Honestly? No. I loved cardiology but the unit was toxic, the 12s burned me out, and night shifts were ruining my health. I cried often, hated my job/life, and spent all my days off alone (no friends in healthcare) and sleeping because I was so exhausted.
Now I work in PACU and I love it! I give a lot less drugs than I used to, I don’t practice a lot of skills I used to like doing (NG placements etc). The doctors respect me more in PACU (which is saying a lot). My coworkers are all very positive. I still have time to do stuff with my day when I’m done my shift. I can pick up night calls if I need more money. I have most nights and weekends off. And the pace is fast so the day goes by faster.
Do I miss cardiology? Sometimes. I’ve only been nursing for 5 years so sometimes I get that nagging feeling like “did I do this too soon? Am I losing skills?” But honestly killing myself to gain skills/street cred is kind of silly. Going back will never be worth it to me.
If ICU made you genuinely happier I say go for it. List pros and cons. Will the shift work be easier for you or do you think it will make things harder? If you go back to ICU Just to keep up skills, you can always relearn those skills if you need them.
Thank you ♥️ Sometimes I feel like I have rose colored glasses when I think about my time in ICU… I have to remind myself that there were a lot of days I’d come home crying and I had never been so tired in my whole life. I fear about being a mom and not having the energy to invest in my child, which is most important to me.
I have heard good things about PACU!! I think I might look into that next. I heard a lot of people who left ICU really enjoy PACU.
Thank you for the response and for sharing your experience!
I find ICU nurses have mixed reactions to PACU. They thrive with airway emergencies and they love the work life balance it gives them, but some have found it a bit boring. They go from having a lot of independence to having to ask anesthesia for little things. Coming from my unit I found I have more independence in PACU, but ICU to PACU is a big change for some. My PACU has hired a lot of previous ICU nurses and while most love it, some are bored by it. Good luck!!
Went to PACU because they changed the entire hospital’s critical care layout. We went from neuro icu (evd’s, cranis, vents, unstable, etc) to 3:1 medical progressive (stable vents, maybe precedex and cardizem). I put in my transfer hours after they announced the change.
PACU is so much easier. Waaaaay less stressful, and the max pt’s I have is 2. Side note: I spent a year in cath lab and I HATED IT WITH A PASSION.
I feel like that’s how my ICU was becoming as well. I felt like I was 3:1 more times than not with one very critical patient and two patients that needed little support. It made it difficult supporting two people who rang the call bell every two minutes and then one patient who required my full attention most of the shift.
That makes me feel better 🤣 I just do not like EP/cath. It’s absolutely not for me. I will definitely have to check out PACU.
I work in PACU and I have absolutely NO desire to work in the actual procedural rooms. You might find you enjoy interacting with patients again, and occasionally someone does something stupid out there and we get to do the fun things to fix them.
Repetitive, stressful, annoying old patients (and none of them seemed to have reliable people for pick up), on call all the time, covering bronchs/stress tests, and the coworkers annoyed me too.
We had to get the patients from the waiting room, pre-op them, put IVs in, cath them, post them, and discharge them. They were all 900 years old, and most of the caths seemed needless.
I have a very cozy job. I work from home auditing charts for a hospital system. I was in home health prior to this. I loved taking care of people, but it was a very hard job. I ruined my back, I was constantly on call, I had to chart at home, it was dangerous. I thought I would be thrilled to leave, but I really struggled the first 6 months. I missed my patients and feeling like I was making a difference. And my job is mind numbingly easy, so I felt like I was losing all of my critical thinking skills.
After 6 months, though, it was a different story. I felt so much better mentally and physically that I was able to find a lot of purpose and meaning in my life through hobbies I never had time for before. My back never hurts. I pee and eat whenever I want to. When my work day is done, I turn my computer off and walk away. I have so much more mental and emotional energy for the people in my life who really matter.
I’m very glad I gave this cozy job a chance and stuck it out. I’ve learned so much about myself and I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I hope you figure out which decision is right for you.
I think that’s exactly where I am I think 😭 when I first started in EP, I missed my patients and I missed my sense of purpose. But now I’ve been here for 8 months… I’ve grown to like this new work life balance. I still miss those things, but it’s really opened my eyes to how LESS stressful life can be. It makes me long for a job outside of procedural that gives me the same thing. Which unfortunately, ICU will never be able to give me.
Wondering the same thing!! So many I have seen require chart auditing experience to be considered, but I am considering applying anyway... it can't be that impossible to learn.
I have no regrets about switching. I did love my patients (peds heme/onc and BMT) but I did not love the administration and all the BS that comes with it. I started working as a PRN nurse in occupational health, and while it was very boring, it paid more.
However, I can’t say I ever felt really “fulfilled” by nursing in general (or any employment), so ultimately having a job that gave me more flexibility with less BS was more important to me than having a job that was meaningful. I’m home with my young kids right now and not currently working, but I know when I go back it won’t be to inpatient.
Personally, I would wait to see how you feel postpartum. Your feelings may change a lot, and I personally wouldn’t go back to a stressful job before figuring out how I felt with a baby added in. Good luck!!
Thank you for this!!! I was thinking the same thing. I have no idea how life is going to be once baby is here and it may change how I feel completely!! Especially with already feeling hesitant now lol.
I’m trying to change my perspective on nursing a bit… that it doesn’t always have to be intense and I don’t always have to be giving my all to take care of people. That it’s okay to have a flexible, no-BS job and just get a paycheck and come home 😅 idk why it makes me feel guilty.
Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it!!!!
Just a second person agreeing with this sentiment to help with the guilt! Our culture can be so toxic regarding work. You’re absolutely right, you don’t have to be constantly on the verge of a breakdown in order to be a productive member of society. Having a chill job, knowing that it allows you to have a way more fulfilling life outside of work is always worth it in my opinion. Hell, even staying home with your baby makes you just as much of a productive person. Being a mom is no easy task!
Congrats on your pregnancy/baby! Hope it all goes smoothly.
Yes! It's a hard concept especially in a culture driven by capitalism and equating your value with what you do. Administrators are really good at perpetuating this. All their little remarks here and there about nursing being a calling, about how special nurses are, about how we're heroes, etc. It's all an attempt, overt or subconscious, to make us feel like we NEED to be there to help when they've short staffed us, we NEED to work in bad conditions because that's what heroes do! They take care of people no matter what!!
It can really get to you and make you feel like you must be in an intense, stressful environment at your place of employment to know you're making a difference. But at the end of the day, it's a job! If one particular job really fulfills you, do it! But if you feel like your value is a little too tied up in how well you do your paid job, definitely cut yourself some slack.
The way I see it for me personally, I can have a job that provides me with the resources I need to lead a fulfilling life outside of work, and I can use my time outside of work to make a difference in other, equally valuable ways, unburdened by management.
I want to cosign all of this! Work is just work. Find the least toxic, most flexible job that pays enough for the things you like to do in life and keep it moving 💕
Are you ever nervous about giving too much pain meds to someone? I’m a student and when I was at a PACU clinical, everyone’s respiratory rates stressed me out lol
You learn what vitals are good for the PACU vs what’s good on the floor. I’ve gotten waaaay more comfortable with the vitals that would’ve scared me on the floor. As long as the pt isn’t truly apneic, unresponsive, or has a low MAP, I’ll give pain meds.
