I hate my job but I’m not qualified to do anything else

[yan79]

Hi,
I’m a 40-odd year old (single) parent of two. I left uni in 2004 with a DipHe in Operating Department Practice and worked in theatres for years until I felt like moving on. I now work in an outpatients clinic but I hate it. All I do is fill out forms all day and answer phones. I can’t remember the last time I saw a patient, I basically do an admin job which is mind numbing for me and I feel like my qualification is wasted.
I desperately want to do something else (doesn’t have to be healthcare related) but o do have to earn what I currently earn at the moment (30k)
I’m limited with travelling as I rely on kids clubs so can’t really be a rep and I don’t know how I could possibly afford to retrain (if Money wasn’t a problem I absolutely would)
Has anybody successfully changed profession without having to retrain or take a significant pay decrease?
Also does anybody have any suggestions? I’ve always worked in the NHS so I’m a little unsure of what’s out there (I have trawled job sites to no avail)

Some training programmes can be done while paid a salary. For example in accounting or law you generally have a training contract and during that period do some work and some study but are paid a salary throughout, and the salary increases when you qualify. Depending where you are, starting salaries on such programmes are around your current level of earnings and many are now widening access to encourage older candidates with more experience to apply.

Do you have any idea what area you would like to work in? That would help people suggest relevant opportunities.

Thank you for your reply! I don’t mind staying in the NHS but my qualification limits me to theatres and critical care and I don’t want that.
I have a heavy background of mentorship so wouldn’t mind something in adult education.
The only areas I’d avoid is working in a school or in finance.

It sounds like you have a lot of transferrable skills. It's not an easy time to begin a new career path, but I don't think you should let that put you off. Sometimes strange times make us realise we are unhappy to coast along as we have been and galvanise us to do something different.

Is there a way you can train to teach the areas you have studied yourself within an adult education setting? Or could you set up or franchise adult classes in some other area of interest? Or perhaps train to become a counsellor? There are so many roads and sometimes the issue is that we just don't know about their existence.

Or perhaps if there are development programmes within the NHS there may be an opportunity to retrain for a different role internally?

Life is too short to continue in a job you hate, it will grind you down and there are always other options. Think what you find fulfilling and start your research from there. I totally understand the financial constraints and limits on possible working hours (also a single mum!) but there are opportunities out there. I hope you find something you like.

Hi all,
To move forward within the NHS (to maybe management) or to lecturing at uni I’d need to top up my DipHe to a degree and currently funding through work is none existent, unfortunately,

I do like the sound of counselling...I was a dental nurse for years before going to uni and I loved it the working environment the pay isn’t fantastic though and if money want an object and in an ideal world I’d have trained to be a dentist...oh to have my time again x

Could you look at being a dental hygienist? Band 6 salaries seem to be about 35k

I dont understand how these are nhs based though
my dentist s nhs and private. I get bugger all on the nhs side of things and they charge £55 for a 20 minute appointment

SimplyRadishing, yes I’ve looked into this. It’s another DipHe so two years at uni x

I work with young people leaving Care and although I have a degree it wasn't necessary for the role. There are lots of roles in mentoring/support work both for the council and private companies that you might be interested. Some are better paid than others though!

I don't understand, what qualifications do you have in Critical Care?. I'm a qualified Band 8 in ICU/Critical Care and we are working flat out, we have been since March and cannot recruit enough qualified staff to cover the Covid work load. I would say boredom or shuffling paperwork is simply something I or any of my colleagues couldn’t possibly recognise. There are plenty of opportunities within the NHS, certainly patient facing, and they are all available on-line. But of course, the most important qualification is you have to care and I don't get that from your post. You also need to remember the benefits of working for the NHS : practically zero chance of redundancy, recession proof salary, pretty much a job for life with a pension you could barely afford if you had to pay for it yourself. If I sound a little dismissive then I'm afraid that's tough. I've been working all night and it's been more like a war zone. Buy hey, Outpatients. All that paper and the damn phone. Try complete respiratory failure in a 39-year-old mother of three, might be a little less waste of you time.

What about a practice development role within the NHS ie. helping OPD students in their clinical placements?

Sorry, ODP students not OPD!

How about thinking much more broadly. Would your skills be useful e.g. to private medical insurers? Vet networks or pet insurers? Could you move to a training role?

Go to hospital careers events?

