Leaving HE for the NHS- Have you? Would you?

[NameChangeLifeChange]

I used to work in a senior role in nursing in the NHS and four years ago sort of fell into HE. Since then I’ve progressed- doing some masters units, gaining confidence teaching, getting my AFHEA. I have two small kids and love the flexibility of the job, the ability to take leave in schools hols etc. but I’ve come to the realisation that I hate the job. I hate all the admin, I hate constantly fire fighting for whinging entitled students (not all of them but more every year). Most of what I teach bores me to tears. I’ve started seeing patients again and I feel like I’ve come back to life. I’m so much better at it, more confident and happier.

Will I regret a move back? All we hear is the state of the NHS etc but I’ve an opportunity to move into a nice job role. Flexibility isn’t as good (no wfh obviously!) but a secure well paid NHS Job. I’m scared to make the jump and cut ties with the uni and keep going back and forth.

I have no good advice, but I'm in a really similar situation - left NHS for HE.
Didn't much like NHS (very low pay for the level of responsibility, impossible to fit around childcare commitments). However I fucking HATE HE. The backstabbing, the infantilising of professional support staff because they don't have a PhD, the unbelievably slow pace of everything. I only do it because the flexibility around my home life is second to none.

I'll probably stick it out until my dc are bigger and continue to allow myself to be abused by my colleagues 🤦‍♀️. But honestly, and I can't believe I'm saying this, I preferred the NHS.

All I know about the NHS is hearsay so I can't comment on this. I work in HE though and the number of colleagues that have left the last few years is crazy. You're not the only one feeling this way! I would certainly consider leaving but I'm in the humanities so there aren't that many jobs around (I'm tied for various reasons to a geographical area with few job opportunities).
If I were you I'd think: secure job+good MHS pension+ job satisfaction is a good combination.

Thank you for your replies. When I started 4 years ago I couldn’t believe my luck and loved it but I feel so worn down. I work part time and feel like every day I’m rushing to do all the millions of different things, on differ t timelines which are all really important to someone else and virtually meaningless to me.
To sit and work through a list of patients and help them all feels like heaven!

I can't comment on the academic side (although I've often vaguely thought it would be really interesting to join HE) but I can say that I have recently found a senior NHS nursing job that I love so they are out there!

I manage a small team/run a service and also get to see patients, I especially value the patient facing bits but it's a great mix.

We've lost a lot people back to the NHS over the last year or so - because they say that the pay is better, there's boundaries and it's less toxic.

HE has the advantage of flexibility- but increasingly it's the flexibility to select which 7 days you'd like to work.

Do not chose to work for the NHS as it’s really not good in any capacity

Yes I did this. Employed in HE sector for a while now more or less totally back in NHS. As @damekindness said, in the NHS there are boundaries - you are allowed to leave work at some point in the day. In my role there isn’t an expectation that you read emails at night or on holiday in the way there is in academia. I also find it vastly easier to motivate myself when it involves seeing patients rather than responding to reviewers’ comments or whatever.

The only downside for me in disengaging from HE is that I enjoy the creativity of research and find it helps me evolve as a practitioner and you don’t always have time to do that kind of thinking if you’re in a stretched NHS service.

@damekindness @verytired42 So true. The NHS has challenges but the pay is better and it doesn’t seep into your home life like lecturing does.
Either way I work part time (3/4 days) but with HE I feel I have a 5 day workload crushed into those 3 days and the pressure is immense.

I have worked for both academia & NHS in last 4 years.
Non-clinical role.
Academia is a much nicer place for me. And hugely less dysfunctional. But I still browse some NHS job sites.
Go with your gut, it's telling you where you can be happy. Nice that you have choices.

I have worked in HE for almost 20 years and have worked closely with the NHS for my research for lots of that (honourary contracts etc.) I used to love my job but have hated working in HE for a few years now for all the reasons stated above and would leave in a heart beat for a well-paid NHS role. The pension would be better too.

