To just leave nursing

[Faye12345]

Hi I posted the other day about my new job. Im a nurse and I hate it Ive had enough and i just want out. Im married and ttc but no news yet. I just cant hold on much longer. I cant believe Ive wasted 12 years of my life. I just want to hand my notice in and get agency or bank work as I cant cope with FT but im non clinical so ill need to relearn skills. I just hope im young enough still to do it. Got 10 grand savings so a bit of a safety net. Worried about pension etc but i just cant live like this

What field of nursing are you in? Could you look into a community job? In my experience they are more responsibility but less pressured over all

Ive done community and liked it but my clinical skills are rusty. Ive applied for community bank though xx

The point is, you are clearly not an asset to the Health Service at the present time, so get out before you do some damage.

'I wouldnt mind doing admin work just for some relief. Obvs financially it would be crap but i just need out.'

It could be your attitude to work that needs examining.

Do you work in the same trust I worked in will you describe so accurately peoples friends getting promotions I can think of one in paticular she was absolutely useless and had a terrible absence record but because she was best friends with the unit director or whatever the title of the week Was she was promoted several times.

Goblin im a good nurse im just worn down not a lazy or bad person

I'm confused as to how to one can be a nurse without clinical skills.

You should leave the profession if you're not happy, surely. Won't it affect the care you give if you're so unhappy.

Stress & burnout. You may well be happier as an HCA on the bank... Work where you want when you want.

Goblin - that's very harsh. If you are so stressed at work you can lose perspective entirely, but it's not a true reflection of how you really are.

Faye - if the community bank will accept you that would be a good way to renew your skills. I don't know about nursing, but teaching friends who have been in the same position have resigned and gone on to do supply work, and through that got the breather they needed and in a couple of cases it has led to permanent work in schools which they are happy with.

Silvr some nurses dont do hands on clinical

Because not all nursing posts require you to complete clinical skills on a daily basis. For example a nurse in an X-ray department for 10 years will be lacking in skills such as catheterisation, medication administration, injections, wound assessment and care etc.

Will you be happier on the bank though? Constantly going into areas where you don't know anybody, often very short staffed etc If I was a nurse lacking in clinical skills I wouldn't be choosing this. Your not supported well doing bank shifts and generally left to your own devices. You would be better finding an area where you can stay permanently and really build on your skills/confidence.

Perhaps moving to a completely non-nursing role eg admin might just be for the best. Taking the pay drop and accepting that if it makes you much happier?

OP, I completely understand . I'm an RMN. Nursing is one of those jobs where, once you've come to the realisation that your heart isn't in it anymore, it's very difficult to drag yourself into work and 'go through the motions' because it's supposed to be a vocation and most of us (I hope) started with a real passion for it. I used to be so passionate about my job and I still care a great deal about my patients and will do anything I can to support them. I'm just so, so sick and tired of feeling that I'm not providing the standard of care they deserve because the constant dwindling of staff, funding and resources combined with ever increasing demand means I never have enough time. I moved from the wards to the community and, while the hours are certainly better, it is more stressful if anything as you're managing risk in isolation. At least on the wards, when you go home you know the patients are safe and that you've handed over to someone.
I come in early, never take breaks and leave late every single shift and I still have to take admin home with me to keep my head above water. The higher ups are constantly on our backs about waiting times, targets, outcome measures etc and generally telling us that we're not good enough but don't listen to our concerns that we don't have the resources or numbers to do our jobs safely! I haven't slept properly in months, I'm constantly anxious and I can't enjoy my time at home with my family because work is never off my mind.

If I could afford to quit without another job to go to I would do it without a second thought but we would really struggle without my salary and I don't want to simply transfer all my stress to DH by putting that kind of pressure on him.

I've applied for a completely non-clinical role within the NHS in an area that I find really interesting. If I get it I plan to maintain my Registration and do the odd bank shift to keep my skills up (just in case I'm ever in a position where I have to go back) but honestly I would be so relieved to leave nursing altogether...and just typing that makes me feel sad

Firstly, no YANBU if you're truly miserable and your mental health is suffering. No job is worth that ever and if you're TTC that level of stress is certainly not going to help.

I have several family members and a good friend who work for the NHS and they're all really disillusioned. There seem to be acute staff shortages across the board, so everyone is overworked, stressed, lacking in support or training or mentoring, making it really hard for them to do their jobs effectively. There is masses of paperwork, loads of meetings about how they can be more efficient (while taking the staff away from their jobs so they get ever more behind, not ever more efficient), etc. There are nationwide shortages of nurses, midwives, GPs, OTs - and that's just the areas I know of.

I'm a nurse and posts like this make me feel sad. We have a nurse in our team who only qualified 18 months ago and is leaving the profession all together this month

It is tough but what keeps me going is the patient contact, I am community based and however shitty the NHS is I still love seeing the patients and families.

Would somewhere like out patients or day surgery be better? I also think going part time would make a massive difference, I do 30 hours and that is more than enough!!

For all its faults the NHS is good for annual leave, sick leave and pensions - these are things that you are unlikely to get outside of the public services.

OP, although not a nurse I feel for you and all the other nurses posting here.

My sister has been a physiotherapist for 40 years and every day now she hates her job. She wants to treat patients and make them well, not fill out forms. She is pretty computer illiterate and does not want to spend half her time filling out forms when she could be treating patients.
She works in a private hospital which deals with a lot of hips and knees and she knows her stuff and she regularly 'loses' it with her boss who just runs around with bits of paper! They know my sister sees twice as many patients so they deal with her outbursts. I feel so sorry for her because she cares, she wants to help people but paperwork and short staffing means she can't spend the proper time with her patients.

