Quitting nursing degree, what next?

[tigerbread20]

I have 3 kids under 5, one being a few weeks. Husband works for the police so also 12 hour shifts.

I’ve almost finished 2nd year of my nursing course and I’m strongly considering not going back to do the last year. It feels such a waste after I battled through access course, starting 3 weeks after my middle child was born. And I’m over half way through the degree but I’ve already lost the love of nursing. Working on Covid wards for the last year plus losing my mum very unexpectedly this year definitely didn’t help. I hate the pressure, the worry of getting things wrong, the responsibility of life or death, it’s making me a nervous wreck. I’ve done bank work over nearly every ward on the hospital as an HCA and haven’t found anything that I’ve enjoyed.
I just don’t know what I’ll do instead, considering trying to get a job at somewhere like Waitrose until my youngest is at school. Before nursing I worked in admin, this is something I could perhaps go back to, maybe in the medical world, pharmaceuticals maybe? Anyone work in pharma admin?
Any suggestions of things I could use my healthcare experience without the mental toll of working in healthcare?Hapy to do some training etc.

@tigerbread20

Have you thought about changing your degree to something a little different e.g Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy ?

Something that is not life/death level of stress, but would still use a lot of the knowledge you've gained in your 2 years of doing a nursing degree ?

@tigerbread20

Even doing a dental hygienist course would give you a well paid career, but very minimal stress ?

Have you tried palliative nursing. It’s still stressful but in a different way. You have time to give your patients care they deserve and I’ve always found a hospice environment so supportive. It can be intense and emotional at times but so rewarding when you can really make a different patients and families.

I think you should finish out the degree as then you have options- it's one more year and then you're fully qualified! Have you considered private hospitals, school nursing, health visiting, midwifery? Lots of roles that aren't as stressful as working on wards

I’m sorry you feel like you want to quit. I am a nurse and can honestly say the last two years have been utterly shit! If that’s all you’ve known I’m sure you are questioning if you want to continue....Covid has been so tough but hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel. I love being a nurse but not on the ward!
A nursing qualification can open so many doors for you and you have worked so hard to get where you are.
Good luck in whatever you decide to do x

I would strongly reconsider dropping out after slogging it out on clinical placements all this time. One year is nothing and you will have a professional and academic qualification which you can then use to take you into other occupations which would be less stressful.