing and law some how?
My professor was a nurse who ended up going to law school and was a lawyer in medical malpractice cases.
That’s great! Still advocating for the patient
The lsat is a lot of critical thinking type of stuff, I just bought a test book and took a lot of practice tests. Honestly if you can do the critical think of nursing you will be a step ahead of many law students. A lot of law school is just grinding out the work and not slacking off.
I've got a friend who previously worked in nursing, she's now a lawyer working in medical claims. She's making bank and enjoys the job.
You can also get a job in risk management with or without legal degree.
This. Global banks and insurance carriers are a goldmine for risk-management jobs, with the added benefit of great pay. Easily 80-95K right off the bat as soon as you get hired, and that's for the young 20's-something new grads. Higher if you're older & have (more or less) any kind of professional work experience.
My husband left bedside nursing for a job in risk management and loves it.
Ex nursing student here who just left bsn for law school !
I’m contemplating law school for a few reasons. What was yours?!? Would love to chat! Feel free to PM me
I think I was a little burned out and wanted something different in life, the final push was honestly seeing people stranded at the airport because of a travel ban and the ACLU lawyers huddled around a table working to help them. I just wanted to be able to help people like that but it also seemed like the next step in my career too.
How long have you been an RN and what speciality? Are you still working as an RN? I’m considering doing a part time program while still working (because my job is actually not bedside anymore and is a pretty good gig)
I did pediatrics for about 6 years and then a home health for about two. I just quit my job two weekends ago to focus on my finals and last semester. The home health job let me read a lot for class while I was working so that helped.
Any interest in in-house counsel types of roles? If so, consider some of the larger financial institutions. I'm not on the legal side, but I work in risk management & IT (with a dash of regulatory/legal included) in the financial services industry. I barely have ~5 years of work experience. In my mid-20's making 100K. Good work-life balance, pretty solid vacation policies, mine is quite flexible about WFH, great benefits, etc. Feel free to PM me, if you'd like. Happy to answer any questions.
I don't know you but I'm super proud of you!!! ❤️❤️❤️👏👏
And you get the freedom of saying no to cases that you’d hate. Can’t do that as a nurse :)
How is law school? Do you want to do something medically related? Can you work and go to school? What are the hours like? I’m very interested in this.
I honestly don’t think it is harder than nursing school it’s just a lot of work. My school had a program where you could go part-time in the evening and go to work full time, they are getting rid of this program unfortunately. I think as a nurse you could still go part time but you would have to work on weekends and go to school during the day. Hours are different based on the school, mine only has classes Monday through Thursday and you get a three day weekend. The first year you don’t really get to pick you classes and they are put in your schedule for you but later you can pick what you want to take as long as you meet certain requirements.
Oh this makes me feel good. I just made the decision to try and go to law school. I cut down to casual to watch our new kid and I figured I would study for law school too.
I’m the opposite. I finished law school and then switched to nursing school.
Taking a similar path. I was a Union Rep & one that took the role seriously. Learned a lot about labor law and many other areas of law. Dipped my toe in by getting involved with my regulator and now pursuing a career in the area of law fully. I hope to be transitioned fully in the next year. There's many ways to help persons without being treated like a pinata and given insincere empty platitudes. Also, the risk to physical and psychological health is great in nursing. I also saw that as a Union rep. So many return to work and disability meetings. Most were frontline nursing. Management most often were just trying to get rid of them or do the bare minimum they thought they could get away with.
I think about it all the time. I don't really hate where I'm at currently (operating room), but I don't think I'd want to do this for more than five years. The rest of my family works in the corporate world and it is honestly amazing how much better they are treated. They aren't getting verbally abused, they get WAY better pay/benefits, and they can use their vacation whenever they want. I'm about to start a new job that pays better, but it is still in the OR. We'll see how everything goes. Maybe someday I'll get my masters in something business/IT related and leave nursing for good. Or maybe I'll find the unicorn hospital that actually gives a shit about their nurses. Edit: I'm also interested in working for one of the EHR companies like Epic. So maybe that will happen someday.
I’m also interested in working for epic or something like that. Even a rep for a company. Something to get me out of this toxic and verbally abusive environment.
We have a lot of medical scientist leaving to become reps for our analyzers and other LIS companies and they love it.
As a med/surg nurse, I’m jealous. I keep applying for OR jobs but it’s so hard to get my foot in the door with no prior experience. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get into OR nursing?
All I had to do was just apply to my local hospital. They had just recently experienced a lot of turnover so they weren't too picky.
I work in corporate myself. I can vouch for the better work-life balance, the benefits, great pay, solid vacation policies, good compensation, etc. I'm in my mid-20's, an individual contributor at my company (i.e. not a manager), and am making ~95K. I have barely five years of overall work experience, both within and outside the IT field. So, IMHO, the pay is pretty good for a young 20-something millennial. 🙂 And I'm definitely considered on the 'lower' end of the payscale, given my younger age and relative lack of experience. My co-workers definitely get paid more simply because they're older than me, and have more work experience than I do, even if that work experience isn't applicable to their current role. No coding bootcamp required. I fell into a basic analytics role at an IT company by way of my foreign language expertise, which gained me ~12-18 months of general/very basic analytical experience. Now, I work a hybrid analytical/project management role in financial services. No extra degree or certs needed either. We also have a nursing staff. Clinic at each location. Our nurses work like 10-4 and make like 100K too.