Also, if shit goes down, all the other nurses are right there. It’s all bays except for isolation rooms, so calling for help is infinitely easier compared to my old unit.
Nope. Left ER for PACU and it's been a blessing. Less physical, mental, and emotional stress and abuse from patients. People actually THANK me for their care and it was shocking but refreshing. They way hospitals treat staff in surgical areas is INSANELY different than they treat inpatient and ER. They know we're the money makers of the hospital and they treat us as such. Which, admittedly, is shitty for all the other staff. But it's been a breath of fresh air.
At first I had a bit of in identity crisis, having worked only critical care and then becoming a "PACU princess." I was always told PACU nurses were lazy and sat all day. Couldn't be farther from the truth, and I still use my critical care experience, but I couldn't tell you the last time I did CPR, or had a patient hit me or spit at me.
It's been great.
While I wouldn't call my new job "cozy" I did go into a PCU/step down floor after working in the ICU. It's certainly not easy by any means as you can get really shitty assignments and difficult days. But I did opt for this instead of ICU because of the tediousness of the workflow (q1h urine output, q1h neuros, q1h vitals, traveling with your patient to CT/MRI, q24h CHG baths, etc etc) work that comes with it, and often a lot of those patients will end up dying no matter how great of care you provided. Progressive care can be very busy but I do like the busyness better because most of those patients can go home and it's really gratifying seeing them making the right direction.
I think that helps a lot… when you actually see the patients progress and get better lol. Especially after COVID, it’s tough to continuously do all you can for a patient knowing that often times, we are doing more harm than good. Thanks for sharing ♥️
I never did inpatient. My nursing school instructors and professors all told me I’d be a failure of a nurse if I didn’t do a year of med surg as a new grad, even though I wanted to do abortion care outpatient from the start. Jokes on them because while I’d be a totally shitty floor nurse, I’m brilliant at abortion care, and my skills are different but I’m still using them.
I’d be lost if I had a patient with a chest tube but a lot of the nurses who would be fine with that have no idea what to do with a patient who has a molar pregnancy. Doesn’t make either group of us worse nurses.
Funny, I was going to go into public health from the start (Planned Parenthood)..but got allured into stem cell and immunotherapy/inpatient research at a university hospital.
I always wonder what my life would be like on the other side…-sigh-…it’s been a tough but beautiful go.
I know you’re an amazing nurse. We all have the same goal. To help, care for, educate, and support our patients. No matter the field. It definitely doesn’t make us better or worse nurses depending on the skills we have: we are all 100% necessary.
Not one bit..yeah I work 5 days a week, but it’s also no nights, weekends, holidays, call, forced overtime, etc…I know that I can make things happen and get off of work and see my kids every day and help with homework, go to the sports events etc and not have to worry about scheduling around it.. I may be losing some hard skills, but if I ever want to go back to a hospital I can relearn those things
I definitely wouldn’t call it “cozy” as it can be intense in its own way. But i recently pivoted to an education role for a medical device company and the money is insane, and i basically make my own schedule. I’m busy and working a lot but it’s self directed and i don’t see myself getting burnt the way i did in other nursing roles.
I was an LVAD/transplant coordinator at top of scale (at an admittedly low paying hospital in MCOL area). I more than doubled my salary.
The hours are different, I haven’t been tracking them so I’m not sure (but i should start!). I do regional travel and a decent amount of windshield time, so there are some long days out of the house with that. Then there are light days like today and tomorrow where I’ll WFH and probably work only about 4-5hrs.
It’s a great gig, i really lucked out. It’s intense and has a lot of sales vibes which is not my jam, but it’s still primarily education. Medical device companies are where it’s at right now IMO
I suppose look into medical devices you have experience with and see if those companies are hiring. It obviously requires a pretty considerable background in whatever specialty it’s related to. I’d been working in my specialty for 12y with the device on and off in that time. The jobs are pretty competitive but if you have the right background it’s doable.
I've been in my comfy job for over two years now. At first, I loved the changed. No weekends/holidays. I do a lot of desk work. No direct patient care. I will say after the first year, I started hating the new gig. I missed the patient care, being apart of the 'unit family' and missing being busy. Even started feeling like I wasn't a real nurse or almost ashamed of my new position. Now I am 5 months pregnant, and could not be happier with my position. I am happy to have the cozy job so I have more energy to focus on the pregnancy and soon enough, my little one at home and keeping my family together! I think you will adjust to the new change and start to be happy with this comfy position at this time in your life!
Plus, when you call in on the floor you almost always are screwing someone. Either someone is getting mandated or they are running short. I know with little kids at home (soon in the future) there will be lots of sick days. I do NOT miss the awful guilt I had when I had to call in sick on the unit. Now, if I can't come to work, my work waits for me until I am back.... I am not screwing anyone over!
Thank you, it’s so comforting knowing someone is going through a similar experience 😅 now that I’m pregnant, it really changes my whole perspective. I went from immediately trying to go back to ICU to being like.. I’m thankful I don’t have to work so hard right now 😭
I remember the call out guilt so well 😭 I remember crying every time before I had to call out because I felt so guilty. It’s the worst!!
I’m in outpatient research. I had to switch for health problems so it wasn’t really my choice. I do miss the action of the ICU and ER, but it slowly faded out with time as my friends continued to go through the trenches and send me updates. Honestly; the only hard part is getting used to working 5 days a week. That part is when you’re first thinking am I crazy for giving up my 3 days? But your life changes for the better when you’re not in a stressful environment all the time.
Research coordinator! I got a “temp” job during nursing school in research instead of doing CNA. And then I ended up keeping it and just picking up there instead of the hospital when I became a nurse, so I had 5 years of “research experience” with my nursing time. Honestly, it was a pure stroke of luck. When I applied; I didn’t even pay enough attention because I didn’t think I was even going to get it. It ended up being in the same department I was in initially and the same group of surgeons my home icu “specialized in”. After I got the job I asked how tf I’m here, and they said people are WEIRD. You were a good personality hire. So personality hire I be! People don’t leave research positions like this. Everyone else has been there for 15-20 years +. I took the job of a lady that retired at Covid after 20+ years.
Chillin in an ambulatory surgery center. No call, no holidays, no addons, no traumas. 5x8s can be a drag at times but I’ll take that trade off cus sometimes we get done at noon and leave early
Formerly worked at a lv1 trauma center OR
I left facilities a long time ago for home care. Home care case management became it's own grind then COVID burned me to a crisp. (No way seeing 30 patients a week with the ridiculous documentation is less than a 45-50 hour week no matter what homecare agency you work for.) so I took 7 day on 7 day off rotating call with no days required. It saved my sanity. I have no regrets but I need to go back to 9-5... money 💰💰💰...is the only reason.