@Carryonmarion I’m sorry to hear that. HE is in absolute chaos at the moment. Our programme is second in the country for the subject but it’s an absolute shambles behind the scenes. I can’t imagine what the other ones are like!

Hi @NameChangeLifeChange, I feel much the same as you describe! Again, in a senior clinical NHS role that I swapped for HEI. I too am disillusioned by the amount of admin that is required to cope with the every growing cohorts that we take. I feel a large part of my role is around supporting students with very difficult/challenging personal circumstances, that perhaps are being exacerbated by being on the course. I don't particularly want thanks for what I do, but I am really missing feeling satisfied by my job. I can relate to how you must feel when dealing with patients again.
I would say to trust your gut & to go back to the NHS, as the mental satisfaction goes a long way towards us feeling happy in our jobs - it's worth more than money in my opinion.

As a safety net, could you keep a foot in the academic camp by becoming an Associate Lecturer? You could offer to help teach on an ad hoc basis & if the NHS works out well, you could tail off the AL role.
I hope it all works out for you.

Thanks so much @Whatliesbeneath707 and interesting you’re feeling similar!
I agree- I’ve spent so much time recently with AAs need huge amounts of support which I just don’t have the capacity to give in terms or time and energy and is well over and above what is reasonable for a student. If I reply to an email ‘too late’ (ie it’s sent of my day off) I get blasted for a lack of support, it’s exhausting.
I absolutely will keep close contact with the uni if and when I do leave. I’d love to come back and lecture ad hoc on my subjects of interest- the dream!

Just by way of an update if anyone is interested…I’ve done it! Leaving HE and starting 3 days a week with the nhs in summer. I feel a real sense of relief going back to what I know I love. And I’m keeping a causal contract to come back and do some teaching. Will be interesting to see how I feel in 6 months but for now it feels like the right decision.

HE is a mess. Used to love it. Not now. Follow your heart I say.

Good for you, OP. Run and don’t look back. HE is a toxic basket case and not going to get any better.

@DownInTheDumpster, yes very interested in the update. Well done you!
Can I ask a few questions, please?
How easy/difficult was it going back to the NHS?
I'm concerned that I'm 7 years out of clinical practice & will be considered out of date!
Have you needed to update any clinic skills to go back?
I can imagine you feel like a huge weight has been lifted. Although certain aspects of HE are great, some parts are quite toxic and I feel the culture can breed almost a constant but low level of threat - nothing feels quite good enough & they try to pile more & more work on you.
I'm really pleased that you've made the move back. Do keep us updated 😁

I left the NHS for HE and love it. Been doing it 7 years now. I have nice colleagues, I run a programme I really love and get a lot of satisfaction from the job. If it's not for you then absolutely you should do something you enjoy.

@Whatliesbeneath707 I’ve been lucky enough to work part time in HE so have kept up in my speciality doing bank work and more recently a weekly clinic in my specialism which is where I picked up the extra hours to drop the HE. Honestly they nhs is really struggling for qualified and experience staff and they value the skills teaching will have given you so I don’t think it would be a barrier at all. Doing some CPD in your area (refresher training, conference, yearly update etc) would probably be enough to get you up to date and show you are committed.
Thanks everyone I do feel a massive weight has been lifted. I’m looking forward to going back into practice and already feel so much less stressed knowing I won’t be doing this in 3 months.

Thank you @DownInTheDumpster
Yes, I wish I'd kept up with some clinical work now, as it would give me more opportunities.

I can imagine the feeling of a weight being lifted. I hope that the clinical job will be rewarding and satisfying for you. I think just working with patients again will be lovely, as it does give you a real sense of purpose.

It's such a shame that HE has become so pressured as there are some good parts to the job. The things I'm struggling with now are the increasing amounts of admin, the lack of satisfaction, as nothing seems quite good enough and the constant push from the SLT for us all to do more.

I need to find a way to make that leap back into practice. I wouldn't mind doing a job share of a few days in HE and a few days a week in practice. That would be a nice mix.

Good luck for when the new job starts, let us know how you get on.