need advice for a friend re:leaving nursing - any nurses out there??

[emandjules]

My friend has been on verge of nervous breakdown due to the stresses that come with being a staff nurse but she loves working patients. I know it is a longshot but does anyone know anyone that has dropped from qualified to auxilliary nurse, and how easy it was??? I said I would ask for her...

I have heard of people doing that, and also side-stepping, for example, one of our phlebo's used to be a nurse and a paramedic that I met once. To be honest, I don't think that her problems will go away by leaving like this, I take it she works in the acute setting? Maybe she could try a different area, elderly care, day unit, clinics may not be so stressful. I empathise totally, I am a nurse too and feel stressed often, if she feels that strongly about it, maybe a total change is what is needed and get away from that envrionment altogther?

If there was a healthcare assistant working on the ward who was known to have been a qualified nurse, I personally think, that in times when it's busy or everyones stressed, they will rely on the fact that she can do their job and put on her. Also, she may find it frustrating to take a back seat, thinking that she could do it better or the staff nurse is missing something. I do think that it won't be an easy thing to do.

Give her my best wishes.

Is she a member of a union? the RCN offer a counselling service, maybe she could give them a call before making any rash decisions?

Im a midwife so in similar profession within the health care setting. In my opinion dropping to auxillary (or whatever shes thinking of doing) wouldnt help as she would be just as stressed. The hca's and nursery nurses i work with dont have any easier time than we do.

Agree with donut. Don't think hca would be any less stressful and she would be treated as a nurse much of the time but paid much less. Think a different area would be the way forward if she likes working with patients. Maybe a GP nurse? Perhaps identifying what the stresses are would be useful in looking for another area. I worked as a community nurse but became totally stressed by the massive amount of paperwork (and I worked as an administrator post nursing). I now work in A&E and find that less stressful weirdly enough. Another much more experienced nurse said the same. What area does your friend work in?

I cannot discuss the trigger for her stress but it is a specific reason why she wants to drop, not cos of general stress and busy env of the ward. It is more to do with reponsibility of nurse job. Thanks for replies.

I am a nurse as well and totally understand why she wants to drop jobs, I was more interested if it is poss and how you go about it

I can't see why it wouldn't be possible, just apply for a healthcarer's job, does she even need to divulge that she's a qualified nurse? I still think that she would be better out of that environment altogether though.

I know someone who was a nurse and just could not handle the responsibility of the job,she was making herself ill with the worry.

She gave up her registration, had to contact the nursing board etc

She is now working as a care staff in a different hospital and is happy with her job at last.

hth

Lou

i am feeling the same as ur friend, have been qualified for two years, now going to leave (in process of). I have decided I spend most of my life at work so I need to be happy, I cannot change the way people do things so I am changing my job to do more hands on care. I also want to start a family and me and my husband are in the process of doing this. its a hard decision and one I am unsure whether the grass is greener. but I can always do return to practice back to uni course etc if necessary

I moved to working nights at a nursing home for a few months, which was less stressful but boring and meant much less interaction with patients, then agency working for a while, which was more stressful. I'm waiting to start working days at a good nursing home and actually looking forward to it, something I haven't felt about work for about a year.

I worked with a qualified teacher who found the job stressful and the employer (Local Authority) allowed her to change her contract to that of a TA and gave her a suitable post in a different setting. She feels much happier.

I used to be a qualified nurse and now I'm a TA in a High School, it's a good place to use nursing skills, plenty of stimulation to be had and and an air of authority is required! Not the money that nurses get but a job that you don't take home with you.