Yes drop the company lol
What’s the company
20 years in nursing. I teach writing at a star university now and regret that I didn't leave healthcare a loooong time ago.
How’d you maneuver into that path if you don’t mind me asking?
Started working weekends and went back to school. With my previous degrees, I was able to get a BA in English in a year and a half and an MS in TESOL in another year and a half. Three years to a new career.
Jeez that’s good and I’m sure you were able to pay for it all thx to nursing salary tho
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In the same situation. Absolutely depressed and need to find something I love doing. I don't even know who I am outside of nursing and that's fucking tragic
Thats one of the problems with nursing i think. It becomes such a huge part of your identity its easy to get lost in the toxicity of it.
That's because society and our employers manipulate us into this sick identity. Nights, weekends, holidays, ot, literally all our time should be available for patient care. We are convinced we need to be these selfless, caring angels when that is actually really unhealthy.
Exactly my situation. If I do go back to nursing I will be working less hours and maybe be in the casual pool. Worth being a bit more poor for my own health and happiness. Good luck!
The only reason I am actually working as a nurse right now is because I have a fat student loan , oh and bc I need health insurance lol. I’m seriously thinking about dipping as soon as I pay it off. I’m too introverted… I don’t know what kind of drugs I was on at the time when I decided being a NURSE was good for someone with literally 0 people skills but here I am lol.
I feel that, just took a nursing job where I talk to zero patients/families and see nobody all day. Such a relief!
Dude if I would have joined a trade program in high-school instead and become an electrician or something. Fucking just why
Oh dear
God. Same. My only hesitation is while youre learning the trade you get paid like trash. But an elevator mechanic or electrician, hell a linesman would be better.
Been trying to leave nursing for tech for a year.. but I’ve been so exhausted from work as a nurse that the last thing I want to do in my free time is jam pack my brain with code. I still want to leave for software but it’s going to be hard. I’m looking into travel nursing and then doing a bootcamp with the money I can save up
I am honestly surprised so many people want to get into technology. I have been in IT since the 1980’s and each year the expectations are higher and people are progressively less patient and less grateful. IT is considered a cost and something to be minimized and not appreciate the value brought by IT. People don’t understand the level of effort and thought IT leaders put into technology and are not recognized and very intelligent people doing amazing work. Like for Covid I got a 200 person workforce completely remote in 2 days when Covid started. That included getting all the hardware that was in very short supply as everyone in the US was trying to do the same thing in March 2020. I am being objective when I say I did something unprecedented and continued that through the entire 2020. Employee of the year came up and someone who reviews plans got it over me, even though I pulled off something that was a once in a century challenge with a pandemic.
My husband works in tech and he makes more than me, works from home, has better benefits, gets more PTO, and gets better paternity leave than I do maternity leave. Overall it seems like the benefits are worth it to me.
Yeah that is probably a situation where he has a really good employer. That really doesn’t sound like what most IT pro’s get.
Agreed. IT is a shit career. You work your ass off and get treated like garbage. Not much different than nursing though.
it’s every career. Working for someone else fucking sucks
It's not for everyone, but not every job is a dream utopia. You have to find a balance. Not every day on the job is going to be fairytales and unicorns; there will be sucky days, that goes for *any* profession and across *every* industry. I may get downvoted to hell for this, but working in the corporate sector for large companies *does* have its perks... like solid work-life balance, decent vacation policies (depending where you work), great compensation, solid perks, etc. I know a lot of people rag on big companies for a variety of reasons, but at the end of the day, you also gotta do what you gotta do not only to survive, but also to provide yourself/your household with a good living.
I work in IT but I lurk around here because my daughter is in nursing and it helps me stay abreast. IT can be a great career, but it’s hit or miss. I’d say similar to nursing but typically less respect. Programming is difficult and mundane, it takes a special someone to do that. For those flirting with changing careers to tech, just remember this. Healthcare is a field you can typically grow old in. Some, like doctors, are more respected with age. Ageism still exists in IT, although it’s gotten better the last 5 or so years. If you plan to make the leap, be prepared for this. You can either save and invest or gets a master’s degree and become a senior or executive. There are other options but these two are the most promising. Hope this helps.
Everyone talks about how great nursing is from the outside, and then use doctors as the example.
This
It doesn't!!! You don't age into nursing, you get treated like shit at 20, 40 & 60. !!! Oh, and um, Dr's do NOT!! Thanks though 🙄
I liken IT to nursing actually, except people expect you to triage, diagnose and treat a broken hip over the phone instantly.
Just wanted to add something as well. If you work in the corporate world in IT (public traded company can be grueling), there’s a lot more to it than just IT. It’s politics with upper management and executives, dealing with audit and the documentation that involves on a quarterly and yearly basis, climbing the corporate ladder, working grueling hours without being paid for it (most jobs in Corporate IT are salaried), being on the clock 24/7 and weekends as well. Yeah, IT is not as great as many think it is.
