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Career confusion

5 replies

Miamoo134 · 10/06/2024 00:58

Hey everyone..

I'm burning the midnight oil and just lying here spiralling about my career.

I'm an ex-registered nurse and quit my career. I've always suffered with horrific anxiety and being a nurse really just did not help with that. I was always in constant fear of making mistakes and feeling severe imposter syndrome when working as a nurse - especially when it came to drug administration etc.

Long story short I decided to quit and I now also have a beautiful baby so I'm currently on mat leave! During maternity I've been thinking what to do with my life. I do a little bit of content creation on social media which I enjoy the most but I'm finding it hard to monetise due to my confidence again. I have got myself a job in a gp practice which will be working with patients, taking bloods, assisting medical staff and lots of admin but my throat closes up just thinking about it. I will be starting that in a few weeks (I do however feel relieved that although I am working in a gp setting it won't be the same levels of responsibility I had as a nurse)

Incase I don't cope with this job does anyone have any burning tips on how to overcome this horrid imposter syndrome or any career advice so I can just achieve some goals in life. Going back to work after maternity is hard enough but I know I have anxiety for other reasons too, not just worrying about being away from little one all them hours! I'm tired of living in financial stress and just want a bit more freedom :( I worked hard to be a nurse and battled so much and just feel I've let everyone down around me including myself and family.

OP posts:
BananaLambo · 10/06/2024 02:49

First of all, congratulations on recognizing that the day to day reality of nursing is not something you want to pursue long term. It definitely isn’t for everyone. Secondly, you are a qualified nurse and healthcare professional and you have a lot of valuable skills. Here are some options to consider:

Lecturing/tutoring in nursing and/or healthcare
Research or research management
Medical sales and marketing, or recruitment
Aesthetics (probably lucrative but would need further training)

It might be worth your while booking a session with a careers advisor to explore your options, and focus on building a CV which emphasises your soft skills - communication, leadership and management, etc.

BananaLambo · 10/06/2024 02:54

I’ve just looked on jobs.ac.uk (I’m bored and awake!). You might find some of these interesting. Even if not for now it gives you an idea of the kids of things you might want to do in the future. You’d still get to use your nursing skills and training, but you wouldn’t have to be front line any more.

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

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

KennaThomas · 10/06/2024 02:55

So great you recognized what wasn't working for you!

The NHS leadership academy runs regular courses on overcoming Imposter Syndrome. The academy also provides free mentoring/coaching sessions so you might want to think about taking this up to get tailored one on one support!

Best of luck.

Heirian · 10/06/2024 06:07

What about training in something where nurse as a career is a good springboard - counsellor, family support worker, something like that?

Or postgrad in an allied health type thing - podiatry, dietician, speech and language for instance.

What do you love?

atticstage · 10/06/2024 12:18

You could self-refer for CBT to help you with some of these difficulties?

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