Don't want to be a nurse anymore

[m1s]

Been a nurse for 4 years. Loved it through uni then I qualified and absolutely hated it. Rode it out for a year then changed jobs. Stayed there through covid. Was off for 18 months (mat leave and put on medical suspension for my last 6 months of pregnancy). Returned back around 6 months ago and it's taking a huge toll on my mental health and quality of life.

I just got offered my dream job but feeling like I don't even want to pursue that anymore.

Every day off I spend dwelling on things, not feeling like I'm a very good nurse and it's completely and utterly exhausting. And I hate it because it's affecting my time with my family. I just don't know what to do. I've had counselling through work which helped a little but now back to square one again.

I just feel like I should be looking for a job that will allow me to have a better work-life balance but I also feel I would be wasting all that time and effort. 7 years of my life!

Anyone else felt like this? What did you do about it? I know the NHS is under a lot of strain at the moment. Well let's face it, it has been for a while...
Just feeling very down in the dumps and desperate for some enjoyment back in my life for my family's sake

I'm a community mental health nurse and currently hate it. Like others have said it's not the patients, but the environment. My service has been reconfigured which has had the impact that we're just being dumped on, loads of extra tasks that we're just expected to get on with, even if we're not sure what the new tasks involve. Like I've got a Care Act Assessment to do.....I have no idea what this involves but I'm just told to do it!

Last year I was off 3.5 months after breaking my shoulder, I said to my husband I wished I'd done it this year. I don't really, it hurt like he'll but that's how desperate I felt! I've now come down with covid which has floored me and I've been signed off sick as im into my 2nd week, it's horrible but I'm preferring it to work.

I've got a love/hate relationship with the NHS, I love the principles of it but the pay and conditions are shit atm.

I quit my band 7 nursing role to become a foot health practitioner. I've never looked back.

This sums it up very well. Not feeling safe, physically or psychologically and taking on so much risk.

Also “unit of labour”

I’ve just done a quick search for nursing on jobs.ac.uk - where academic jobs are posted.

www.jobs.ac.uk/search/?keywords=Nursing&location=

Some are obviously not suitable (the veterinary nursing, for example) but it’ll give you some idea of the range and scope of jobs available - research/teaching/apprenticeship management/senior management…

What was the retraining route into this please?

My cleaner is/was a nurse, a specialist I think. she left to have a better work life balance. She charges £13 an hour.
would it be possible to do something like this for a year or two,- spend some time with your little ones and have a gentle unpressurised think about how to use your skills? Podiatry and similar seem popular on here, or maybe a conversion masters to physiotherapy or speech therapy etc?

I'll get the exact details and let you know tomorrow.

I know this was a little while ago….but how did you make the change? Did you have to retrain prior to application. I feel a little trapped and not even sure what roles to apply for outside of nursing.

I completely understand I went through this made myself ill literally took sometime off got back to work and back to feeling like this again. I am done with the responsibility, done leaving work worrying have I done everything right and having the dread of going back to work, done with feeling like being shafted I work in the community when you know someone higher ranked should be doing complex calls or the very list assisting.

I want out but so not sure what I can do I got my nursing degree in 2008. I feel so stuck. If I go sick again I feel like I have let a lot down and feel ashamed of the thoughts she’s not able to hack it, and not being able to provide for my family.

Has anyone left nursing what and what was there alternative job

Have you ever actually worked in the community? The NHS plan is to move more care into the community. Community care is at breaking point. We do far too much. People expect you come to the community you do injections, diabetes management and apply bandages every day. This isn't even a sprinkle of what we do. The clinical skills gained in the community is the most varied you will ever get. That being said it is very stressful out here. Only benefit is you can be flexible with kids if you need to pick them up early etc as long as you have completed your face to face visits

I left nursing and moved into a teaching post at the local Uni, I stayed in academia and have not looked back, the change was right for me.

I am now researching about the experience of early career nurses (up to 5 years qualified) leaving nursing for my PhD as I think people need to hear the stories of those who have been there and done it to understand what it's really like.

If anyone here is interested, you can find information here: https://x.com/FionaBastow/status/1755177848875172239?s=20and the direct link to the study is here: https://survey.napier.ac.uk/n/zz8il.aspx