I'm burnt out over floor nursing, but I love the patients any suggestions?

Nursing is one of the professions that places a heavy mental burden on the persons who do the job. Long before one gets to the actual point of burn out, the signs are seen and felt. But as nurses we tend to feel guilty or inferior for realizing that we need a break. When it comes to burn out too many nurses are afraid to advocate for themselves. Take time off, don’t pick up that extra shift, forget about the over time. Burn out does not only affect you and your work performance, but your family also experiences it and most times they get the short end of the stick. Your job will replace you in a heartbeat, but no one can ever take your place in your family. So take the time off!!!

I have been an LPN/RN for 47 years. I switch it up when I get bored, frustrated or feeling burned out. I have enjoyed my career. I have worked extensively in L&D, MIU, Antipartum, NICU, PEDS, Dialysis, CCU, Pre-Op, PACU, Surgery Circulator, Outpatient Internal Med, Family Practice, Peds and OB/GYN, & Nursing Administration. I have had fun, learned a lot and most of the time enjoyed my patients and staff. Mix it up!

I changed my “status” to PRN. Now I work 2 12s a week and I can pick up extra if I choose. If I need to switch my days one week for my kids schedule I can. The flexibility is the best! And I truly believe it was keeps me from getting too burnout.

Take a break, you'd be the wiser

I can relate. I did beside nursing for 22 years and was totally burnt out. I found a job in clinical research. It was a great switch. The hours were better, I still had clients, and I was learning new skills and concepts. Don't be afraid to shake things up in your career. Nursing gives you a wonderful science background that is marketable in diverse areas.

The great news, is that if you love your patients, you will love other areas of nursing. We have patients in all areas. Consider working in a specialty area within your facility (or another facility). I enjoyed special procedures which included interventional radiology, and GI procedures. I enjoyed not only the patients, but moving around the hospital, and meeting new people during transfers. Floor nursing has it's place, and it's a set of skills that you will take with you wherever you go. Eventually it's time to move on, and let the new nurses have their shot at the foundational nursing. A nurse who loves her/his patients is a gift to the community. Go find your new job!

In my experience burn out in the hospital setting or a office or clinical setting is because of poor leadership and management. Keep the job but start looking for something that you are more passionate about and hopefully a different atmosphere.

Outpati

Outpatient surgery centers are great! Most are usually M-F

Try Case management. This is a rewarding area of nursing where you still have some involvement with planning with the patient and family.
There are tons of opportunities for nurses that don't involve direct bedside/hands on work and you still can help patients.
Risk Management, Case Management, Legal Nurse consulting, supervisor, nurse education, OR nursing where you will never have more that one patient to focus on at one time ( I am not an OR nurse but have had contact with many OR nurses and I was the Risk/Infection/Compliance/Quality nurse for a Outpatient surgery center so i had lots of contact with OR. Good luck and never leave healthcare because there are tons on other alternatives. Nurses can do many things in healthcare. We need you to stay.
Respectfully,
Pauline Sanders, RN, MBA, CPHRM, LNCC, CCM
President of Sanders and Associates-Legal Nurse Consultants
Expert Fact Witness
Mobile (510)798-1126
Office (770)485-7353
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Email:[email protected]
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Have you considered travel/contract nursing? Some of the benefits that I could see are traveling to areas you may have never been and being able to enjoy new adventures on a temporary basis, if you are so inclined to stay in the hospital setting working on contract affords you the ability to see if another healthcare system better suits your needs. I did contract nursing in homecare and I found it advantageous to not have the requirements of working nights, weekends, holidays, or taking on-call..unless I opted to. Also, I would take an unpaid week off between each 13 week contract. If you'd like to get out of the hospital setting for a bit, there's homecare. I've only worked in the homecare arena both traditional/palliative and currently as a home infusion nurse. I have been in nursing for the last 5 years and do not foresee burn out as a potential issue. As with any job, there will always be pros and cons to each employer. I wish you well with whatever decision you may make.

When I start feeling like that, I take a weekend that I am off and I leave go north south east or west. I sometimes go hiking, shopping, antiquing in whatever area I decide to go. Just getting away from your 4 walls and the hectic bedside nursing, recharges you, clears your head. I highly suggest this.