@Pyewhacket

I don't understand, what qualifications do you have in Critical Care?. I'm a qualified Band 8 in ICU/Critical Care and we are working flat out, we have been since March and cannot recruit enough qualified staff to cover the Covid work load. I would say boredom or shuffling paperwork is simply something I or any of my colleagues couldn’t possibly recognise. There are plenty of opportunities within the NHS, certainly patient facing, and they are all available on-line. But of course, the most important qualification is you have to care and I don't get that from your post. You also need to remember the benefits of working for the NHS : practically zero chance of redundancy, recession proof salary, pretty much a job for life with a pension you could barely afford if you had to pay for it yourself. If I sound a little dismissive then I'm afraid that's tough. I've been working all night and it's been more like a war zone. Buy hey, Outpatients. All that paper and the damn phone. Try complete respiratory failure in a 39-year-old mother of three, might be a little less waste of you time.

Hi, the trust I work in accepts the qualification of DipHe in ODP to work as a technician in ITU/HDU/POSU abs A&E. If you read my post properly you would have noticed I no longer want to work in these areas as I have done for nearly 20 years and I now work in an outpatients clinic which currently only completes phone clinics abs when face to face they are rare! Of course I understand the benefits of working for the NHS but I’m afraid after nearly 20 years I’ve realised that my mental health (especially surrounding work) is more important than an NHS pension and a of pay increase over the past 7 years! The Abergavenny salary of the nation is 32k, I've been employed by the NHS since 2002 and the top of my band is barely over 30k I’ve been in your position and worked in trauma and emergencies along with rests since I qualified and had numerous sleepless nights so your dismissive tone is not appreciated it’s never been an acceptable excuse for me to speak to somebody so disrespectfully (just because I’m tired!) Maybe your tired eyes haven’t enabled you to read my post properly because I said that I feel my qualification is wasted in outpatients filling in forms, but hey ho, there’s always one (keyboard warrior) Hope you’ve managed some rest today!

Spelling mistakes there but I’m busy using my university qualification filling forms out!

(Edited)
Hi, the trust I work in accepts the qualification of DipHe in ODP to work as a technician in ITU/HDU/POSU and A&E.
If you read my post properly you would have noticed I no longer want to work in these areas as I have done for nearly 20 years and I now work in an outpatients clinic which currently only completes phone clinics and when face to face they are rare!
Of course I understand the benefits of working for the NHS but I’m afraid after nearly 20 years I’ve realised that my mental health (especially surrounding work) is more important than an NHS pension and a of pay increase over the past 7 years! The Average salary of the nation is 32k, I've been employed by the NHS since 2002 and the top of my band is barely over 30k
I’ve been in your position and worked in trauma and emergencies along with resus since I qualified and had numerous sleepless nights so your dismissive tone is not appreciated it’s never been an acceptable excuse for me to speak to somebody so disrespectfully (just because I’m tired!)
Maybe your tired eyes haven’t enabled you to read my post properly because I said that I feel my qualification is wasted in outpatients filling in forms, but hey ho, there’s always one (keyboard warrior)
Hope you’ve managed some rest today!

I think @Pyewhacket has some really good points about the benefits of the nhs.

Private sector at the moment is terrifying. That really isn't where you want to be with worsening mental health. I have been at my company almost two years and I may be let go. This is highly unlikely to happen from the moment you step into the public sector.
Private sector pace can be extreme after leaving public sector roles. And expectations can be much higher.

Good luck whatever you end up doing

Yeah I understand the security with the NHS, I don’t necessarily want to leave the NHS (just my role)
I hope you manage to keep your job, it’s a very unsettling position to be in x

OP ignore that ranting please. After 20 years of it I am sure you are well aware that to some people the NHS is a religion and we must not speak ill of it, even when it is shitty to patients or staff!

Please do not let that crazy reaction put you off considering what will be best for you if the future.

Dear lord that lecture from Pyewhacket was uncalled for!

Op could you afford to invest a bit in seeing a life coach specialising in careers? People can be a bit rolly eyed about life coaches but a good one will help you focus and make practical steps to make changes. There is help out there for people like you who want to change course in their 40s. I hope you haven't been flattened by that totally out of order rant above.

Hi OP,

I'm a specialist career change coach. I'd be happy to have a virtual coffee over lockdown when you're not on duty as a sounding board.

No sales pitch or anything weird - always like to help another MN out when I can.

@yan79 I went from NHS to teaching in FE college to lecturer in uni but I needed a masters as a basic qual to be a uni lecturer. Also you said you wouldn't want to work in school but FE college can be like a school so not sure what your reason for not wanting to work in a school is.
I think any career move takes some degree of sacrifice and compromise.

That's a lovely offer @wheresmymojo

OP have you tried using this before?

prospects career planner

Good luck finding something!