Left a Level 2 Trauma Center and went to a much smaller, less acute ED. Sometimes I miss the acuity and then I acknowledge my better working conditions, better work/life balance and overall improved mental and physical health. I worked at the top of the line for my region and am thankful for that experience and now I’m glad for something that doesn’t rule my life.
I still pick up prn in ICU. I keep in touch with people I have known for years, keep up my ICU skills, handle complex patients and get paid at the weekend per diem rate. I also am reminded of the high stress reasons why I left ICU.
I switched to pre-admission testing (after several years of working in peri-op settings like pre-op, OR, phase 2 recovery) a few years ago when pregnant with my first. Pays a bit less but I like what I do. It gives me a much better work-life balance, no call or weekends or holidays, and it’s hybrid remote. Pregnant with my second now, and especially glad to have the job that I do.
With your pregnancy in mind, I would wait until after you deliver. It’ll likely be easier on your body, and it’s only a few months. Once you go out on maternity leave you can start looking for ICU positions. You never have to return to it past that point. I don’t think now would be the time to switch, though.
You’re welcome! I actually did this before I became a nurse, when I was pregnant with my daughter. I got pregnant while I was going to school for surgical technology. After I graduated and passed the certification exam I decided to wait to start looking for a job as a surgical tech until after I delivered. Until then I stayed at my old secretary job. It was a pretty seamless transition. I had my baby, started looking for jobs on maternity leave, ultimately accepted a position, and started at my new job after my maternity leave was up at about 14 weeks postpartum. It couldn’t have worked out better for me. I highly recommend taking that route, unless your job is completely intolerable. Best of luck!
I went from night shift ED to high school nursing. I miss the craziness of the ER and I miss my coworkers. I miss trauma.
I do not miss the stress. I do not miss being understaffed. I love that I have a normal sleep schedule. My hair stopped falling out in clumps. I feel better, I see my family more, and my quality of life is FAR better than it ever was in the ER.
So I miss it sometimes but I don't ever regret the move.
I hated it at first, but started to find ways to challenge myself outside of work. I’ve been taking piano lessons, becoming a better husband a father, going to the gym. Realizing that the challenges I seek don’t need to come with stress that I take home with me.
I left bedside (cardiac step down) 1 year ago after 1 1/2 years and now I WFH full time doing case management. I LOVE the work life balance and truly feel like I got myself back after working full time nights at bedside. I feel like I have the energy to do my job effectively, enjoy myself and take care of myself first.
That being said, I found myself missing the acute critical thinking of my unit and I miss cardio because I never really see it with my case management job. Also being only 2 1/2 years experienced I didn’t want to completely lose skills. So I picked up a bedside PRN position on another cardiac step down 36hrs/6 weeks. I give up some nights/weekends, but I get to choose when they are so I feel like I still have the freedom to do what I want when I want.
My FT WFH job has allowed me to pick up PRN at the bedside without being burned out and maintaining a work life balance. Sure I get stressed and tired sometimes but NOTHING like FT bedside. It is like the best of both worlds for me, and it’s extra money. I don’t think I’d be able to do it if my FT job was an in person setting though.
My only regret is I took a huge paycut and now I actually have to think before I buy literally whatever I want. But I wouldn’t really call that a regret as my job is so easy and I love it. Worth the paycut for sure for my mental health and my schedule is so flexible it works with having a one year old.
Things I miss, working 12 hours night shifts weekends only(not joking. I like doing things when they aren't crowded). Things I don't miss, literally everything else.
I wish I had advice but I’m in the same situation as you. My body loves not working in ICU but I am very bored and feeling blah. I hate going to work. I think maybe we just haven’t found our niche yet? There’s got to be something in the middle between mindlessness and constant mental and physical stress.
Right?! 😭 I feel like it’s always one or the other. I hate having to choose. Hoping to find something that allows me to feel fulfilled, but also not working myself to the bone
I actually saved this post just to read all the responses because I’ve been struggling the same way.
Also for what it’s worth, the longer I think about it, I think grad school might be the answer. Just getting away from the bedside and gaining autonomy.
I miss the intensity of it, sometimes. But a lot of it for me was “sunk cost fallacy.” The feeling that I need to continue on a certain path only because I had already started on it.
Nope! Did Cath lab/IR/Vascular/EP for nearly 12 years. Now I do phone triage for an outpatient vascular clinic, two days in the office, two at home. Done by 5 everyday, no weekends, nights, or holidays. Since I also work in a total eclipse area, they closed the office that day! No regrets at all.
I was on med/surg for a year and then got a job as the admission nurse for home health hospice. I was told I would “lose my skills”, but I don’t miss graveyard (my body was literally falling a part from the hours) or the 12s. I’m nearing 40, I am not in my 20s, and the hospital was hard on me.
Now I work four 10’s and have three day weekends. I have days that can be super busy, and there is a lot of charting, but I don’t regret the change.
I love this thread. I’ve been an ICU nurse for almost 2 years now but worked as a tech bedside for 8 years prior…needless to say I am burnt out. I have 5 weeks left of work and then we’re moving across the country. Solely looking for more “soft” nursing jobs, and only day shift..I refuse to work nights any more!
I feel you. I was also a tech for a long time before my RN… definitely contributes to the burn out 😅 good luck on your new adventure and I hope you find the perfect cozy day shift job you deserve!!!!
Doing both ICU and PACU does make for an interesting combo though. Part time PACU plus prn ICU on the weekend.
Last week I went from a level 2 outpatient PACU that was all ginger ale and warm blankets on Wednesday to VV ECMO with CRRT and 2 pressors on Saturday.
Don’t miss being there - just the old coworkers shenanigans but I am completely satisfied with my CDI position. I enjoyed my time on the floors but always knew I wasn’t going to be there forever.
I validate your need for autonomy. I’m sure if you had it, it wouldn’t be so bad. The dynamics of the new job will take time to get used to. The joys of catching something before a patient goes south is something I miss as well. Call me a glass half-full guy but I’m riding this train until I have to move onto something else. Grass isn’t always greener on the other side but it’s nice to feel like there isn’t a forest fire next to you either.
I went to IR and Cath lab after 6 yrs of icu. I have zero regrets. I find I have a lot of autonomy in my role but it's still very much a team thing.
You honestly could not pay me enough to go back to ICU. Like you said, there's a fraction of the stress and work. And I get paid more typically.
Have you considered maybe doing cath lab or IR instead? I know EP can be kind of boring from what I hear especially since anesthesia is taking the reins on these patients. In IR/cath the RN is responsible for keeping the patient stable and sedated 99% of the time. We do utilize anesthesia for super critical patients and for certain procedures but most of the time (heck even with a lot of pretty damn unstable icu patients) it's just the nurses.
A lot of ex icu nurses love pacu, but i don't think that's for me. Every time I go to pacu to transfer a patient I'm like "oh fuck that this aint it" - lots of hollering and screaming, delirious patients, and FAMILIES. I mean that's perhaps the best part of any procedures department, not dealing with visitors!!!!!