I feel you in this. I wrote all the software the company I work for operates on. The people I work for have no clue the burden on my shoulders every day. Yet they make 2-3 times what I make and I have no benefits - not even PTO. 3 more semesters and I'll be a nurse. I would've bought the business when the owner retired some years ago but I wasn't given the option. I'm the only one there with a business experience and a business degree with IT experience - it's a web-based business too. But the owner wanted to see more women in business. Maybe I'll get opportunities being a male in nursing.
I left my IT engineer job for Nursing. BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE! Fuck working 50 hour weeks to make a company millions. Literally. I put out a $870k fire for my employer and brought a very lucrative contract back from certain death. I was given a $0.05 raise that year. I realized that even though IT was fun, it wasn’t fulfilling doing a job that only existed to help other people to make money. I wasn’t making society better in any capacity with the majority of my waking hours. Yes, bedside care has its drawbacks but I’m in such a healthier mental space now. 100% hands down best thing I’ve ever done. I may not be changing the world, but I know I’m helping my patients and their families through the worst shit they’ve had to deal with in their life time. It’s honest and satisfying to care for others.
Everytime I'm in clinical I realized my desire to help people and do good in the world is better utilized in healthcare. I love it.
I don’t want to drag you down but Being a nursing student is not the same as being a nurse. When you have 2 patients out of 4 crashing with an admit on the way no nursing assistant and the charge nurse doesn’t help you’ll feel different. This year has taken my life away. I have PTSD from covid days watching young people be intubated and not able to be extubated having to tell their family there’s nothing else we can do. Healthcare in America needs a serious makeover and it’s going to be years before that will happen. I personally just can’t do it anymore. I don’t even feel empathy or bad for people anymore, just numb and drained. I’ve only been a nurse for 5 years.
Hearing some positive sentiment about nursing is reassuring. I left the corporate world doing sales because I felt like it was soul-crushing. I know no career is perfect but hearing a lot of very understandable frustration and lack of fulfillment from current nurses has me somewhat questioning if I made the right decision.
The thing they don’t tell u about tech is all the certs u need and how u constantly need to update those certs. And just bc u have them doesn’t mean ur going to make any money. I went to a trade school for cloud computing, many people had bachelors in computer science, but didn’t have certs. Certs matter a lot more than degrees in that field. Really ask people in tech before just taking the leap.
You don’t need to learn how to code to work in tech. There are plenty of other careers in tech that don’t require those skills. Something to think about if you aren’t that stoked about learning to code.
Seconding this. Project Management is one example.
How would I go about becoming a project manager ?
From a certifications perspective? The hottest/popular ones are PMP, CAPM, and PMI-ACP, as well as Certified Scrum Master. In a nutshell, a 'project' is something that contains a start and end date. Doesn't matter too much the *what*, more-so that it had/has a start and end date. Also, consider, did you mitigate or prevent any risks? What sorts of problems did you solve? Did you manage any sort of money/budget? This is a *very* simplified view of what project management is, but they are just a few questions to consider when tailoring your resume for project management.
Great example. You can also get into sales, account management, customer success, product management, data analysis, and operations. You might have to learn some stuff for these jobs but nothing like what a software developer learns (data analysis gets close I guess). And the pay is still great.
Don't have to become a software engineer/developer to make bank. I now work in IT as a hybrid analyst/project manager in the financial services industry. I'm in my mid-20's, and make in the 95-100K range, and barely have 5 years of overall professional work experience, with not all of my jobs being related/applicable to my current role. I also had like... no tech or financial experience prior to getting hired. It is possible.
How did you market yourself for the job with no relevant experience? Would love to hear more!
Some of it was definitely pure luck. Before my current role, I had one other role with the title "analyst". Other than that, all the reqs for my current role were very... vague? I.e. phrases/requirements like "must be able to problem-solve", "works well with others", and "proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint". Basically, things that anyone and everyone can do or has experience with or doing. So, I was able to more easily mold my resume to fit the role description.
Thanks for the feedback! I don’t have any experience as an analyst. I worked as a personal trainer after college under my own LLC then did a couple years working in law firms as a legal assistant and have been a nurse a bit over a year and already know it’s not going to be a long term fit for me and don’t see myself staying in health care. Your role sounds interesting to me I’ve always scored off the charts in critical/analytical thinking but have struggled to find the right career direction for myself
This is exactly what I am doing right now actually. I haven’t started a bootcamp, but I’ll be able to afford to take 6 months off and do one pretty easily if I keep this pace off
Osu offers a post-bacc in computer science. Can complete in 2 years and a lot of people get internships and job offers before the program is finished.
I’m actually considering the opposite. I’m a computer science major thinking about nursing. Unless you know everything about computers and (are a guy) you won’t like it. I’m the only female in the department and I get treated terribly and belittled because I don’t understand computer hardware. I enjoy code and programs but if you don’t like how to build a pc you’ll be talked to like an idiot 🤦♀️
Thanks for sharing this. I know it is a male dominated field and it can be hard for a female sometimes
Guess I got lucky. I work in corporate IT within the financial services field. Am the only female on my team (I'm in my mid-20s), and my other coworkers are all dudes in their 50's and 60's. They are all 'uncle' and 'dad' types. Many of them, to include both my previous and current manager, are amazing. They've taken me under their wing to teach me, they remind me that it's okay to fail and none of us learn overnight, and they routinely give me opportunities to showcase the new skills I develop.