Oh, and when did patients in a hospital or doctor surgery become "clients"
or whatever word is used now? I go the the hospital or doctor I am a patient. I go to the hairdresser I am a client.

I really appreciate the work nurses do and I think you should be paid more and supported more. I have signed petitions and lobbied so you have me in your corner.

Sorry OP for going on a lot. If you can afford to leave and be on the Bank then do that, see how that is going and look at other choices for nursing?

I'm so sorry you are having this crisis and I really hope you find something that makes you happy soon.

to all Nurses

Take a step back. Look at your experience so far, the areas you've worked in, skills you have etc Then look at areas of nursing that interest you. There are so many options if you can find a way in.

I worked in a ward environment for several years, clinical nurse specialist role for 7 years then chose to go back to the ward when dd was small. In hindsight the wrong decision.. Anyway, for various reasons I felt quite burnt out and nearly quit nursing. Lost my job because of some health problems. Have some issues with the way it was all handled which caused a lot of resentment in me towards the whole profession.
After a break, I now have a found a totally different job - bank school nurse. I am working mostly with the immunisations team and love it! There are enough hours for my needs, the work is flexible, and the team are lovely. So pleased I didn't sacrifice my registration - it was close!

Anyway, hope my ramblings help a little. Have a brainstorm - good bits, bad bits, other potential areas and see what comes. I stumbled across the advert for this job by fluke but I'm so pleased I did.

Have you considered applying to become a Nurse Advisor with your local 111 service?

It's high pressure and, like all jobs, has it's pros and cons but telephone triage is a clinical speciality in its own right and an opportunity to use your existing knowledge and skills in a new way.

www.jobs.nhs.uk/xi/search_vacancy/0b21e0194a5492d668259bf554324962/

And no, I don't work/recruit for 111 myself, although I do know several people who work for them

Oh OP I know how you feel. I find it very hard at times, but there are so many aspects I love. I did try retraining in something else but missed nursing so much!

There are 2 things I would think about;
A) Reducing your hours. This has helped me massively! You don't become embroiled in all the politics of the workplace and can focus on giving good care much more easily IME.
B) What about working somewhere private? As a student I had a placement in a private hospital and, generally speaking, everyone was happier. Patients were mostly there voluntarily (and some were even excited for cosmetic procedures!) and we're definitely more relaxed having private rooms, nice food etc. I am all for the NHS and I was, prior to qualifying, pretty anti private healthcare. In principal I still am but with the way things are going in the health service it's basically private already (in my field anyway).

*were not we're!

If you are TTC you might want to stay at work until you qualify for maternity pay. Just something to consider.

My husband is a nurse a year ago he was a breaking point with a bullying boss and a management role which was impossible, he has moved to a clinical role in the community ( same grade) and I have got my husband back. There is hope!

OP

I'm a paediatric nurse and 3ish years ago I worked on a ward that almost broke me. I would sit in my car in the car park and cry at the thought of having to go in to work. I let things build and build until eventually I cracked and I had an emotional outburst to my DP and said I just couldn't cope anymore. We agreed I would look at other jobs and I took up a community, non-clinical post. It meant my income was down by over £500 a month but I just couldn't have gone on any more on the ward.

You have my sympathies, being in such a stressful job with long hours is not easy and when it's a job that is making you feel as awful as you are then it's just not worth it

Have you done agency or bank work before? They can be quite stressful, never knowing when your next shift is going to be, getting a call an hour before a shift starts and asked to come in, turning up to work in the area you have been booked for then sent to a completely different ward speciality that you have no experience in as they are more short staffed. Given an approximately 2 minute if you are lucky induction to the unfamiliar area you are working in and being called "the agency nurse" all day as no one can be arsed to learn your name.

There are good points, you dont tend to get caught up in all the everyday politics and bitchyness ,obviously the pay is better as an agency nurse but not as a bank nurse. I would check as well before applying for the bank as usually if you are already employed by the hospital you are not allowed to do agency shifts there.

I would say if you are unhappy and have been for some time, you have tried different nursing posts and it hasnt improved things, then your health is more important.
A few things to consider, would you take time off sick for stress first and allow yourself some distance and time to see if that improves things. Or like another poster has suggested reduce your hours.
If you are ttc, then obviously you would be probably be entitled to maternity pay if you could stick it out until then but obviously there are no guarantees of when that would be and it sounds like y ou are at crisis point now.

So many people are leaving nursing just now as the conditions in most areas for the most part are dire, you are not alone and it does not mean you have wasted those years of your life. Quality of life is more important than a job and you have to do what is best for your health.

Sukki, if you are in the unfortunate position of needing social care provided by your local authority, you are called a CUSTOMER

I'm sorry all you nurses are so fed up :( my daughter had a major operation in October and the ward was that short staff I ended up doing all personal care, all bed changes and even meds. She was supposed to stay in for three weeks but as I was doing everything by day 6 we were discharged so she could receive community care at home. This isn't a post moaning, it's a post saying I didn't realise it was so bad. There was a woman in our bay who used to scream at the nurses/drs/physio etc etc several times a day. The nurses were run ragged and I found the whole experience exhausting, so I'm really not sure how you all do it