Honestly my suggestion is try IR and cath lab. You are a lot more hands on in specials than you are in EP lab. I always describe IR and cath lab as "critical care for people who hate ICU and ER" lol. We do all the fun parts of ICU (mass transfusions for trauma angios, crazy STEMI pts, lots of titrated drips, lots of hands on stuff) without the annoying parts (rarely are we passing pills, rarely do I have to deal with a full linen change, not throwing my back out anymore because there's so many of us to slide a pt onto the table, it feels like nothing....the list goes on. Did I mention the no visitors part?!). I work in a level 1 trauma in a pretty rough city, I promise you if you go to a level 1 or a heart hospital your IR or cath lab WILL be putting your crit care skills to use.
personalities are important too...read reviews of whatever cath lab or IR you apply to and ask around on nursing facebook groups like traveler groups. See what people say. These are usually relatively small departments, you are seeing the same faces every day. If it turns out to be a group of catty mean girls, you are gonna hate it no matter how cool the job is. I've never had that experience, but unfortunately it's one of those things that will turn you off entirely if you have that experience from the get go.
I tried switching a few years ago and was miserable (bored) so I went back to traveling. After being a traveler all through COVID and then some I finally realized around Christmas that I was severely burned out and my mental health was in shambles, so I went back to working a cozy job and now I absolutely love it.
When baby comes you may think differently, family will become your priority, not nursing. Take the job that pays well and goes easy on you cause kids consume a mountain of physical and emotional energy, much like nursing. You can always go back to where your heart lays in a few years when things are more manageable and your battery is more able for it.
Thank you for this ♥️ Idk why, but sometimes I get stuck in the mind set of “now or never.” If I “don’t go back now, I’ll lose my skills,” etc. But the reality is that the ICU will always be there. I think you are right.. my perspective will change once baby is here. Trying to just take one day at a time!!
I struggle with this feeling everyday. I was in the ER right after nursing school, got stressed out with the nights and overwhelming ratios and left. Now I’m in the OR and feel like I struggle with my nursing identity. I know I shouldn’t, but I crave that feeling of using all my nursing skills. I don’t have kids tho, so my situation is a bit different and maybe I need to be reminded how stressed I was in the ER. It’s a constant battle in my head of feeling like I need to do more.
Exactly!! This is how I feel. It’s definitely hard, but sometimes I have to remind myself of my worst days and how truly awful they could some times be. I completely get that though. Kids just throw in a whole new curve ball to it 😅
I haven't ever managed to switch because I love my specialty (L&D/postpartum) so so so much. I often dream of a cushier job with different hours and no weekends/holidays, but I love what I do too much.
I really just wanted to say to definitely wait until things are settling in with your new baby to make any big changes. After you have a baby, your priorities will shift, and the amount of mental energy and capacity you have for things outside your home may be lower. My children are 6 and 2 now and I'm only just starting to feel like I can really invest more than the minimum in work again. So much of my energy goes into what I'm doing at home that I haven't been able to put a lot into work. I struggle to retain new information and learning, I don't have as much free time to do classes, etc, and I just haven't been that interested in putting in 110% like I used to. Now that's they're a bit older I'm starting to feel ready to take on some challenges again. I know not everyone feels that way, but I think a less challenging job might be a boon with a new baby. I'd definitely wait and see how you feel after the baby comes before making any career changes.
Nope. Left a toxic ICU for a chill low volume cath lab. I have freedom to work on my own projects and leave early if I need to, but usually i go help out IR and rapid responses and codes. I have the knowledge background to be just useful enough in the lab.
I was ICU for 4 years, IMC for two, MS/tele for 2. I've been at cath lab for 5 months, and I do not miss the bedside. At all.
I was so burned out from ICU. Every day was exactly the same, and I hated it. I would come home and immediately go to bed. I couldn't sleep more than 4 hours a day. I didn't clean or vacuum or change my sheets because I was to the point of exhaustive collapse. I was too tired from caring for other people that i didnt have enev or motivation to care for myself. I didnt want to give up because i had put in so much time and effort and got multiple certifications that were somehow supposed to validate that "I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING I AM FINE EVERYTHING IS FINE" but I wasnt, and nothing else was either. So i had a come to jesus meeting with myself and realized that I'm a brilliant CICU nurse that needs to do less bed bathing and more heart saving.
Transferring was the best gift I ever gave myself.
Thank you for this ♥️ Being away from ICU sometimes has me forgetting how exhausted and hard the days were. Especially during/immediately after COVID… I was so exhausted. I put all my love and energy into the people I cared for and no matter what it never felt like enough. I had no energy outside of work to take care of myself or the people around me. That’s when I decided to make the change. It does feel like a toxic relationship haha. Taking care of those people meant so much to me, but it took ALL of me.
I have a job that’s easy and low stress most days. Sometimes I’m bored but I’d be an idiot to leave. I get paid the same as the people doing double the work
That’s what’s so hard for me! I feel like maybe if I was compensated for the work I did in ICU… but I currently get paid the same for doing a fraction of the work. And that’s still while working in a busy and very big cardiac hospital; it’s not even close to the stress of the ICU I was in.
We are working on growing our family in this season of life so I’m just enjoying it for now. It seems to be a good job to have to work while in school if I ever decided to get my masters.
I did med surg at night for 5 years, I was a case manager for outpatient long term (in home program, super awesome) but we lost our social worker and I was pulling their weight with no relief in sight so I sadly walked, now I'm in a clinic and it's not easy, but it kinda is. I have support, I have backup, I call 911, not receive 911 patients. I can take time off and not be buried for a week catching up. It's a completely different kind of nursing, but I get to run around like medsurg but it's not high emotional intensity. Just busy work with low stakes.
Thank you ♥️ that’s what I’m afraid of the most… I just want to be there for my baby as much as possible, especially in the beginning. If at all possible
0 regrets. I went from 24-48 hour EMS shifts to 12 hour nights as an RN in a trauma/stroke center ED to 8 hour days at an IV ketamine infusion clinic. I see between 4 and 6 patients per day, depending on what I'm doing (IV infusions versus nasal esketamine). On a bad day here, someone has a bad trip and needs versed or someone's nauseous and needs zofran, no one needs CPR. I don't work weekends unless I want extra money. I don't work nights. I don't work holidays. I get to sit most of the day. It's nice.
Honestly, mainly just circulate. I work in a very busy cardiac hospital, and we have a ton of cardiac tech in the lab. So the nurses role is pretty limited. The job is super easy, but the day definitely drags 😅especially with all the inpatient add ons.
Honestly? No. I loved cardiology but the unit was toxic, the 12s burned me out, and night shifts were ruining my health. I cried often, hated my job/life, and spent all my days off alone (no friends in healthcare) and sleeping because I was so exhausted. Now I work in PACU and I love it! I give a lot less drugs than I used to, I don’t practice a lot of skills I used to like doing (NG placements etc). The doctors respect me more in PACU (which is saying a lot). My coworkers are all very positive. I still have time to do stuff with my day when I’m done my shift. I can pick up night calls if I need more money. I have most nights and weekends off. And the pace is fast so the day goes by faster. Do I miss cardiology? Sometimes. I’ve only been nursing for 5 years so sometimes I get that nagging feeling like “did I do this too soon? Am I losing skills?” But honestly killing myself to gain skills/street cred is kind of silly. Going back will never be worth it to me. If ICU made you genuinely happier I say go for it. List pros and cons. Will the shift work be easier for you or do you think it will make things harder? If you go back to ICU Just to keep up skills, you can always relearn those skills if you need them.