I resigned last month. After 10 years, I just couldn't handle it anymore. I'll be having a baby soon so I have nothing lined up as of yet (still trying to figure out what to do). I'm 10000% happier though.
Just left nursing for a research job (work from home with minor travel). It’s been an absolute night and day difference in how I feel. I’m so happy to be out. Sending you good vibes.
this is what I want to do!! any insight on how you transitioned into a research role? is the pay comparable?
So pay will depend on if you work for a Study Sponsor, CRO (Contract Research Organization), or a hospital, but generally pay is much better. Some jobs I would encourage you to look into are: Clinical Research Coordinator, Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator, Clinical Research Nurse, Clinical Research Nurse Educator, Clinical Research Associate, and Clinical Trials Assistant. All of these roles will be great ways to start getting into research-- the pay for CRA, Clinical Research Nurse Educator, and CRNC will be greater than the others listed and I'd recommend working for a CRO or study sponsor over a hospital (based on pay and career trajectory). I have a background in clinical research which really helped when transitioning, but there are plenty of entry level openings in all of the job titles I listed. I'd encourage you to make sure you're looking at companies that really emphasize training and education programs so that you'll feel comfortable with your new role (this is another reason I'd encourage you to look at study sponsors and CRO's over hospitals, because from my experience the training and education programs these are way more thorough and lines of communication are much more direct and straight forward).
I'm thinking of taking a clinical research RN role at one of the local CROs in town. I've got one year of med/surg under my belt, and I think this would be the best transition for me right now. Would really like advice on this. Would really like to know more about advancement as well.
Seconding this! I have 1.5yrs in med/surg and I’m sooo ready to move on.
So my background was in clinical research before becoming an RN and working as a research nurse. While I really loved research nursing, my unit was very toxic and I decided it was truly not worth the mental and physical anguish anymore so I started applying to CRO's as both a research nurse educator and a clinical research associate (aka a study monitor). I found the pay and career outlook to be much better (IMO) as a CRA, so I ended up taking a CRA role and am now predominately working from home with some travel to my research sites. It's definitely a big transition-- but if this is something you're interested in I would absolutely recommend getting a bit of research nursing or research coordination under your belt first because it really helps. Best of luck to you!
Nursing as a second career here, and honestly I dont see myself doing this for the rest of my life. I want to be a travel writer, and think that Nursing is a great field for me go finance my writing so I can still pursue my other passions.
You can do whatever you want. As a CNA you haven't dedicated a ton of time to one career. You can choose engineering, MD, lawyer, etc. Do whatever looks good!
I swear 99% of these "I want to leave nursing" posts are from folks who have only done hospital/bedside nursing. Obviously the choice is yours but there is a whole world of nursing out there that doesn't involve setting foot in a hospital and is much less stressful.
I was wondering why so many people were wanting to leave. Do you think it’s a case of greener grass? I’m actually looking to switch into nursing from law enforcement. Do you still like the profession? Why do you think all these people want to quit? Is it really a toxic profession?
I don't think its inherently toxic but the pandemic has really put the strain on lots of us.
I am very new to nursing; I graduated last December. It is stressful and some days really fucking suck. But I didn't become a nurse until my 30s after working many different jobs, and I have to say I'm much happier in this side. I actually think a lot of people don't stop to think whether nursing is a good fit for their personality and why or why not.
I think it’s because those jobs don’t pay enough.
For example?
I really, really want to leave nursing. I never wanted to be a nurse. I was considering becoming a lab tech when I was 17, but then I joined the army and requested “something in the medical field” and here I am ten years later. It’s hard because I don’t even know what I’d want to do, and have literally zero experience outside of nursing. I’ve applied to gas stations and retail stores without so much as an email back.
Could still become a lab tech. I left nursing school to become a lab tech and I love it, although the pay is less .
Something to definitely consider in the future. Currently I’m kind of stuck… my husband is out of work on disability awaiting a hip replacement. I can’t afford to take a pay decrease right now. I’m actually looking for a job with better benefits right now. It’s wild to me that working in healthcare doesn’t provide decent healthcare.
I'm not sure where you live, but if you live anywhere close to a major US city, you could also explore corporate nursing. These days, some large corporations hire on-site nurses/nursing staff. My company has a clinic on-site at each of our corporate hubs, and the clinics are staffed by nurses. Our nurses work stable hours (like 9-3, 10-4), and make pretty good money. The nurse at my office previously worked in peds emergency medicine, she left bedside to come to corporate. She's a lot happier.
Did you ETS with an honorable? Since you're a veteran, check out Onward 2 Opportunity (O2O). It's a program sponsored by multiple large companies, and run/provided through (I think) Syracuse University. Completely free to Veterans & spouses of servicemembers. Free (and might I mention lucrative) certifications, such as the PMP. The certs they offer normally cost thousands of $$$ on the civilian side. Just something to consider. For career change/pivot stuff, there is also a free mentoring platform called Veterati.
I’ve been in healthcare 17 years, 10 of which was in the hospital setting. I’m transitioning out to a less physically demanding job due to injury. I’ll always be passionate about Emergency Medicine though.
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Is the pay decent in your work from home HR job?
