I think I want to leave nursing

[Velondra]

I qualified as a nurse in 2019 just before the pandemic hit. At first I was OK, finding my feet and just trying to learn and survive. I have recently been promoted, and I applied for the job as I wanted to learn more. But it feel like a huge mistake, instead of it feeling like a positive opportunity it's the total opposite.
I keep having panic attacks, and feel like I can't cope looking after patients anymore. My work life balance is crap and nursing has just consumed my life and I don't enjoy it anymore.
My heart is telling me to just walk away for my own sanity but if I do that I have no idea what else I could do.
Has anyone walked away from their nursing career and glad they did it?

Have you considered alternative nursing options besides bedside nursing? I say this as a nurse who literally could not imagine anything worse than returning to the bedside - you’ll have got plenty of hours banked for revalidation, so you can afford to try some different areas. Community, Outpatients, GP land, Theatres, Public Health, School Nursing, Health Visiting… all possibilities that are pretty far removed from the daily grind of ward/bedside nursing.

Do you work on a ward OP? Are the staff nice?

Could you consider outpatients? A GP surgery or a clinic.

What did you do before nursing?

I'm not on a ward but have recently moved to a more acute area which has made things worse, I don't know if I'm just having a conference crisis or if I just am not cut out for nursing

To be honest (and I mean this kindly) I’m amazed anyone is ‘cut out for nursing’ in the context of today’s NHS.

I recently left and joined the independent sector. I work from home.

See if you can use your skills elsewhere first.

Talk to your line manager. I read you was promoted. So in your previous role was you Coping? No panic attacks.

Maybe the new role is just too much.

Take some time to think of what else you could do in nursing. A sideways move might help. Just because this current job isn’t right for you doesn’t mean nursing is wrong for you.

I do think qualifying into a pandemic hasn't helped, what is it that you do now?

OP first let you manager know how you feel and contact health and wellbeing for support.

I'm am AHP in the NHS with almost 20years experience and it's an awful place to work atm.

I think we will see a big exodus of staff in the next few years. Expecting newly qualified staff to thrive in a sinking NHS is setting them up for failure.

Experienced HCP are leaving as they know expectations are ridiculously high and we can barely maintain a safe standard. It makes me worry for the new staff who then don't have the experience to know it's unsafe/ running in crisis mode and then wonder why it feels stressful/ unsafe.

If you can get out- go for it. It's not going to,improve anytime soon. We are pretty much decried and despised by the public for all being abusive, unfeeling and lazy (as is seen on MN frequently) get paid horrendously, and have more responsibilities than ever. It's not something I'd ever advise someone to get into, at least not at the moment. Have you had a look equipment selling/ demonstrating jobs? Better hours and money. Also coordinator jobs, more phone less clinical. It's a buyers market at the moment in nursing due to the number of nurses who have quit- look at roles you don't necessarily assume you'd get, and go for them.