Directionless nurse

Hello

I made a career change in my early 30's and became a nurse. I enjoyed the first placement, it was down hill after that. I struggled through the training and wasn't 100% engaged or motivated but I managed to completed the course and gain my qualification. As an NQN I lacked confidence, the support and coaching I received was poor but I grew over time, the shift work was a killer for me. I constantly felt tired and days off were for recovery before the next shift. After 6 months of clinical work I needed to change and got a nursing role working Monday to Friday. I don't know where my future is with nursing and think I may pack it in completely. Anybody else had a similar experience and how did you manage?

I am really sorry you have got to this point and no one in your organisation has helped you.
I was a midwife and quickly burnt out doing shifts etc and had no support.
The best thing I did was my hv qualification and I know for lots of nurses it opens many doors after qualification as it’s seen as a specialty.
It also allows you to see what opportunities are out there, my work actively encourages personal development.
What would you really like to do?
I’m doing my nursing msc so I can do practice nursing as a midwife I cannot do that.
I know midwives who have left and become teachers or one who became a lecturer at college doing health and social but I think it’s a shame as there are lots of amazing jobs in the nhs or private companies In nursing.
It sounds like you did amazingly well to finish your nursing at all and shows a strength of character, you just may not have found the area of nursing that’s right for you.

Hello

I made a career change in my early 30's and became a nurse. I enjoyed the first placement, it was down hill after that. I struggled through the training and wasn't 100% engaged or motivated but I managed to completed the course and gain my qualification. As an NQN I lacked confidence, the support and coaching I received was poor but I grew over time, the shift work was a killer for me. I constantly felt tired and days off were for recovery before the next shift. After 6 months of clinical work I needed to change and got a nursing role working Monday to Friday. I don't know where my future is with nursing and think I may pack it in completely. Anybody else had a similar experience and how did you manage?

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I'm not sure what I really want. I worked hard to get my pin number and would like to utilise it in a less traditional nursing role perhaps. Something away from the heavy and pressured wards or ITU as I know that is not for me, shift pattern etc. I do like being practical and was considering dermatology or burns ,dressings, wound care based role.
You mentioned nursing roles within private companies. What kind of roles were you referring to?
Thanks.

Firstly I don't think there's any shame at all in saying that it maybe isn't for you and that you want to go in a different direction. You've still earned useful skills and experience that will help in either a healthcare-based role or a totally different sector.

I personally qualified then worked in a hospice (what I thought I always wanted to do) and then absolutely hated it, to the point where I would have happily taken absolutely any job. I accidentally fell into a 9-5 research nursing job which I did enjoy a lot more but ultimately wasn't challenging enough. I was made redundant which gave me the push I needed to leave nursing and I now work in clinical trials. I felt a lot of shame in leaving nursing - like I hadn't given back enough, but I can still make a difference to people and use a lot of the skills I developed.

It may be worth seeing if you can still access your university careers services - lots provide lifetime support and they are really great for this sort of thing (i.e. not just for new graduates). You don't need to rush into any decisions, you can use this time to really research what it is you want from your job and consider all your options.

My friend works for an insurance company doing medicals for insurance policies.
I also saw a job advertised for a nurse assessor for PIP applications.
There is also training for OT nursing.
Definitely worth talking to someone at university about post grad training, I’m sure there will be something out there for you.

I do feel a sense of guilt as I'm not following a traditional nursing route and fear leaving the NHS, even though it is not really working out for me but it is a place of familiarity, where I am surrounded by other nurses. Working in a private company may be a bit more daunting but I guess training is provided for roles in this sector. Do you mind me asking what you do in clinical trials and what that area is like for somebody with a nursing qualification, job prospects and nature of the roles etc.

I mean, I did all of my training in the NHS and never actually worked for them after qualifying! The main differences for me working outside the NHS were really the pay/benefits - you need to make sure you have your head around these, and generally being in a more appealing setting as you're really more customer-facing. Along with that, you end up having more of a business focus - you need to be aware of targets set and the financial impact of the service.

At the moment I monitor clinical trials - essentially making sure that the patients enrolled are being kept safe, and that the data collected is accurate and in line with the guidance set out at the beginning of the study. I am home-based and then travel out to hospitals/clinics to check on them. I'm the main point of contact between the clinic/hospital staff and the drug company so I'm still spending the biggest proportion of my day supporting and interacting with doctors and nurses. There are lots of different roles all doing slightly different things, my job is not generally entry-level unless you've had research nursing experience. There is huge scope to progress though which is something I like, and that my previous nursing role didn't offer me.

Thanks very much for your reply. It sounds like you are doing really well by working outside of the NHS with lots of opportunity to develop and move up the ladder. It sounds very positive. I'm guessing you need to be good with numbers, spreadsheets and data analysis for this role?

Not at all - I am hopeless with maths haha! There are people whose job it is to analyse trial data and it certainly isn't me!

I do risk-assessments and reports but these are just wordy. Most of the skill needed in my role is communication, either day-to-day via emails to sites, phone calls, or presentations.

We do use spreadsheets to track things (like patient visits, study progress, finance) but I've managed fine thus far and I've definitely forgotten everything I learnt at school. It has been a bit of an adjustment as obviously these skills aren't generally needed as a nurse, but you pick up the essentials quickly. I'm doing some LinkedIn Learning courses here and there to bump up my Excel and Powerpoint skills, for example, just to help me be a little more efficient and get a quick refresher.