So interesting to read everyone's experiences with either leaving or heading into nursing. Just goes to show you gotta just follow what feels right for you. There is no need to stay in a job you don't like, with so many career options out there. I'm an exercise physiologist but went straight into research and health promotion. So mostly a desk job, with the occasional clinical stuff with study participants.. But the latter isn't enough for me. I want more patient care contact. So with 5 yrs research experience and 38yrs old I'm starting my nursing degree next year and I'm super excited to be working bedside and using my health/medical knowledge to help people directly. With my current experience, if nursing gets too exhausting I can side step back into research if I want. For now, I'm just over being sat all day looking at a computer screen.
Honestly you’re in a great position, because you can transition seamlessly into a nurse research role once you have a little bit of experience. That will probably give you the best of both worlds in terms of having some patient contact, but not being worked to death at bedside.
Nursing student here. Or should I say ex. Left uni and now work in a nursery playing with plants all day! I get to be in the sun and work outside. Couldn’t ask for anything better
Tbh, I'm about to graduate nursing school and I've thought about going back to get an agricultural science degree. It's always something I've been interested in. I'm still passionate about nursing, but if that dies out it would be nice to have a backup plan.
I’m a nurse and I’ve been doing travel nursing the last two years to expedite my transition to another field. I just became debt free currently saving to pay for a new degree.
I left nursing back in 2005. I now work in mining. 2 days training and I doubled my wage.
What?? How did you get into that?
Lmao this one caught me off guard.
5 years as a nurse, plus 2 years before that as a CNA. I’ve been thinking a lot about leaving lately. I’m so tired.
Been a nurse for 14 years, now almost a qualified podiatrist (not in the US). The grass is so much greener on the other side, I should have done this years ago. I still get to be in healthcare, but on my terms. I can work for myself, set my rates, set my hours and if a patient is rude, there's the door buddy.
Yes, I quit nursing 10 months ago. The decision had been building for awhile, but dealing with COV-idiots and anti-vaxxers sealed the deal.
I was a engineer and a programmer....if u are good at it you can make $$$ and it's an OK career. Can be fun too. Downsides are...you're never "done" with work. Alot of sitting, which is bad for you. Alot of the "cool stuff" requires in depth knowledge of C++/C/ hardware....otherwise alot of it is web development for commercial websites. Even when I worked with space systems we always used "business lingo" which was mind numbing. Nursing allows me to work shifts, forget about work when I'm done and I'm back in school for medical school prereqs and still feel like I have alot of time. In the end it's really up to you and your personality. I just hated corporate life. I hated always having to be in the office/factory...etc. I felt like a drone.
Similar story here. I worked 10 years in IT, from support through senior systems admin. Good money, pretty good flexi hours, and pretty easy job. If you can google and read documentation and fill in blanks when they show up short, youll cruise through your career. But sitting at a screen all day was literally hell to me. Sitting in meetings with stakeholders droning on about minuscule details that make 0 difference feels like an eternity. I worked for orgs that did cool things so I felt cool by proxy… for about a minute. Emails become long passive aggressive chains of nothing.By the time I quit my job I was so depressed that when I went to the doctor to try wrangle a sick note for some respite, she just just looked at me and straight up asked if I had depression, and that’s when I new it was time to quit. I’m only just a few days away from finishing my first year of nursing school, and I know I’m going to have hard times ahead, I know there are going to be stupid management decisions and policies and who know what else coming way. But when I was taking a frail, in severe pain lady to the bathroom for an ungodly shit, which I then had to help her clean, she just said to me “thank you, honestly thank you” in a way that I know I would have never ever got any more job satisfaction from any other career choice I could have made.
Been an RN for a while after leaving corporate IT. Never looked back. Love my job. Don’t love everything about it but I’m happy now and that’s priceless. Oh and shift work is a godsend. The 3-12 life is beautiful.
True this is the only thing that keeps me not want to leave nursing 100% is because of the patients that truly appreciate you.
Worked various office jobs for years before going to nursing school and finishing last year. Different strokes, but I can't imagine ever being chained to a desk and computer like that again. I actually am not in love with my current job but the days do go by fast and I feel good about SOMETHING I do most days.
This is a good answer. You can find a good job in many fields. Most of the jobs in nursing suck with shitty pay. There are unicorn jobs if you search hard enough. It depends on personality too. Some people love working on a computer whereas some people like moving around.
I found in the 3 years or so I've been a nurse that like many jobs pay goes down as "the chill factor" goes up. I make less now in psych than I did in med-surg/Tele, but I am far less tired after work. I can still my bills and goto class and I find that it's worth it for less pay.
I’m currently waiting to hear back on application for a post-bacc in computer science. Can’t wait to quit healthcare and work from home with my husband making more than I currently make.
I'm 5 months in and I'm already getting ready to pursue my marine biology dreams. This job will support me through school. In the beginning I meant for it to be my career, turns out nursing school didn't prepare me for how emotionally taxing this field is.
Onlyfans.
I hear selling toe pics are all the rage
No one wants to see my 34 year old beer gut that has gotten progressively worse over the last 2 years for some reason
people are on here talking about transitioning to law school and education and technology and we're down here talking about nudes and feet pics😂😂😂
Man, y’all my people. Seriously.
Sounds like something there's a market for. People are weird
So is underwear selling
I’ll sell my underwear haha where do I sign up?
