What can you do with a nursing degree if you dont want to nurse any more?

[EachandEveryone]

My poor friend is so stressed i hate seeing her like this. She went back to uni as a mature student and I positively encouraged her as i know shes a wonderful nurse. Its only been a year and she hates it, hates the 12 hour shifts and the way the off duties done, hates the back stabbing amongst staff and being treated like a child. Apparently they regularly get pulled into the office to do little tests under the guise of audits. Her manager is amazing but cant control the way the staff talk to each other. She adores her alzeimers patients thats not the problem. She just wants to be away from the wards but doesnt want to travel more than 45 mins tonwork. Shes physically sick the night before and has an appointment at the gp (she is already on meds) Any ideas?

Could she try a nursing home or work as a staff nurse with the district nursing team

There are lots of clinic/outpatient jobs in nursing that don't involve 12 hour shifts. I work weekdays 9-5. But generally I think having a degree can lead to lots of other non nursing jobs too, if she is really fed up with nursing. I hope so anyway, that's part of the reason for doing mine!!

Aesthetics.

I have huge sympathies for her. As PP have said, she could take a move into specialist nursing or clinic nursing. It can be very hard to get into these though and often needs years of experience (depends on the role of course). Something like outpatients is an option. She’ll still need to be prepared to do long days and weekends if it is anything like my Trust but it may we’ll be better hours and a different environment from the wards.

Ward nursing is relentless and very, very tough. If she has a year’s experience she may well be able to start to get out .

She could report the staff to the NMC if the trust are not prepared to act on the complaint.

There are plenty of jobs for Nurses which do not involve 12 hour shifts. Try Bank Work for the trust or an agency, District Nursing, GP nurse, Nursing home etc.

She needs to start standing up for herself, document everything and report everything.

Lots of things, a degree is a degree, I took time out to work as a medical advisor in an insurance company for 2 years, then did nursing homes in a supervisory only role, worked in private hospitals which was great and now am a chiropodist 9-5.
I did 20 plus years in the NHS and it was bloody awful, I'd never go back.
Private practice all the way.

Nurse practitioner in a GP surgery?

You need a course to do that to get a band 6/7

Occupational health?
Move into clinical research as a CRA or working in a clinical trials unit?

She needs to watch the jobs pages closely for anything and everything that might suit. It is so difficult. Also if she can pin down what she wants to do. A particular area or specialty? Primary or secondary care? NHS or private? Or simply anything that isn’t ward work in which can she can look at absolutely everything. Some kind of teaching post may be an option but again, often takes years of experience and can be very hard to get. Unfortunately ward nursing is such a difficult, unappreciated, toxic environment in many places that there are 100s or nurses trying to escape it.

Police custody nurse

School nurse at a private/residential school?
Or anywhere in education sector, eg raising awareness of particular conditions/represent large medical charities etc

I would suggest district nursing for the time being. Generally, these teams are desperate for staff and will take nurses without experience these days. It might just buy her the breathing space to think about what else she might like to do. I can sympathise, I was in exactly the same situation. I did district nursing for over 10 years in the end! It’s not without its stresses, but is not as thankless as the wards, and the teams seem to me to be generally more supportive.

Suggest hospice nursing the conditions are so much nicer than the nhs wards. Most hospices don't insist on 12 hour shifts and there is a much higher nurse patient ratio. A lot of hospices will also let you continue to pay into the nhs pension which is also a bonus.
There is still the shift work but not the relentless slog of the wards. I really don't know how any nurse continues to work on those wards.

She has plenty of choices. In and out of the hospital even just trying a different ward may help. Ward works not for everyone. I love it good job some of us do!

She doesnt want to buy a car in London its so expensive just to live here. Another part of the problem im guessing.

Health visiting? A further year of study but it's training on the job so she'll be paid and it's office hours.

Theatres. Lots of theatres work set shifts, I do four 8-6 a week. No nights, no weekends, on call every six weeks. It’s the perfect job. Gotta be a bit weird though to work in theatres. Lack of natural light.

Health visitors have to have a nursing or midwifery degree. Office hours and no wards.

Botox

Would 100% recommend District Nursing.

Might it be worth your friend getting out of London. District nursing somewhere calmer and more rural might be the breath of fresh air that she needs.

Yes, actually district nursing may be the easiest way out. Getting out of London too, I know that depends on her circumstances of course.

I can't help wondering if this is all about nursing. What did she do before? Why does she have to live in London? If a car would make life easier why can't she buy one? If she's that miserable why doesn't she say sod it and do something else?

My immediate reaction though was health visiting. 9-5, cruising in the car, mostly paperwork, little not nearly enoughsupervision.

Heath visitor, district nursing, practice nurse at a GP, move to outpatient clinics at the hospital, nurse at a factory/business, CQC inspector. Lots of options that use her experience.