I understand floor nursing can be very taxing. Have you considered outpatient clinic? There are so many clinics; Surgical Subspecialties such as: ENT, Bariatric, Podiatry, Plastic Surgery or , Medical clinic, Primary Care, Medical Subspecialties such as: Dermatology, Rheumatology, Renal, Cardiology. The list goes on. Most clinics are five days per week with holidays and weekends off. You will still see patients and be involved in their teaching and also see their improvements.

Look into Interventional Radiology, cath lab, PACU, pre op, post op, or cardiac Interventional nursing. None of these are floor nursing, but you still interact with patients and provide care.

You should look into- PACU-recovery room, GI lab, endoscopy center, hospice or home health. I retired from cardiac surgery/intensive care and want to do something part time so I’ve thought about this at great length. With the first three you’ll need ACLS and PALS (usually). Those are the only suggestions I can think of. I did floor nursing for 9 years then went to intensive care, but these days it’s totally crazy. Good luck!

Do fun stuff on your day off
Work fewer hours
Go for therapy
Exercise
Laugh
Get adequate rest

Try a working in a clinic or urgent care. Worked for me!

Nursing is all about caring and love for what one does. Nothing in Nursing is easy we all do the best for our patients. Switch do case-management, les lifting and med pass but rather holistic care. Good luck 👍 💓

I have worked Cardiac ICU, Outpatient Surgery and now GI. GI nursing by far my favorite for work/life balance and a lower stress environment. Pretty much always 1-1 nurse to pt care ratio, and your interaction with the patients is never more than a few hours..short and sweet.

Make sure that you are doing your self-care. I have been following Dr. Amen for years. This helped me to set up my self-care routine. Tai Chi has a slow pace, is very relaxing and you have to be focused on it. Your statement sounds like so many nurses that are or have been burnt out, including me. At this point, it may be beneficial to see a therapist. The last time I had insurance through my employer it provided an EAP benefit where you can see a therapist five times, free of charge. It then is billed in your network. (Possibly-verify). Therapy will teach you a strategy to deal with stressors around you that you have no control over. Talk to your Doctor, let him/her know what is going on with you. You also can set up a list of pro's and cons about staying vs leaving. You can take a travel assignment until you decide what you want to do. I traveled for a few years. Generally, you meet people that are really happy to see you. (There is always an exception). I rendered care in a hospital during a strike. I met so many young nurses that were working their way into their own businesses. One was going to only work a year to get the money to open a nursery. I read about one that set up her own legal nursing practice after graduating from school. They are looking for cosmetic nurses everywhere. I made a pivot and am doing life insurance now. It is such a good fit. We found that a lot of nurses are not setting up for retirement. That is our niche, we can help. The sky is the limit. Decide what you want to do and go for it. Don't let the stress affect your health. Take care and many blessings to you!

Switch it up! The great thing about nursing is that there's so many things you can do. What about nurse hotline through the insurances? Or home health? Depends on what you may like to do

I did floor nursing in a busy trauma center for 5 years and I too was burnt out. for the last 11 i work in PACU in an Ambulatory Surgery Center. I love it. i still can do patient teaching and assisting in a less stressful environment…

Consider homecare, direct patient care, independence, very rewarding.

Case management/discharge planning is a good option. Hospice enrollment? Or maybe becoming a nurse educator or specialist in the hospital on documentation/EHR teaching. All tap well into your current skill set and get you off the floor.

Case Management is the route I took when I was physically and mentally burned out. It is the best decision I ever made. You still interact with the patients and help them just in a different way. It is very rewarding. I’m not going to lie, you do have bad days and difficult patients but nothing like floor nursing.

Try Hemodialysis, get your experience, and move on to Home Dialysis. It is very flexible and a better work life balance.

Have you ever thought of field nursing? Driving between patients gives you opportunity to reflect and rejuvenate.

