Should I Quit My Job?

Riddle me this: You started your nursing career all bright eyed and bushy tailed, and everything was going swimmingly. But somewhere along the way, you realize you hate your job. We’re talking can’t imagine going back, dread waking up everyday, would rather be doing literally anything else to the point that your life outside of work is taking a hit. You know you hate it, but you don’t even know where to start. If the thought “Should I quit my job” has floated through your head a few times, you are not alone!

As someone who has interviewed for (and had) my fair share of nursing jobs, I present you with my top 5 tips for when you’re thinking about leaving your job. 

Make a list. What do you dislike about your job? If it’s fixable, how?

Digging a little deeper and truly asking yourself what it is about your job that is causing you the most distress is hands down my best advice. Though no job is perfect, the main source of your job hatred can tell you a LOT about what to do next. For example,

• Do you hate the specialty you work in?
• Is night shift giving you angina? Or do you hate the chaos of day shift? Is it possible to change shifts?
• Do you hate the unit culture or have unsupportive coworkers? Is there another unit in the hospital that is better suited? Or another hospital you have your eyes on?
• If location is an issue, is there anything closer to your house that would be a better fit for your life?
• Do you miss time with your kids and hate the weird hospital schedule? Perhaps an 8-5 instead of a 7a-730p would be more appropriate for you.
• Do you feel anxious about not knowing enough? More education might be necessary before calling it quits.

I’m telling you, this one is really helpful. Make the list. You can title it SHOULD I QUIT MY JOB if that helps your soul. That’s what I did and it worked beautifully.

Reach out to people in other nursing areas

Do you know anyone who has a job that you envy? Or just someone who has a job that you find fascinating? Or do you just think that your nurse neighbor Susan can’t possibly love her job that much? Reach out to a few people who work in areas you think you might be interested in. Ask them about pros and cons about their current position, the education or certifications they needed to get that position, if there’s anything you can do to make yourself more marketable, and if there’s any way you can shadow someone who has the position you want (this one is tough, but some places do it).

Don’t know anyone in your area of interest? Hit up your friend Google! Allnurses.com is a great online nurse community where people discuss different avenues you can take in nursing.

Consider a status change

Though there are factors to consider when changing from full time to part time or per diem (such as insurance / benefits for example), reducing your hours just might be the way to re-find your joy. When I was feeling the most burnout I’ve ever felt, I switched from full time to per diem and it was lifesaving for me. I’ve heard from many nurses that reducing hours (if possible of course) – even if just temporarily – helped them find the joy in their nursing job once more.

For me personally, going per diem has brought a lot of joy back into my life as a nurse. It fits my needs for right now, I still get insurance elsewhere, and not having to ask for vacation time / time off is what I want right now. You can read more about the differences between full time, part time, and per diem here on the blog!

Increase your marketability through certifications and classes

Think about what the specialty you want to be in is requiring. What can you do to be more marketable and expand your horizons? Conversely, if the issue is that you have anxiety surrounding your current job because you feel like you don’t know enough, this can help here too! When I worked in the ICU, I was constantly told the CCRN exam was the hardest test ever. Passing it seemed daunting, but I did it with just two years of experience, and I felt so much better about critical care after gaining all of this new knowledge.

Getting certified or taking classes in what you’re interested in has a few main purposes.

1. To see if you are truly interested in another specialty (too often we make the mistake of gravitating towards what we think is a “sexy” or “badass” specialty only to find that it is not at all what we thought)
2. Can decrease anxiety in your current specialty by equipping you with more knowledge and increasing your confidence
3. Makes you more marketable if you do decide to make a change

Many nursing certifications and classes can be costly and time consuming, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this one unless you have really identified another job / specialty you are seriously considering and have a pretty good idea you would like. There are a LOT of nursing websites that give you free CEUs and offer free classes on a variety of interesting topics. You might discover a passion you never knew you had!

Don’t be afraid to look for and apply to other jobs while maintaining your best work at your current job

I often hear about people being scared to apply to other jobs because they don’t want to “commit”. When you apply for another job, you are not committing to anything other than potentially interviewing and seeing what that job is about. They might not like you and you might not like them (and that is totally okay).

One of the most freeing things I did when I was feeling really burnt out was apply for other jobs. Best case scenario you have another opportunity, and worst case scenario you practice your interview skills. This is also a great way to find out what some of the other jobs that you could potentially want one day require from their employees. You might connect with someone who will reach out to you later!

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time as a nurse, it’s that unfortunately healthcare is a system just like any other. You are easily replaced, and if you don’t put YOU first, no one else will! So do what works best for you and your lifestyle.