Alternative careers - nursing

[MadamePlop]

I'm a 40 year old nurse working at Band 7 and am considering a career change.
I've had an awful year, and am currently off work with stress. The stress has been caused by an ongoing situation with a colleague and mismanagement by my employer, and it is due to go to tribunal early next year (my union are supporting me). I don't see myself coming back from this.
I have 2 young children both at primary school and would be looking to work part time, 2 - 4 days a week.
Are there any ex nurses out there who have successfully found a career in something else after 20 years in the NHS? I have looked on NHS jobs (for non NHS jobs!) and am considering hospice as I have experience with pal care. Also saw a forensic custody nursing job advertised.
I dont really know what I want to do - whether I should just leave nursing altogether or look for something related?
Just looking for any advice or success stories from fellow nurses/ex nurses!

Hi, I just wanted to hop on your post because I am in a similar position of wanting to leave nursing. I am a band 5 and only 6 years qualified, so not as much responsibility and experience as yourself. But I also have a young family, and I am struggling so much with the demands of being a nurse and my home life.

I have hated being a nurse since I first qualified and I have worked in 3 different areas of nursing. Everywhere is the same; unrealistic expectations, management full of cr*p, and on my current ward, I literally feel like I add zero value to the team because that's how they make me feel. I am miserable. Such a demoralising job.

Hope to find some hope on your thread xxx

I am so sorry to hear that you are in a similar place @NoRoseTintedGlasses. Have you thought of what you might like to do if you leave your current role? Would you quit nursing altogether? I need ideas 😅 so please let me know what you've thought about!
I honestly think that ward work is the hardest work in nursing, and that it actually gets less stressful as you move up to more senior roles. There is still a massive problem with hierarchy in the NHS. It sounds like your colleagues don't deserve you tbh 💐
It is demoralising and I just feel really sad that we go in to the job naively wanting to help people, but then end up compromising our own health as a result. I don't feel like I know who I am anymore beyond being a nurse and a mum 😔 it's been all consuming this year.
I hope someone else will be along with some advice for us or some success stories of getting out of nursing/the NHS.

I have mentioned this on a similar thread - have you considered having some free coaching from the NHS Leadership Academy? Working with a coach can be so helpful for gaining clarity & helping you to see what transferable skills you have. This could lead you to identifying suitable roles to apply for & it tends to build confidence by showing what skills & qualities that you have. It is really helpful & worthwhile.
You don't have to actually be in a leadership role either, I don't think.

I found band 7 really awful. You get loads of responsibility without enough clout imo. More senior managers expecting you to get things done without the resources and without the ability to say no. Then those junior to you blame you for the crap (and it is crap) but don’t see you’re under pressure and have no choice!
Hated it.

I nursed for 35 years but it wrecked my physical and mental health and decided I needed to change career. I left in 2018 to work as a benefits advisor for a cancer charity, so helping people with disability forms etc, supporting them at assessments etc. The money was a lot less at first ( I was only ever top band 5 in Nursing ) but have since moved onto other roles with a different charity that paid me not a lot less than I was getting in Nursing. The positions for charities are usually fixed term though so I will be out of a job in march and not sure what I will do then. Maybe retire early and wait until I can take my NHS pension at 60. The thing I used to see a lot in Nursing was people that had never done anything else just scared to leave their Nursing jobs because of the good pension but just so miserable. Life is just too short. There are parts of my current job I don't like but nothing on the scale of how I felt about Nursing. I have never regretted leaving and actually still have nightmares about my Nursing career.
I hope you manage to find a different direction that suits you.

Which elements of the job do you enjoy?
Eg. Direct patient care, the budget etc

Have you considered school nursing in a boarding school?

Is pay an important factor or could you afford to take a pay cut?

Thank you - I have never heard about this so I am going to contact them next week and try to get an appointment to speak to someone. I feel very stuck as I have been at the same hospital for my whole career and don't know where to begin. This sounds really good!

It is pretty awful isn't it - what did you move on to? Are you still in the NHS?

Look at private companies doing NHS work in your area.

I went into lecturing, I’d never go back to the nhs.

Have you thought about any private sector type stuff similar to hospice work, so IVF clinics, private hospitals, etc.

Or even some sort of specialist role in the nhs….not sure what you do now? Ward sister? But something like infection control, blood transfusion lead?

@Minty25that is really helpful to know. I actually work in Oncology and have considered looking at charity sector jobs too. Just don't know where to begin. I do feel very trapped because I haven't done anything else (have even been in the same hospital for my whole career 😬) and because it's hard when you've made a career for yourself and then start from scratch again. Also feel like I've had my confidence stripped away from me and have been made to question my sanity following all that has happened this past year...
You served your time in the NHS for sure!! You deserve to be happy and it is so refreshing to hear about life after the NHS. Thank you for sharing your experience

@PodMomare you lecturing nursing students at uni? I have thought about some kind of teaching but keep seeing that it is like out the frying pan in to the fryer 🤪
I am an oncology CNS working with a specific tumour group in a hospital. Problem is I feel so disillusioned with my hospital trust now I feel like I need to leave altogether. I've got an employment tribunal next year and am awaiting the outcome of 2 grievances I raised at work.
Have always hated the idea of private sector but I am now considering this. IVF would actually be a great shout as I have a lot of gynae experience- going to look in to this! Thank you!

@FirstdatesFredI would take a pay cut if needed.
I love getting to know my patients as I have a caseload which I follow through from diagnosis to discharge or end of life. School nursing is a good shout - there are a lot of private schools around where I am based so I will have a look and see if there's anything out there.

Palliative? Hospice? Such an opportunity to make a difference to people at a difficult time

Yes and I love teaching students at uni. Sure there’s a lot to do and it’s busy busy but nothing like nhs ward work. Lot more autonomy, no micro managing, get to wfh if not teaching, quite a bit of flexibility, love the students. Feel I’m making a difference to them.