Peritoneal dialysis nursing. The need is GREAT, the rewards are also GREAT. Home dialysis is a rapidly growing field. Fresenius and DaVita both are desperately needing new nurses, and new patients are constantly falling into end-stage renal disease and the need for dialysis. These companies will train you. I love my job because I get to have LONG TERM, meaningful relationships with my patients. I have become adept at care management and patient education. I have full responsibility for the management of a complex caseload of ESRD patients that includes people with many comorbidities that all interrelate. This complexity stretches my mind and allows me to practice at the full scope and range of my license.

Nephrology nursing is great. No lifting or moving heavy patients. No poop. No pressure sores. Especially, no introducing myself to a patient and then tossing them out the door within 24 hours! I hated that as a floor nurse. I draw labs, I do assessments, I teach patients how to manage their dialysis at home. I monitor their ongoing needs over time. I help motivate patients to both troubleshoot everyday stumbling blocks and overcome great challenges. I help them to slow the progression of their disease processes and prolong their lives. It is all the best parts of nursing!

Try out patient surgery usually weekdays, no holiday no weekends.

It’s a burn out situation no matter where you go with nursing but especially bedside nursing as you already know. If you really want to stay in Nursing try looking into case management, or being a nurse in an out patient setting like a doctors office.

I did home health for a while. There was so much more independence while still doing patient care and keeping your skills. If anything it perfected my skills because there wasn’t anybody to help put in a foley or unclog a peg tube. I also enjoyed being able to actually do more teaching (IV antibiotic infusions and wound care) and education one on one for those pts that needed it.

I have not read the other suggestions, so pardon me if others have suggested this. First, make a list of priorities for your career. If it's money, the hospital is where it's at. If not, then I suggest home care, hospice care, any sort of out-patient ambulatory surgery, out-patient hemodialysis services, etc. Anything where you have to lock up at night and patients go home, that will get you off a hospital floor. Also, there's telemedicine, but you typically do not have that face-to-face with patients and families. Good luck.

Have you tried home health? I do pediatric home health. So many kids need caring nurses. I didn’t think I would like this field at first, but I just love it! I’ve been doing it for 13 years now!

Find a slower paced job. Depending on where you specialize maybe try LTC/SNF, AL, or Memory care. You could also try other avenues such as psych. 3rd shift is also a heat change from days. Much slower and you can spend more time for cares.

Try home health or hospice. Excellent work life balance for me and you still have a great deal of patient contact.

I agree 100% with Lyda's recommendation for clinical research. I went from PACU to research and loved it. You get to do different things, learn a lot, and spend time with your patients/study participants. I worked on a grant at Emory School if Medicine, so my job ended with the grant funding. Clinical trials are shorter, generally, and keep coming in, so look around. All the best.

my current employer is hiring, it's work from home actually, pay sucks but... gotta weigh your options.
healthsnap.io

Iam having the same problem. I worked in LTC, medsurg, doctors office and now corrections and I dibble in home health. I suggest exploring different areas of nursing until you get your footing. This might seem like you are being undecisive but you are trying to do what works for you. I am still trying to find my way after 12plus years in nursing. Fellow nurses can make the job hard because they also feel the burn out, so look at your surrounding and see if they add to your situation.If nursing is your passion I believe you will find and eventually fall in love with something. Also learn to embrace your accomplishments. I wish you best of luck.

Any case management job within a health plan (Medicare advantage plans) or other PPOs that may offer RN remote positions. It’s not as exciting , but definitely powerful if you
You choose to connect with patients over the phone.

I have worked a variety of nursing jobs. When you find the right specialty you will know it. I always went back to hospice. I now work as a case manager for in home hospice patients. The burnout rate is high but I love it. Being in a specialty that you love helps prevent burnout 1,000 times over. Also, take those days off and leave your work at work. I had to teach myself to leave my work computer at the office unless I was on call. I found myself checking on my patients when I was off. Take those vacations and use your PTO. You get PTO for a reason.

Julie, RN-BSN

Try Home Health or Hospice Care. I did med surg (neuro unit) for 1.5 years at a large hospital. I hated never knowing what days I would work next week and I never had a consistent schedule (many split days off).

That was when I switched to Hospice Care. I love the care, Philosophy, and time spent with families/patients. I did RNCM for about 9 months, then I went into our In-Patient Unit for about 15 months (very much like floor nursing with better Nurse/patient ratios), and now I do CQI (quality improvement). I have been working in Hospice for over 4 years now.