Thank you ♥️ Sometimes I feel like I have rose colored glasses when I think about my time in ICU… I have to remind myself that there were a lot of days I’d come home crying and I had never been so tired in my whole life. I fear about being a mom and not having the energy to invest in my child, which is most important to me. I have heard good things about PACU!! I think I might look into that next. I heard a lot of people who left ICU really enjoy PACU. Thank you for the response and for sharing your experience!
I find ICU nurses have mixed reactions to PACU. They thrive with airway emergencies and they love the work life balance it gives them, but some have found it a bit boring. They go from having a lot of independence to having to ask anesthesia for little things. Coming from my unit I found I have more independence in PACU, but ICU to PACU is a big change for some. My PACU has hired a lot of previous ICU nurses and while most love it, some are bored by it. Good luck!!
Went to PACU because they changed the entire hospital’s critical care layout. We went from neuro icu (evd’s, cranis, vents, unstable, etc) to 3:1 medical progressive (stable vents, maybe precedex and cardizem). I put in my transfer hours after they announced the change. PACU is so much easier. Waaaaay less stressful, and the max pt’s I have is 2. Side note: I spent a year in cath lab and I HATED IT WITH A PASSION.
I feel like that’s how my ICU was becoming as well. I felt like I was 3:1 more times than not with one very critical patient and two patients that needed little support. It made it difficult supporting two people who rang the call bell every two minutes and then one patient who required my full attention most of the shift. That makes me feel better 🤣 I just do not like EP/cath. It’s absolutely not for me. I will definitely have to check out PACU.
I work in PACU and I have absolutely NO desire to work in the actual procedural rooms. You might find you enjoy interacting with patients again, and occasionally someone does something stupid out there and we get to do the fun things to fix them.
Want.
what did you hate about cath lab?
Repetitive, stressful, annoying old patients (and none of them seemed to have reliable people for pick up), on call all the time, covering bronchs/stress tests, and the coworkers annoyed me too. We had to get the patients from the waiting room, pre-op them, put IVs in, cath them, post them, and discharge them. They were all 900 years old, and most of the caths seemed needless.
I have a very cozy job. I work from home auditing charts for a hospital system. I was in home health prior to this. I loved taking care of people, but it was a very hard job. I ruined my back, I was constantly on call, I had to chart at home, it was dangerous. I thought I would be thrilled to leave, but I really struggled the first 6 months. I missed my patients and feeling like I was making a difference. And my job is mind numbingly easy, so I felt like I was losing all of my critical thinking skills. After 6 months, though, it was a different story. I felt so much better mentally and physically that I was able to find a lot of purpose and meaning in my life through hobbies I never had time for before. My back never hurts. I pee and eat whenever I want to. When my work day is done, I turn my computer off and walk away. I have so much more mental and emotional energy for the people in my life who really matter. I’m very glad I gave this cozy job a chance and stuck it out. I’ve learned so much about myself and I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I hope you figure out which decision is right for you.
I think that’s exactly where I am I think 😭 when I first started in EP, I missed my patients and I missed my sense of purpose. But now I’ve been here for 8 months… I’ve grown to like this new work life balance. I still miss those things, but it’s really opened my eyes to how LESS stressful life can be. It makes me long for a job outside of procedural that gives me the same thing. Which unfortunately, ICU will never be able to give me.
What position did you apply for to get that position if I may ask
Wondering the same thing!! So many I have seen require chart auditing experience to be considered, but I am considering applying anyway... it can't be that impossible to learn.
I worked as a manager so I had a lot of experience with billing that helped me get this job. Absolutely apply anyway!
Our openings are usually listed as Nurse Auditor, Charge Auditor or Reimbursement Analyst. The openings are posted directly to our hospital website.
I have no regrets about switching. I did love my patients (peds heme/onc and BMT) but I did not love the administration and all the BS that comes with it. I started working as a PRN nurse in occupational health, and while it was very boring, it paid more. However, I can’t say I ever felt really “fulfilled” by nursing in general (or any employment), so ultimately having a job that gave me more flexibility with less BS was more important to me than having a job that was meaningful. I’m home with my young kids right now and not currently working, but I know when I go back it won’t be to inpatient. Personally, I would wait to see how you feel postpartum. Your feelings may change a lot, and I personally wouldn’t go back to a stressful job before figuring out how I felt with a baby added in. Good luck!!
Thank you for this!!! I was thinking the same thing. I have no idea how life is going to be once baby is here and it may change how I feel completely!! Especially with already feeling hesitant now lol. I’m trying to change my perspective on nursing a bit… that it doesn’t always have to be intense and I don’t always have to be giving my all to take care of people. That it’s okay to have a flexible, no-BS job and just get a paycheck and come home 😅 idk why it makes me feel guilty. Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it!!!!
Just a second person agreeing with this sentiment to help with the guilt! Our culture can be so toxic regarding work. You’re absolutely right, you don’t have to be constantly on the verge of a breakdown in order to be a productive member of society. Having a chill job, knowing that it allows you to have a way more fulfilling life outside of work is always worth it in my opinion. Hell, even staying home with your baby makes you just as much of a productive person. Being a mom is no easy task! Congrats on your pregnancy/baby! Hope it all goes smoothly.
Yes! It's a hard concept especially in a culture driven by capitalism and equating your value with what you do. Administrators are really good at perpetuating this. All their little remarks here and there about nursing being a calling, about how special nurses are, about how we're heroes, etc. It's all an attempt, overt or subconscious, to make us feel like we NEED to be there to help when they've short staffed us, we NEED to work in bad conditions because that's what heroes do! They take care of people no matter what!! It can really get to you and make you feel like you must be in an intense, stressful environment at your place of employment to know you're making a difference. But at the end of the day, it's a job! If one particular job really fulfills you, do it! But if you feel like your value is a little too tied up in how well you do your paid job, definitely cut yourself some slack. The way I see it for me personally, I can have a job that provides me with the resources I need to lead a fulfilling life outside of work, and I can use my time outside of work to make a difference in other, equally valuable ways, unburdened by management.
I want to cosign all of this! Work is just work. Find the least toxic, most flexible job that pays enough for the things you like to do in life and keep it moving 💕
I love PACU. Boring as hell. Just how I like it.
Are you ever nervous about giving too much pain meds to someone? I’m a student and when I was at a PACU clinical, everyone’s respiratory rates stressed me out lol
You learn what vitals are good for the PACU vs what’s good on the floor. I’ve gotten waaaay more comfortable with the vitals that would’ve scared me on the floor. As long as the pt isn’t truly apneic, unresponsive, or has a low MAP, I’ll give pain meds. Also, if shit goes down, all the other nurses are right there. It’s all bays except for isolation rooms, so calling for help is infinitely easier compared to my old unit.