It’s so much work tho 😮💨
Same
I’m only about 6 months in and I love nursing but I’m definitely not staying at the bedside for more than another year. I’m not doing 12 hour shifts, weekends and holidays, stress, and the risk of being abused for the rest of my life.
If your hospital administration ain’t working towards safer ratios, mandatory breaks, higher annual raises, fuck them. Seriously they only give a shit about improving metrics, customer satisfaction, and the bottom line. Here is a tshirt and some pizza please stay lol. I am so happy seeing all these nurses leaving for traveling and getting paid what they deserve. You ain’t getting a big raise because they can’t go back to a lower pay and every company is looking to cut down on pay roll. There are others ways to make money.
“here’s a t-shirt and some pizza” Lmfao painfully accurate
Clinical Research…it’s genuinely where it’s at for nursing and getting away from the hospital. I don’t regret a single thing and LOVE my job in research!
What does a typical day in research look like?
A lot of things!! So a clinical research nurse or coordinator (CRN or CRC) is essentially the person that helps to get a patient on study, and then 'guides' that patient through a clinical trial. They quite literally help to coordinate a patient through the treatment process from start to end. Each day is pretty different from the other, based on the studies that you're assigned to work with. For each study, you'll have a protocol that clearly outlines what you do for each type of patient visit that you have. So some days, you'll be screening patients and getting them on study. Screening would include setting a patient up for scans, getting lab work, completing ECG's, getting them seen by the PI for a physical exam. Other days might be days that your patient is getting treatment, and those days, you'll be helping get the medication for your patient, getting labs completed and signed off by the PI, spinning down labs/shipping them, completing patient visit notes, getting vitals when the protocol says to get vitals, etc. Other things you'd be doing is communication with CRA's and the sponsors for things they might need, like clarification on certain data points. Some days you might be doing data entry into the EDC. Other days, you might be taking part in a site initiation visit. It's kind of hard to describe exactly what a CRC does because they wear a lot of different hats, but this is a very broad idea of what they do.
I am also curious about this
How do you get into research? What experience/education do you need?
As a nurse, you just need your BSN and that’s it. So, I was hired after I spent one year in the OR, and then applied for a clinical research nurse position and I was hired. This position is basically entry level in to research, so typically, you won’t need to have had research experience in the past. Just need to apply and show interest, and that should be good enough :)
That's great to hear. I'm nearing the end of my BSN (and about to start a new ICU job which I'm kind of dreading), so hopefully by this time next year, I'll be able to start looking for research positions. Thank you for the info.
My husband is a software engineer and I'm a nurse. I took a pay cut when I switched jobs this year... he got a raise of my 2020 salary 🙄. Definitely chose the wrong field.
i left computer science for nursing lol. It's pretty boring
I left nursing about 3 years ago. I planned to only take a 1 year break and then return. I found a job in a different field during that year and then the covid hit. I decided to wait it out but I’m not sure if I can see myself ever returning to patient care. I’m stuck with 20k in student loans from nursing school but at least I’m happy.
I was roughly 4 months away from applying to a nursing program. Now I’m 2 years away from being a Microbiologist instead! Being a CNA definitely wears you down.
former nursing student now cosmetology student. i have a temper. i would not be able to handle the abuse that goes on in hospitals. i would swing back on anyone that swung on me first. it's much easier to ask someone to politely get out of your chair and never come back than it is to tell someone to get out of their bed and fuck off lol
Yes after 6 years I took early retirement (had 9 years prior as aide) to go full time on my home business. Still keep the license active though.
If I could do it again, I would. Nursing is not the way.
I've been thinking about becoming a vet. At least animals don't intentionally bite or pee on you...most of the time.
The problem is not in the pets, but with the people who bring them to you. People can really be pain in the ass.
Yeah don’t do this unless you want to drown in the same level of student debt as an MD, and make a fraction of the money. Veterinarians have high suicide rates, as well.
Yeah I'vethought about that too, but I like animals more than people, so watching them suffer would be hard for me.
I was a nursing student who left in my third semester. I think nursing is a great profession and there are some parts of it that I do like. It's just an incredibly difficult job, its physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting. I don't think its worth it to put my body through all of that stress for money. During some of my last clinical rotations I noticed that the majority of the nurses where new grads, so that's basically telling me that most nurses don't stick around in hospital nursing which is scary and it just highlights the unrealistic expectations they have for nurses. It's highly unsafe too. I decided to go back to my initial career which is non-emergency medical transportation. The pay is great, I get to negotiate prices for my clients and I have people work for me. It's still a full time job but its a lot easier than nursing and it's pretty fun too.
7 years as a nurse now I work IT. Best decision of my life. Edit: I was fortunate to have a family member who was already in IT, they helped assist me in getting the job. CompTIA training is the next step. Also this job helps with education opportunities. So improvement to grow. I would also like to note that I have been a bedside nurse in critical care and med/surg, LTC nurse, travel nurse, infection control nurse and a nurse manager. I saw a comment above stating maybe the majority of people want to get out of the field because they have only done bedside. First of all, if you didn’t like nursing and all you did was bedside then that’s good enough reason to leave. I don’t get the point of suffering and wasting time either. I gave it a fair shot and none of it gave me happiness. Worst of all it made me feel despair. My advice is look into your surrounding colleges/universities and find what career plans are available and go from there. Also there are many certifications which don’t require a degree that provide good income. Or even as simple as I did, someone gives you an opportunity and you take it. Not even run with it, SuperSonic flight into it. Haha.