Other options:
RNCM for a primary care or hospital (working on preventing hospital visits, divert to Urgent care when appropriate, or help plan safe discharges).
Research medicine (never done it or looked too deep).
Return for higher degree and start: teaching, CRNA, etc.
lots of other options.

Hi try checking out homecare nursing it provides you with some flexibility and you are 1:1with the patients in their homes. So you need reliable transportation.

There are many specialties and they all have patients! Choose a specialty you like and go for it! Having some experience as a floor nurse may even help you in your new position!

Try 1:1 nursing in the home or school setting. You will be able to concentrate on 1 patient , a decrease in stress level and time management is an ease. It gave me time to decompress from the hectic aspect of nursing. Good luck.

I've been a nurse for over 30 yrs. I don't know how long you've been a nurse or if you work days or nights. Nursing has changed since I started, there is so much pressure on the nurse to complete what is required now. Yes you could take a break, but will that change anything when you go back to work? Ratios in med/surg are much harder now. I'm an ICU nurse and a traveler. You could looking into agency or travel. You could try different areas within the hospital you're working. I started out as a med/surg nurse and now ICU. I'm still a bedside nurse. Yes, I suggest taking a small break. Do you work several days in a row? I've known nurses who work only 1 day so not to get burned out having to return. Talk to other nurses, have an outlet, get things off your chest. Good luck

Try Home Health

Try a change! It truly helps. It can be scary going in a different direction but what you learn is invaluable and it provides insight into your true passion in nursing!

Look into Procedural areas. Endoscopy/GI Lab, Cardiac Procedures etc…. One patient at a time and it is still direct patient care

One way to get a little change without leaving the patients is to become a patient educator. Some nurses specialize in teaching pts about diabetes management, or ostomy care. Working in a clinic can keep you in contact with pts, but provide a change of pace. School Health and Public Health also provide change while still providing pt contact, but may require a credential or additional license. Home Care might be a great option if you want to stay with bedside care, but if you’re an RN, home care sometimes means you’re supervising more care than doing hands on.

After I got tired of floor nursing, I went into ICU nursing, where the patients are alot sicker, but you only have 2 to care for. I loved learning new things, and got my CCRN. Then after 15 yrs of ICU nursing, I needed a change, and went into ER. There it is fast paced,and like working in a big clinic. You get Codes,. Trauma, and strokes, and MI's. So whatever your interest is, you can find it all in the Emergency Room. Also you get all ages from babies to seniors. Iv3e even gotten to deliver a baby with the Dr's help. You get great IV experience, and you will never be bored!

I was severely burnt out working on a medical floor that was more of a step down unit. It was mentally and physically draining. I loved taking care of my patients but I would go 13 hours without taking a break. I finally decided to look for a job as an outpatient RN and now work for a busy neuro office. I still interact with patients and build relationships with them but in a different way. Bedside nursing is a beautiful thing, but the system fails us over and over again. You can look for an outpatient RN job. Most are 8 hour days with weekends and holidays off. If you hate it, bedside nursing will always be there.

Take one day at a time. Example today the unit is so busy, you have difficult pts., short staff. I stay focus and do the best I can . I don’t waste my time complaining about the situation I just do it. Take your break. Always smile , don’t be rushing when you’re caring for you’re pt. Sometimes I ask my pt. If they know how to sing and we do sing together . Such a good feeling if you help them and, show your kindness. Next day it’s different situation… better staffing, lighter assignment.

I left floor nursing to work at a cancer center! Where I work has various areas from infusion, clinic, interventional radiology, research, and nurse navigator so there’s room for any type of growth. I specifically work in the IR department doing various minor surgical procedures. It’s patient care like bedside but on an 8-5 schedule

Consider going into a specialty like wound care or education, then you still get some patient care without all the burn out. At least that’s what I did until I could get my legal nurse consultation business up and running.

Try Home Health. You are part of a team but work independently and use all the knowledge and experience you have. It is mostly easy, sometimes challenging, and enjoyable.

Try clinical nursing or home health.

Try virtual care? Nurse navigation or education?Care management?