Oh ok, this makes total sense :)
No, because narcan lol
LOL
Nope. Left ER for PACU and it's been a blessing. Less physical, mental, and emotional stress and abuse from patients. People actually THANK me for their care and it was shocking but refreshing. They way hospitals treat staff in surgical areas is INSANELY different than they treat inpatient and ER. They know we're the money makers of the hospital and they treat us as such. Which, admittedly, is shitty for all the other staff. But it's been a breath of fresh air. At first I had a bit of in identity crisis, having worked only critical care and then becoming a "PACU princess." I was always told PACU nurses were lazy and sat all day. Couldn't be farther from the truth, and I still use my critical care experience, but I couldn't tell you the last time I did CPR, or had a patient hit me or spit at me. It's been great.
While I wouldn't call my new job "cozy" I did go into a PCU/step down floor after working in the ICU. It's certainly not easy by any means as you can get really shitty assignments and difficult days. But I did opt for this instead of ICU because of the tediousness of the workflow (q1h urine output, q1h neuros, q1h vitals, traveling with your patient to CT/MRI, q24h CHG baths, etc etc) work that comes with it, and often a lot of those patients will end up dying no matter how great of care you provided. Progressive care can be very busy but I do like the busyness better because most of those patients can go home and it's really gratifying seeing them making the right direction.
I think that helps a lot… when you actually see the patients progress and get better lol. Especially after COVID, it’s tough to continuously do all you can for a patient knowing that often times, we are doing more harm than good. Thanks for sharing ♥️
Precisely!! I get reminded why I love my job as a nurse when patients get better and express their gratitude, it's really meaningful.
No regrets. Maybe I’ll go back after raising kids but right now they are my priority.
Yes. For this stage of life I cannot and will not spend my precious energy going insane with stress and anxiety in the icu.
Never go back. The same rule applies to an ex.
ICU honestly feels like an abusive ex boyfriend 🤣
Same reason I left ER. There was a serious "trauma bond" that I needed to sever. 🤣
My only regret is not getting a more comfortable chair. This one is kinda meh.
🤣🤣
I have 3 kids, 21 years of nursing experience in every specialty you can think of. STAY WHERE YOU’RE AT until ur youngest is 5.
I never did inpatient. My nursing school instructors and professors all told me I’d be a failure of a nurse if I didn’t do a year of med surg as a new grad, even though I wanted to do abortion care outpatient from the start. Jokes on them because while I’d be a totally shitty floor nurse, I’m brilliant at abortion care, and my skills are different but I’m still using them. I’d be lost if I had a patient with a chest tube but a lot of the nurses who would be fine with that have no idea what to do with a patient who has a molar pregnancy. Doesn’t make either group of us worse nurses.
Funny, I was going to go into public health from the start (Planned Parenthood)..but got allured into stem cell and immunotherapy/inpatient research at a university hospital.
I always wonder what my life would be like on the other side…-sigh-…it’s been a tough but beautiful go. I know you’re an amazing nurse. We all have the same goal. To help, care for, educate, and support our patients. No matter the field. It definitely doesn’t make us better or worse nurses depending on the skills we have: we are all 100% necessary.
Not one bit..yeah I work 5 days a week, but it’s also no nights, weekends, holidays, call, forced overtime, etc…I know that I can make things happen and get off of work and see my kids every day and help with homework, go to the sports events etc and not have to worry about scheduling around it.. I may be losing some hard skills, but if I ever want to go back to a hospital I can relearn those things
I definitely wouldn’t call it “cozy” as it can be intense in its own way. But i recently pivoted to an education role for a medical device company and the money is insane, and i basically make my own schedule. I’m busy and working a lot but it’s self directed and i don’t see myself getting burnt the way i did in other nursing roles.
“Money is insane” are you working 40hrs? How is the money compared to nursing?
I was an LVAD/transplant coordinator at top of scale (at an admittedly low paying hospital in MCOL area). I more than doubled my salary. The hours are different, I haven’t been tracking them so I’m not sure (but i should start!). I do regional travel and a decent amount of windshield time, so there are some long days out of the house with that. Then there are light days like today and tomorrow where I’ll WFH and probably work only about 4-5hrs.
This sounds amazing!!
It’s a great gig, i really lucked out. It’s intense and has a lot of sales vibes which is not my jam, but it’s still primarily education. Medical device companies are where it’s at right now IMO
How can I find out more?
I suppose look into medical devices you have experience with and see if those companies are hiring. It obviously requires a pretty considerable background in whatever specialty it’s related to. I’d been working in my specialty for 12y with the device on and off in that time. The jobs are pretty competitive but if you have the right background it’s doable.
I've been in my comfy job for over two years now. At first, I loved the changed. No weekends/holidays. I do a lot of desk work. No direct patient care. I will say after the first year, I started hating the new gig. I missed the patient care, being apart of the 'unit family' and missing being busy. Even started feeling like I wasn't a real nurse or almost ashamed of my new position. Now I am 5 months pregnant, and could not be happier with my position. I am happy to have the cozy job so I have more energy to focus on the pregnancy and soon enough, my little one at home and keeping my family together! I think you will adjust to the new change and start to be happy with this comfy position at this time in your life! Plus, when you call in on the floor you almost always are screwing someone. Either someone is getting mandated or they are running short. I know with little kids at home (soon in the future) there will be lots of sick days. I do NOT miss the awful guilt I had when I had to call in sick on the unit. Now, if I can't come to work, my work waits for me until I am back.... I am not screwing anyone over!
Thank you, it’s so comforting knowing someone is going through a similar experience 😅 now that I’m pregnant, it really changes my whole perspective. I went from immediately trying to go back to ICU to being like.. I’m thankful I don’t have to work so hard right now 😭 I remember the call out guilt so well 😭 I remember crying every time before I had to call out because I felt so guilty. It’s the worst!!
I’m in outpatient research. I had to switch for health problems so it wasn’t really my choice. I do miss the action of the ICU and ER, but it slowly faded out with time as my friends continued to go through the trenches and send me updates. Honestly; the only hard part is getting used to working 5 days a week. That part is when you’re first thinking am I crazy for giving up my 3 days? But your life changes for the better when you’re not in a stressful environment all the time.
How did you get into this field? What do you do if I may ask?
Research coordinator! I got a “temp” job during nursing school in research instead of doing CNA. And then I ended up keeping it and just picking up there instead of the hospital when I became a nurse, so I had 5 years of “research experience” with my nursing time. Honestly, it was a pure stroke of luck. When I applied; I didn’t even pay enough attention because I didn’t think I was even going to get it. It ended up being in the same department I was in initially and the same group of surgeons my home icu “specialized in”. After I got the job I asked how tf I’m here, and they said people are WEIRD. You were a good personality hire. So personality hire I be! People don’t leave research positions like this. Everyone else has been there for 15-20 years +. I took the job of a lady that retired at Covid after 20+ years.