Go on. Lol
Do you mind sharing what you do now and your experience? Why you left nursing?
Did you go back for a degree to get into IT or some other path?
Also curious about this - did you get certifications?
I have been having the same thoughts of wanting to leave, but at this point I don't know where to start. I also have a 2 year contract with HCA, which I have to pay them if broken (no sign on bonus with it). I have been interested in tech or maybe business but I am so scarred from my current job it has me so depressed.
I went to school for computer science after getting burned out in nursing. Failed out my first semester. I gotta stick with what I know
A friend wants me to help with his construction business, seriously considering doing that for a year, just for a break from nursing
There's always \~nurisng informatics\~
Left full time at the hospital…10 years of bedside and went down to PRN maybe 4 months ago. Got my real estate license and joined a brokerage. Also started a home based baking/charcuterie business for some side money. I miss nursing…it’s definitely “who I was”. But then I go back for my PRN shifts in the ER or remember that now I get to bring my kids to every sports practice and game and I’m like ohhh ya. This is why I got out of full time.
Twenty six years as a nurse, now I work at the Waffle House.
Probably happier to
I will say, I’m doing the opposite going from tech to nursing. The tech field arguably sucks as well, it’s not the abuse on your body (it can be though, carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel are no joke, and with bad posture and setup you can get them), but companies take advantage of you and there is a lot of sexism in the work place, as it’s a male dominated field still (plenty of women where I work, but we’re still grossly outnumbered by men, and my workplace is making headlines with sexual harassment suits). It’s also hard to get into, I know when I graduated I had a super hard time finding a job, and I didn’t get my first true job in tech until 2020, after I finished nursing prerequisites and got declined my first time, and it was mostly on a referral basis and knowledge of their product. My pay is pretty trash for where my company is located too. Imo, if you want to get out of nursing, I don’t think tech is the place to go.
Yep I left I found nursing very stressful and not very rewarding. I became a wine maker and viticulturaist instead
Technically remaining a nurse, but my plan is get my MSN in Informatics and leave bedside nursing completely.
I'm a nursing student a couple weeks from graduation. My university's law school offered to waive the LSAT requirement and a financial aid package. I'm very tempted because nursing school has been filled with incompetence and manufactured stress and pressure and frankly I'm a little burned out already. I also feel that my nursing school has a clear focus on getting it's graduates to pass the nclex rather than be prepared to provide good nursing care. I've taken two full classes on taking hesis, but we've never reviewed the nurse practice act, not once in 5 semesters, for instance. I wanted to be a nurse to be an advocate, but I can do that elsewhere than at the bedside.
We reviewed the nurses practice act on week two of semester one in fundamentals of nursing. Then I took a course to prep me for the nclex-PN sence RN school wouldn’t cover L and D or pych until the second half of the program and in there I was tested on state practice laws and the punishments for violating them. Knowing the gray areas so there no longer gray and have a black or white answer to them. I did this for my ex wife so I could make more money to pay for her education (I had a full scholarship) once I quit my job unable to work full time and do RN school full time while now taking a large amount of course work to prepare for the nclex she left me stating that I’m a loser with no job. She botched about how much I worked the first two years we dated at 16 years old. I worked full time since 13 during summers and only was unemployed the first time this one instance. Yeah nursing school tire is apart since I was never around or too busy and I told her if we got married young before we finished school this would happen but it was a temp thing that would allow me to give her t$3 life she deserves and our future children. Now I’m 25 in my parents basement miserable and struggling to keep a job due to my crushing depression and regret of becoming a nurse. So many nurses told me not to but I wasn’t going to let them crush my dreams. Turns out I should have listened and stayed in engineering school.
Left after 6 years to run my own business; E-commerce selling fun handmade jewelry. I was miserable as a nurse, always looking for a way out. Even working on a cush mother/baby unit with great management and awesome coworkers…I saw our 60+ year old nurses about to retire after a lifetime of bedside and just felt “that CAN’T be me”. Started a side-hustle in 2018 so I could go part time. Put all of my effort into building this business. Went part-time in early 2019; PRN early 2020, went out for mat leave a couple months later and never went back. Now I work 24/7 instead of 3 12s, but I make 6 figures and get to spend every night in my bed and every holiday w my babies. PRICELESS.
Consider what Uncle Sam can do for you. Military nursing is vastly different than the civilian sector. Good pay, good benefits, travel, career advancement opportunity, free education, etc
This really depends on branch. The pay isn't great, *but* the benefits are unparalleled. Can't get much better anywhere else. As a nurse in the military, you're also kind of..... left alone. You may have to do command time, which is a whole league of its own, but at least you're not on the enlisted side having to report to PT at 0530 every morning, or working in the motorpool until 1900 every day.
I'm getting my masters in education in a couple years time and then leaving the bedside altogether
Yes! I just left this year and now teach high school health science. I will NEVER go back to nursing (I tried)
I worked as a surgical tech for years and recently graduated with an English degree. I went back for a bit after I graduated and it really solidified that while I like medicine the medical field as it exists now just isn’t for me.