Try working with an insurance company; Humana, BCBS, Aetna...as a case manager working with patients with chronic disease and disease management. Most companies are work from home, no nights, holidays or weekends. You WILL NOT lose your skills.

Try

I found home health care especially with hospice is more rewarding. I am able to give excellent quality of care. No drama. I like sitting with one patient as opposed to visits.

Hi. Floor nursing can be tough because you are pulled in so many different directions. And I agree it is all about the patient care truly. Maybe a slower paced type of floor nursing might be an option. The great thing about nursing is that there are so many options. I know a lot of nurses who love working in outpatient settings. Like a surgi-center. Or maybe home health. Good luck to you. 🤗

I had the same problem. I went to school nursing in 2008 and I love it. Just a thought. Tammy

I didn’t like hospital nursing from the beginning. Because I had a new baby at the time and the hours fit in with my home life I did that for almost 10 years as assistant director and then director. But I wanted to do more hands on and one on one with my patients I moved into hospice in the field then Director. From there management and field for home health and made full circle back to hospice. Both of these positions are so rewarding because of the one on one time. Just a suggestion but you can truly care for your patients 1 at a time

Hello have you looked into travel nursi do

Case management or private duty nursing.

I think Home care would care will be a good for you because you work in your own schedule with flexible hours the only thing is you don’t get pay until you finish your notes. Only thing I don’t like to drive from place to place which is different from working in a setting. I like to be stable.

You should try Ambulatory care. It is amazing! I’m Sr Mngr for ambulatory care at a major hospital system. I’m happy and I have happy nurses. I would also recommend Public Health.

You have to grasp time management, know your priorities. I t is hard in some places to manage 7 patients. Florida is a no ratio State. I do know what I am telling you. After you get your report go to your patient's chart and see what they have ordered. Find out the VS with patient's on BP meds. Do not wait for the Tech to get VS for your patient on BP meds, sometimes it is not reliable. It is possible. If you are a new Nurse it will take a few months but "YOU CAN DO IT".

Hi. I totally understand and would encourage you to look towards outpatient surgery! I personally love pacu nursing in the hospital setting but outpatient pre and post allows you to still help patients but they are healthier! It’s a better working schedule and way less stressful! Best wishes!

Message me if you are interested in doing something different. I help nurses with financial planning.

Try to move to a procedure area like the Cath lab, Endoscopy, or PACU.

Case management, MDS….. I like the combo of my own office and patient interaction when I want.

Try home health one on one patient care, that was my last job and I loved it. I worked as floor nurse for 6 years had 20 med patients and on treatment day I had 40.

Do Botox and plastic surgery

Have you done a shadow day in other areas? I’m a surgical nurse and love it. Every day is different and the work is interesting and challenging.

Change your specialty or even just your workplace! Sometimes a fresh start and learning something new just reinvigorates your love for the profession (I just recently made the switch from med-surg to ICU). Do your research on ratios, find a workplace with a different pace. And if all else fails try outpatient! You can see and talk to people without the stress of them being as acutely ill or having a million things to do at once. There are surgical centers out there as well. I loved my surgical joint patients because they were all there electively and had a good outlook on their care progression. Or even better part time outpatient and find a per diem position for one day on the floors, best of both worlds.

I'm done with lifting. I'm done with under staffing. I want some controll in my work life.
I don't want night shift.

Upon reading this, I believe you would do well to look into supervising while you could still see your patience you could go around and get the vitals for the other nurse work on the desk type things work on their labs and make doctors calls all while speaking with your patients.

Eleanor

ER nursing

You may want to try other areas of Nursing such as Home Health Nursing, Nurse Educator among others. You may still see patients but in a different setting and perspective.

You might try a position as an POHA/PACU nurse. I was feeling the same and then I made the switch. It’s a lot less stressful. I’ve been doing POHA/PACU for over six years now and couldn’t be happier.

I would look into a clinic position in a field that you have a passion in. For instance, if you have experience in Cardiology, work for Heart Failure, devices, or Electrophysiology. This will allow you to still interact with patients while expanding your knowledge within the field. Then if you are ready to return to inpt, take either a travel RN position or back into whichever floor you like to work on

Get a different job