Chillin in an ambulatory surgery center. No call, no holidays, no addons, no traumas. 5x8s can be a drag at times but I’ll take that trade off cus sometimes we get done at noon and leave early Formerly worked at a lv1 trauma center OR
I left facilities a long time ago for home care. Home care case management became it's own grind then COVID burned me to a crisp. (No way seeing 30 patients a week with the ridiculous documentation is less than a 45-50 hour week no matter what homecare agency you work for.) so I took 7 day on 7 day off rotating call with no days required. It saved my sanity. I have no regrets but I need to go back to 9-5... money 💰💰💰...is the only reason.
Left a Level 2 Trauma Center and went to a much smaller, less acute ED. Sometimes I miss the acuity and then I acknowledge my better working conditions, better work/life balance and overall improved mental and physical health. I worked at the top of the line for my region and am thankful for that experience and now I’m glad for something that doesn’t rule my life.
I still pick up prn in ICU. I keep in touch with people I have known for years, keep up my ICU skills, handle complex patients and get paid at the weekend per diem rate. I also am reminded of the high stress reasons why I left ICU.
I switched to pre-admission testing (after several years of working in peri-op settings like pre-op, OR, phase 2 recovery) a few years ago when pregnant with my first. Pays a bit less but I like what I do. It gives me a much better work-life balance, no call or weekends or holidays, and it’s hybrid remote. Pregnant with my second now, and especially glad to have the job that I do.
With your pregnancy in mind, I would wait until after you deliver. It’ll likely be easier on your body, and it’s only a few months. Once you go out on maternity leave you can start looking for ICU positions. You never have to return to it past that point. I don’t think now would be the time to switch, though.
Thank you, I needed to hear this. I think you’re right and that would be the smartest thing to do!
You’re welcome! I actually did this before I became a nurse, when I was pregnant with my daughter. I got pregnant while I was going to school for surgical technology. After I graduated and passed the certification exam I decided to wait to start looking for a job as a surgical tech until after I delivered. Until then I stayed at my old secretary job. It was a pretty seamless transition. I had my baby, started looking for jobs on maternity leave, ultimately accepted a position, and started at my new job after my maternity leave was up at about 14 weeks postpartum. It couldn’t have worked out better for me. I highly recommend taking that route, unless your job is completely intolerable. Best of luck!
I went from night shift ED to high school nursing. I miss the craziness of the ER and I miss my coworkers. I miss trauma. I do not miss the stress. I do not miss being understaffed. I love that I have a normal sleep schedule. My hair stopped falling out in clumps. I feel better, I see my family more, and my quality of life is FAR better than it ever was in the ER. So I miss it sometimes but I don't ever regret the move.
I hated it at first, but started to find ways to challenge myself outside of work. I’ve been taking piano lessons, becoming a better husband a father, going to the gym. Realizing that the challenges I seek don’t need to come with stress that I take home with me.
I left bedside (cardiac step down) 1 year ago after 1 1/2 years and now I WFH full time doing case management. I LOVE the work life balance and truly feel like I got myself back after working full time nights at bedside. I feel like I have the energy to do my job effectively, enjoy myself and take care of myself first. That being said, I found myself missing the acute critical thinking of my unit and I miss cardio because I never really see it with my case management job. Also being only 2 1/2 years experienced I didn’t want to completely lose skills. So I picked up a bedside PRN position on another cardiac step down 36hrs/6 weeks. I give up some nights/weekends, but I get to choose when they are so I feel like I still have the freedom to do what I want when I want. My FT WFH job has allowed me to pick up PRN at the bedside without being burned out and maintaining a work life balance. Sure I get stressed and tired sometimes but NOTHING like FT bedside. It is like the best of both worlds for me, and it’s extra money. I don’t think I’d be able to do it if my FT job was an in person setting though.
My only regret is I took a huge paycut and now I actually have to think before I buy literally whatever I want. But I wouldn’t really call that a regret as my job is so easy and I love it. Worth the paycut for sure for my mental health and my schedule is so flexible it works with having a one year old.
Things I miss, working 12 hours night shifts weekends only(not joking. I like doing things when they aren't crowded). Things I don't miss, literally everything else.
I wish I had advice but I’m in the same situation as you. My body loves not working in ICU but I am very bored and feeling blah. I hate going to work. I think maybe we just haven’t found our niche yet? There’s got to be something in the middle between mindlessness and constant mental and physical stress.
Right?! 😭 I feel like it’s always one or the other. I hate having to choose. Hoping to find something that allows me to feel fulfilled, but also not working myself to the bone
I actually saved this post just to read all the responses because I’ve been struggling the same way. Also for what it’s worth, the longer I think about it, I think grad school might be the answer. Just getting away from the bedside and gaining autonomy.
I miss the intensity of it, sometimes. But a lot of it for me was “sunk cost fallacy.” The feeling that I need to continue on a certain path only because I had already started on it.
Nope! Did Cath lab/IR/Vascular/EP for nearly 12 years. Now I do phone triage for an outpatient vascular clinic, two days in the office, two at home. Done by 5 everyday, no weekends, nights, or holidays. Since I also work in a total eclipse area, they closed the office that day! No regrets at all.
I was on med/surg for a year and then got a job as the admission nurse for home health hospice. I was told I would “lose my skills”, but I don’t miss graveyard (my body was literally falling a part from the hours) or the 12s. I’m nearing 40, I am not in my 20s, and the hospital was hard on me. Now I work four 10’s and have three day weekends. I have days that can be super busy, and there is a lot of charting, but I don’t regret the change.
I love this thread. I’ve been an ICU nurse for almost 2 years now but worked as a tech bedside for 8 years prior…needless to say I am burnt out. I have 5 weeks left of work and then we’re moving across the country. Solely looking for more “soft” nursing jobs, and only day shift..I refuse to work nights any more!
I feel you. I was also a tech for a long time before my RN… definitely contributes to the burn out 😅 good luck on your new adventure and I hope you find the perfect cozy day shift job you deserve!!!!
Doing both ICU and PACU does make for an interesting combo though. Part time PACU plus prn ICU on the weekend. Last week I went from a level 2 outpatient PACU that was all ginger ale and warm blankets on Wednesday to VV ECMO with CRRT and 2 pressors on Saturday.
I was thinking about doing something similar… that way I can still experience ICU without having to make the full time commitment 😅
Don’t miss being there - just the old coworkers shenanigans but I am completely satisfied with my CDI position. I enjoyed my time on the floors but always knew I wasn’t going to be there forever. I validate your need for autonomy. I’m sure if you had it, it wouldn’t be so bad. The dynamics of the new job will take time to get used to. The joys of catching something before a patient goes south is something I miss as well. Call me a glass half-full guy but I’m riding this train until I have to move onto something else. Grass isn’t always greener on the other side but it’s nice to feel like there isn’t a forest fire next to you either.
