Leave Nursing ?

[ohsotired2022]

I’m 47.
I’ve been a Nurse for over 20 years.
I’ve worked in hospital settings. Community. Health Visiting and School Nursing.

On my Pension Statement it says my Normal Pension Age is 60 as I stated before May 2006.

I’m staying so that I can retire somewhere between 55-60.

I hate it though but worry if I leave I will regret that I walked away from a good pension.

I also don’t know what else I could do.

I have applied for other jobs outwith the NHS and never get an Interview

I even applied for one of the PIP assessor jobs although I hear mixed things but got knocked back.

Would I be Unreasonable to stay for the Pension?

Hi, it would depend upon how much money you need to live on. Ultimately though, I wouldn’t stay for a pension, life is too short.

Have you had a calculation of what your pension is currently worth? You wouldn't be walking away from your pension as that is there for you and will just be 'frozen' at the point you leave the NHS until you can claim it.
If you get another job somewhere else you will be auto-enrolled on a different pension. Will probably be worse, but you will still be adding to your pension fund.

Don't do the PIP thing. Just don't.

It's absolutely horrific, ridiculous caseloads, audit an embarrassing shambles, no support. I started off with 13 newbies and 2 years later I was one of two left.

People constantly on sick leave, managed by non clinicians who don't know what they are talking about. Very punitive approach by managers, gaslighted etc.

People are eligible for promotion to qualify standards after only 12 months as they just cannot keep the staff.

Some health insurance companies employ nurses, have you considered this? Get on LinkedIn if you are not already.

Best of luck!

You have tonnes of experience...have you looked at other roles like quality/research/governance? Immunisations?
I am in a very similar situation to you and currently looking for my next move. Its almost a trope now, but I found putting my skill set into chat gpt quite helpful for suggesting alternative moves within the NHS. I asked it to give me practical and realistic career advice. It's not my only source of advice, but it seems quite helpful

Stay away from Pip you will hate it even more than what you are doing now! Can you move roles within the NHS? Or even look at private hospitals, my friend has just gone from a busy surgical ward job in NHS to outpatient clinic at a private hospital and is much happier! Don’t do anything in haste is my main advice.

Lots of my wife’s colleagues take their pension at 55 and go part time. She’s definitely only still there because at her age she can’t realistically start again (and she’s a little closer to retiring than you are).

But, in her AOR and hospital at least, it’s hard work with very little reward. Even the teamwork element isn’t great these days because they’re all so stretched. She’s always been adamant that none of the kids take up a medical career.

Ditto. I have strongly discouraged DSs from even thinking about it.

The SCPHN qualification means you can look at jobs in Occupational Health too

Also Local Authority Public Health teams (this may allow you to retain your NHS Pension too)

Higher Education - medical and nursing schools

CQC jobs come up occasionally, also the NMC sometimes

I’m also 47 been nursing about the same time, I did ward l/hospital and now in community. I assume if you’ve done heath visiting/school nursing it’s as a staff nurse or did you do the speciality courses? I work with children and want to do the health visiting course but not sure if I’m a bit old now. I def wouldn’t do pip. Friend of mine did the training and it was awful. What about research? Immunisations is interesting too, pension time seems so far away and I keep feeling but the time I get there it’ll be even longer

Thanks @PlantyshazfanI do feel I’m staying for the wrong reasons

@PippipumpkinI regularly check my Pension Statement but it’s currently only showing up to 2022 while the NHS recalculates factoring in the McCloud judgement. Not sure when this will be remedied.

Thanks @MrsBenevolent I do think I would hate what you describe.
I do know some people who have made it work 🤷🏼‍♀️

Thanks for suggestions, will check these out.
I am on LinkedIn but don’t seem to see the right roles.
I have also applied for a couple of NMC Roles that came up but didn’t get an interview

Someone mentioned the CQC, that could be a good shout?

Are you following potential companies in LinkedIn or reaching out to specialist recruitment agencies?

@Lemonade2011no I have completed the SCPHN Course.
I left Health Visiting and now there haven’t been any HV jobs advertised where I live for 3 years.
I was a Staff Nurse in School Nursing. Couldn't get on the Course for School Nursing as they said I had the qualification and couldn’t get a post as Band 6 as they said I didn’t have the right qualification 🤯

Surely your NOA is 68. Go on .gov and check it. Also look at putting more into your NHS pensions if possible.
Get a state pension forecast and also a forecast for NHS pension if you take it at 60, 65, 68.
Knowledge is power!
Join the Facebook group on NHS pensions.

Could you get someone to look at your applications, make sure you are really selling yourself and ticking the boxes in terms of meeting the person spec?

@FakeTwix is that true about occy health? I am a children's nurse by background (which may alter things), but have the scphn qualification and loads of experience assessing and writing reports. I have always discounted occy health as thought you need to be adult background?

I am on a Mailing list for Care Commission jobs in Scotland.

I maybe need to start following some other pages on LinkedIn

Occupational Therapy sounds good. Will check this out

Definitely beef up LinkedIn. I get approached for lots of jobs there and also where I found my last two roles.

That sounds great @MrsBenevolent
I do get approached for a lot of ADHD assessor jobs on LinkedIn but I’m torn about leaving the NHS, because of the pension 🙈

@ByQuaintAzureWasp my NPA on my Pension Statement is 60, this is through SPPA and because I joined before May 2006. It’s what makes me reluctant to leave.
i am on a few NHS Pension pages on Facebook. Also always checking my SPPA statement

I am so grateful for my NHS pension. It is far more than the state pension.

Nursing can be a thankless job at times and there can be toxic work environments unfortunately too. You maybe haven’t found what ignites a spark in you. I know for me I went into a speciality I love and never looked back!

I agree, life is too short.

What about teaching nursing? You might have to complete a teaching qualification though, but it will definitely pass some time inching you closer to your pension, plus teaching pensions are fairly decent.

Because of how old I am I could take my pension at 55 and then worked 2 days. I managed to work long enough so (hopefully) I will get full state pension when or if I get there. I couldn't go on as the stress almost killed me! I would say if you are younger look at other options as from what my colleagues tell me it is getting worse. I was a HV when I finished. I know how hard it is but difficult to find jobs out of nursing that pay reasonably well if you have to start at the bottom. Good luck.