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Original poster

I don't want to be a nurse anymore!!!

28 replies

Name234 · 26/05/2023 22:54

Done 8 years, 4 jobs in very different areas of nursing. I'm done. I hate it. What else can I do for a job with a nursing degree in the UK?? I'm a band 5. I know I'll have to take a pay cut changing careers. Ideas/experiences please

OP posts:
LovedFedAndNoonesDead · 26/05/2023 23:00

Work for a company making medical devices training people how to use them; work in research either clinical trials or analysis; look into teaching - I worked with a student nurse who was going to work in a senior school as part of the PHSE team while doing her teaching qualification after completing her degree.

bakebeans · 26/05/2023 23:18

Research or specialism is usually a bit better. Get into education

Ritasueandbobtoo9 · 26/05/2023 23:19

Social care - your skills are amazing and working for a council can be a better life balance.

Interested in this thread?

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Care homes General education
gogohmm · 26/05/2023 23:20

What gave you tried?

My friend is a psychiatric nurse, is self employed and privately contracts to the nhs, mostly inpatient facilities. Quite different as he calls the shots on his contracts

upinspaceman · 26/05/2023 23:32

Self employed Botox/fillers etc? Most of my friends who have this done will only go to nurses/doctors and they pay a lot - it seems like great flexi work with a decent salary if you can learn how to run a small business

Gobbledygoo · 26/05/2023 23:38

Another vote for aesthetics, I pay a lot to have my treatments and my lady is always booked a month in advance, she does very well off it.

Bonitalazenia · 26/05/2023 23:41

Another vote for social care here.

HotSince82 · 26/05/2023 23:41

Medical rep.

They're called key account managers or clinical account managers these days.

Look at pharmiweb jobs, Indeed, Xcell, chase search and selection, bionical solutions, Baxter, Bayer etc

WestHamAreMassive · 26/05/2023 23:45

Pharmacy tech for an
ICB? I'm a band 5 working in covid medicines. That's all coming to an end soon so I'll be looking for a tech job. What about primary care?

Jellyx · 26/05/2023 23:54

How about a student support role? Like a student advisor in a college? Or residential support work in a children's care home?
Probably better pay than nursing tbh.

Zippedydoo123 · 27/05/2023 04:53

If that was me I would retrain in aesthetics e.g. Botox fillers etc. Loads of wonga. Try to train in Harley Street for added credibility.

SD1978 · 27/05/2023 04:56

Aesthetics as a 'side hustle' as much as I hate that term y til you're established with a decent client base, med device rep if you have the capability to travel. Wouldn't go social care because it's woefully underfunded, and will be the same stress with even less support.

OhcantthInkofaname · 27/05/2023 05:36

I slowly gained advanced degrees and became a professor.

Gettingbysomehow · 27/05/2023 05:49

I hated nursing after 20 years of hard work I was just totally burnt out. I'm a podiatrist now in the NHS. I love it. 9 to 5 weekends off. You go up the bands so much quicker and can do lucrative private practice on the side.

someoneisalwaysintheloo · 27/05/2023 06:00

Tech

Doyouthinktheyknow · 27/05/2023 06:09

Nurse here, I share your pain.

Don’t have the answers but I’m planning to leave my band 7 job in a couple of years and either do part time bank or leave nursing completely and do something like a support role with social care or phlebotomy.

I’ve done more than 20 years, it doesn’t really get any easier.

Rollinghill · 27/05/2023 06:10

Following with interest. Like pp I have put in my time and now have a much better work life balance on nurse bank at a private hospital.

MintJulia · 27/05/2023 06:35

Other environments that need nursing skills - cruise ships, airlines, prisons, places like CenterParcs, boarding schools, school nursing service. professional sports facilities.

What is it you don't like? Shifts, politics, the patients, the stress/overwork?

SheenaShone · 27/05/2023 06:57

Occupational Health is a good step- usually Monday-Friday- good pay and benefits and there is a huge shortage....have a look for Occ Health training roles....and I men Occupational HEALTH not Occ Therapy...2 different things entirely

Bunbuns3 · 27/05/2023 07:49

Gobbledygoo · 26/05/2023 23:38

Another vote for aesthetics, I pay a lot to have my treatments and my lady is always booked a month in advance, she does very well off it.

God so this is really a thing is it? All that hard work and training just so you can cash in on pumping poison into people's faces. Seems the opposite of what medical training should be used for. Turning to the dark side.

Fudgewomble · 27/05/2023 07:54

My DC private school has a nursing team of 4 : they apparently love it. They either have the holidays off or are engaged as nurses on residential holiday camps etc

if you are interested in data protection you could do a simple information governance course and get into data protection/ IG for nhs England or an ICB: lots of nurses working in this field. And they’re on band 8 now!

JacobsCrackersCheeseFogg · 27/05/2023 08:08

I've heard nursing in Australia 🦘 is much better. Is it the work, the politics, the pay, the environment...?

We have an occupational health department staffed by nurses is that something you might be interested in? Very chilled, 9-5, not much stress.

PlasticPotPlant · 27/05/2023 08:19

I'm sorry nursing is not working out... I think a lot of people in the NHS feel like that at present.

I'd suggest getting a blank piece of paper and a nice pen and writing down what it is you want out of a job - if you've been nursing you'll find a lot of what you may want others wouldn't even write as they'd take as a given, for example being able to sleep every night and not seeing people die.

Then write down any bits of nursing you enjoy.

If you can then find a colleague you trust to confide your feelings in, share your sheet and see if they can think of any sideways roles you could apply for, or look on the nhs website to see what jobs there are and see if any are appealing.

Good luck!

Flobb · 27/05/2023 08:25

Have a look into clinical informatics

Namechangedforspooky · 27/05/2023 08:25

I know a lot of nurses who have gone into aesthetics but the one who seems to make the most money has an earwax microsuction business. Personally I wouldn’t consider social care if you’re trying to escape poor conditions/ pay that nurses currently have.