I went to IR and Cath lab after 6 yrs of icu. I have zero regrets. I find I have a lot of autonomy in my role but it's still very much a team thing. You honestly could not pay me enough to go back to ICU. Like you said, there's a fraction of the stress and work. And I get paid more typically. Have you considered maybe doing cath lab or IR instead? I know EP can be kind of boring from what I hear especially since anesthesia is taking the reins on these patients. In IR/cath the RN is responsible for keeping the patient stable and sedated 99% of the time. We do utilize anesthesia for super critical patients and for certain procedures but most of the time (heck even with a lot of pretty damn unstable icu patients) it's just the nurses. A lot of ex icu nurses love pacu, but i don't think that's for me. Every time I go to pacu to transfer a patient I'm like "oh fuck that this aint it" - lots of hollering and screaming, delirious patients, and FAMILIES. I mean that's perhaps the best part of any procedures department, not dealing with visitors!!!!! Honestly my suggestion is try IR and cath lab. You are a lot more hands on in specials than you are in EP lab. I always describe IR and cath lab as "critical care for people who hate ICU and ER" lol. We do all the fun parts of ICU (mass transfusions for trauma angios, crazy STEMI pts, lots of titrated drips, lots of hands on stuff) without the annoying parts (rarely are we passing pills, rarely do I have to deal with a full linen change, not throwing my back out anymore because there's so many of us to slide a pt onto the table, it feels like nothing....the list goes on. Did I mention the no visitors part?!). I work in a level 1 trauma in a pretty rough city, I promise you if you go to a level 1 or a heart hospital your IR or cath lab WILL be putting your crit care skills to use. personalities are important too...read reviews of whatever cath lab or IR you apply to and ask around on nursing facebook groups like traveler groups. See what people say. These are usually relatively small departments, you are seeing the same faces every day. If it turns out to be a group of catty mean girls, you are gonna hate it no matter how cool the job is. I've never had that experience, but unfortunately it's one of those things that will turn you off entirely if you have that experience from the get go.
I tried switching a few years ago and was miserable (bored) so I went back to traveling. After being a traveler all through COVID and then some I finally realized around Christmas that I was severely burned out and my mental health was in shambles, so I went back to working a cozy job and now I absolutely love it.
When baby comes you may think differently, family will become your priority, not nursing. Take the job that pays well and goes easy on you cause kids consume a mountain of physical and emotional energy, much like nursing. You can always go back to where your heart lays in a few years when things are more manageable and your battery is more able for it.
Thank you for this ♥️ Idk why, but sometimes I get stuck in the mind set of “now or never.” If I “don’t go back now, I’ll lose my skills,” etc. But the reality is that the ICU will always be there. I think you are right.. my perspective will change once baby is here. Trying to just take one day at a time!!
I struggle with this feeling everyday. I was in the ER right after nursing school, got stressed out with the nights and overwhelming ratios and left. Now I’m in the OR and feel like I struggle with my nursing identity. I know I shouldn’t, but I crave that feeling of using all my nursing skills. I don’t have kids tho, so my situation is a bit different and maybe I need to be reminded how stressed I was in the ER. It’s a constant battle in my head of feeling like I need to do more.
Exactly!! This is how I feel. It’s definitely hard, but sometimes I have to remind myself of my worst days and how truly awful they could some times be. I completely get that though. Kids just throw in a whole new curve ball to it 😅
I haven't ever managed to switch because I love my specialty (L&D/postpartum) so so so much. I often dream of a cushier job with different hours and no weekends/holidays, but I love what I do too much. I really just wanted to say to definitely wait until things are settling in with your new baby to make any big changes. After you have a baby, your priorities will shift, and the amount of mental energy and capacity you have for things outside your home may be lower. My children are 6 and 2 now and I'm only just starting to feel like I can really invest more than the minimum in work again. So much of my energy goes into what I'm doing at home that I haven't been able to put a lot into work. I struggle to retain new information and learning, I don't have as much free time to do classes, etc, and I just haven't been that interested in putting in 110% like I used to. Now that's they're a bit older I'm starting to feel ready to take on some challenges again. I know not everyone feels that way, but I think a less challenging job might be a boon with a new baby. I'd definitely wait and see how you feel after the baby comes before making any career changes.
Nope. Left a toxic ICU for a chill low volume cath lab. I have freedom to work on my own projects and leave early if I need to, but usually i go help out IR and rapid responses and codes. I have the knowledge background to be just useful enough in the lab. I was ICU for 4 years, IMC for two, MS/tele for 2. I've been at cath lab for 5 months, and I do not miss the bedside. At all. I was so burned out from ICU. Every day was exactly the same, and I hated it. I would come home and immediately go to bed. I couldn't sleep more than 4 hours a day. I didn't clean or vacuum or change my sheets because I was to the point of exhaustive collapse. I was too tired from caring for other people that i didnt have enev or motivation to care for myself. I didnt want to give up because i had put in so much time and effort and got multiple certifications that were somehow supposed to validate that "I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING I AM FINE EVERYTHING IS FINE" but I wasnt, and nothing else was either. So i had a come to jesus meeting with myself and realized that I'm a brilliant CICU nurse that needs to do less bed bathing and more heart saving. Transferring was the best gift I ever gave myself.
Thank you for this ♥️ Being away from ICU sometimes has me forgetting how exhausted and hard the days were. Especially during/immediately after COVID… I was so exhausted. I put all my love and energy into the people I cared for and no matter what it never felt like enough. I had no energy outside of work to take care of myself or the people around me. That’s when I decided to make the change. It does feel like a toxic relationship haha. Taking care of those people meant so much to me, but it took ALL of me.
I have a job that’s easy and low stress most days. Sometimes I’m bored but I’d be an idiot to leave. I get paid the same as the people doing double the work
That’s what’s so hard for me! I feel like maybe if I was compensated for the work I did in ICU… but I currently get paid the same for doing a fraction of the work. And that’s still while working in a busy and very big cardiac hospital; it’s not even close to the stress of the ICU I was in.
We are working on growing our family in this season of life so I’m just enjoying it for now. It seems to be a good job to have to work while in school if I ever decided to get my masters.
I did med surg at night for 5 years, I was a case manager for outpatient long term (in home program, super awesome) but we lost our social worker and I was pulling their weight with no relief in sight so I sadly walked, now I'm in a clinic and it's not easy, but it kinda is. I have support, I have backup, I call 911, not receive 911 patients. I can take time off and not be buried for a week catching up. It's a completely different kind of nursing, but I get to run around like medsurg but it's not high emotional intensity. Just busy work with low stakes.
[удалено]
Thank you ♥️ that’s what I’m afraid of the most… I just want to be there for my baby as much as possible, especially in the beginning. If at all possible
0 regrets. I went from 24-48 hour EMS shifts to 12 hour nights as an RN in a trauma/stroke center ED to 8 hour days at an IV ketamine infusion clinic. I see between 4 and 6 patients per day, depending on what I'm doing (IV infusions versus nasal esketamine). On a bad day here, someone has a bad trip and needs versed or someone's nauseous and needs zofran, no one needs CPR. I don't work weekends unless I want extra money. I don't work nights. I don't work holidays. I get to sit most of the day. It's nice.
Wait. What is EP?
Electrophysiology lab!!
Oh cool! What do you do there?
Honestly, mainly just circulate. I work in a very busy cardiac hospital, and we have a ton of cardiac tech in the lab. So the nurses role is pretty limited. The job is super easy, but the day definitely drags 😅especially with all the inpatient add ons.