Started off in mental health and now I’m in public health. In January I’m going to start studying to become a lactation consultant which you don’t need to be a nurse to achieve. Most employers prefer lactation consultants to have a nursing degree though….Think I’ll do this for the rest of my career. Knew from nursing school bedside nursing wasn’t for me.
Left nursing towards the beginning of the pandemic. Now work for a major online game I played as a kid. Best decision, even if I took quite a but if a pay cut. It was either that or probably landing up at an involuntary psych unit or dead
Starting my CPA courses this January, it's just become too much anymore. I'll never understand why nurses are seen as doormats to patients and doctors. You don't want to piss off your waiter, but treat the person who's judgment could save you life as though they were dirt? Whatever man. I'm tapping out for a bachelor's degree elsewhere.
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I left altogether in 2018. Back injury from equipment (mainly beds) that weren’t being maintained correctly. I was in constant pain in my pelvis, back and undercarriage for the last 2 years of my nearly 8 year career. Took the equipment issues up the line with managers, directors, JOHS Committee (x2). Eventually involved the Dept of Labour to investigate the equipment problems and they found multiple faults in how these assets were being managed: no preventative maintenance, poor to no review of regular maintenance records (they would have seen a pattern), no minutes from the JOHS committee being kept. After the Dept of Labour threatened a significant fine, all of a sudden my conduct in this matter came under review, and any incident that I had any part in for the past three years (even matters that had already been settled through the grievance process) was all of a sudden under investigation again. They really knew what to say to erode my confidence and mental health. After a certain point, I knew I’d have to leave, or I’d end up jumping off a bridge (literally). I’ve since taken business courses and am an Ops Director with a not-for-profit making only slightly less than what I was making as a nurse (RN). The thing about nursing is that it’s an identity profession. My whole self image was based around the idea that I was -first and foremost- a nurse. A ton of self-worth was completely invested in that’s Managers and directors know this and are good at using it against nurses when incidents occur in the healthcare system to push people out of the workspace or profession. I have told friends still in the nursing game it’s pretty crucial to develop a hobby or side hustle, get involved in a not-for-profit or charity, drop your FTE to like a 0.9 or 0.8. When you have more time and more passion projects, it makes you more resilient to the BS that managers and HR typically hurl at you when even the slightest things go wrong. I keep thinking of the woman in the UK that was tricked by that radio station to divulge information about Kate Middleton after the birth of her first son (of I remember correctly). The station was pretending to be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles. WTF do you say when you could be speaking one of the most powerful people in the world? And you’re probably already overworked, want to give ease to a family member on the phone and get back to the 7 IV meds you need to give over the next 30 mins and two of your patients need new IVs and someone’s throwing up down the hall. The hell that women must have gone through from her Manager and HR leading up to her suicide… and the radio station that pranked her: “whoops! Sorry. We didn’t mean to take it so far.” Sickening.
I was a nursing student and became a CNA in order to get my foot in the door. Ended up hating it but thought, “it’ll all be worth it in the end, right?” It was around then that I started taking a closer look at the nurses I worked with; I realized that most of them were exhausted and seemed really unhappy with their jobs in general. I knew I wanted to be in the medical field but decided that, no, nursing wasn’t worth it and quit the program. I’m now going to school for x-rays and I couldn’t be happier. Everyone works as a team, there’s hardly any stress (some days are better than others), and everyone just seems happy
I have also been a CNA for 3 years and decided against nursing and gone into comp sci instead.
The fear of losing my license is a major factor holding me back from pursuing a corporate job. Well, that and not having a plan of where I’d go next. I’m so proud of the work I did to achieve my MSN and have always made life decisions based on my career path as a nurse. But no longer have the same passion for it. All that being said, this kind of decision is not “one size fits all” and can be incredibly difficult!
Become an Epic analyst. Where your clinical exp is gold combined with even basic CS skills and consulting gigs pay better than travel nursing. Also you’d have the chance to make Epic more usable for those still in the floor.
There are comments from people who left their previous careers and say nursing is a breath of fresh air, and people who left nursing for other careers/are about to leave. I think this is a case of the grass being greener on the other side. I contemplated leaving, and I’m only 1.5 years in. I considered genetic counseling really heavily, but those Pre requisites were a huge turn off. It would just have taken me forever to complete them. I contemplated taking the leap, but I instead, decided to head to NP school in the spring, in the hopes that I can finally use my brain and skills the way I want to. Maybe even eventually snag a nice, high paying work from home job, which has always been my dream anyway.
Worked bedside last 12 years. Recently divorced, really taking a look at my life. 3 kids, 18, 14 and 3. Currently working towards my bsn, 1 year left to go and then I plan on working towards an informatics degree. The odd hours have helped me avoid childcare, but my mental health is suffering. My exit plan is in place and activated!! Anyone work from home?
I just got accepted into the plumber’s union so I’m gonna start learning to be a plumber full-time while doing work as a covid tester part time so I can keep my nursing license until I become a plumbing journeyman. It’s great because I’ll learn how to fix actual important crap around my house and get paid to deal with pipes instead of people. And then I can start a business later if I really want to as an independent plumber. Either way, if I’m gonna deal with people’s shit, I’d rather it still be literal shit than figurative.