25// Time for a Nursing Career Shift ? 5 Key Indicators to Consider for Experienced Nurses

 This episode explores many nurses' internal struggles when deciding whether to stay in their current role or seek new opportunities. 

We'll delve into the key red flags that signal it might be time to move on and the importance of regularly reassessing your career satisfaction. Learn how to navigate these tough decisions and aim for a career that truly fulfills you.

We'll also take a candid look at the complexities of job satisfaction, even when certain aspects of your role are less than ideal. From loving your work and having supportive colleagues to balancing work-life demands, this episode provides reflective questions to help you evaluate your current situation. 

Discover how to identify personal priorities and what truly matters to you, whether it's work-life balance or a positive work environment. Plus, we'll discuss how to recognize when it's time to tough it out or move on to new opportunities. 

Don't settle for a career that's anything less than what you deserve—tune in and find the guidance you need to make informed career decisions.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Are you feeling stuck in your current clinical environment? Do you want to make a change in your nursing career but not sure what to do next, exhausted, burnt out and maybe even ready for different leadership? I'm Bonnie Meadows, a board-certified clinical nurse specialist, influential leader, career coach and well-being coach. Influential leader, career coach and well-being coach. Being in the nursing and healthcare profession since 2004, I have felt stuck and unsure about what was next for me. I wanted to be fulfilled in my purpose, to have a voice at the table and to be a resource for others. I kept telling myself I wanted more, but didn't have the direction I needed until I found clarity and career growth strategies for experienced nurses like me. In this podcast, you will find simple, tactical steps that allow you to gain the clarity you need, solutions for how to grow even without supportive leadership, and guidelines for setting boundaries at work, so that you can grow purposefully in your career as a nurse with a graduate degree who makes a huge impact in the profession. So get ready to trade your scrubs for yoga pants, pop in those earbuds and let's chat. Hello and welcome back. I am excited to talk about this topic today, as it is sometimes the elephant in the room and sometimes it's not. Some nurses are talking about it more than others, some leaders are talking about it more than others, but I really wanted to kind of some thoughts about nursing and those who may be considering leaving their nursing job or making a change in their nursing career, because a lot of times there are strong reasons why you should leave and strong reasons why you should stay, and sometimes you're stuck in the middle of feeling some guilt or regret, or sometimes it's just hard for you to make a change. So just wanted to list out a few things you can consider as you're trying to make a decision.

Speaker 1: 2:12

I remember when I was at the bedside and my manager called me into the office and it was actually one of those times where we were doing a rounding and usually when managers at that point in time did a rounding process or rounded on us as nursing staff, their questions would be pointed in a positive direction. So it would never be oh, what's going wrong? Or what can we help you with? It would kind of be on what can we help you with. But they were always on a positive turn. But this particular time I believe she'd gone through all of those questions. And then the last thing she said was something's going on with you, something's different. It was almost like she was calling me out. She said you just don't have the same demeanor that you usually have. Something's just off with you. And that was the moment where she called me out and I really had to step back and think, like, what's going on with me?

Speaker 1: 3:08

I was struggling with being at the bed set at that point in time and really trying to make a decision on what my next move was. I had gone through the process of thinking about going to medical school, applying, not getting in, being okay with not getting in, because most people don't get into medical school the first go around when they apply. But it was my time to then make a decision on what I would do next. And I made a decision that I would dig my heels in and make the most of my nursing career. And I was about seven, eight years in to the bedside at this point in time. But that was when I was faced with I don't want to do this work anymore. I did not want to be a bedside nurse, and that was the first time that I verbalized it. I believe that I'd had all the signs, but I just wasn't ready to admit it. I knew that I wasn't going to be a bedside nurse for my entire career, and I applaud those who do decide to do it.

Speaker 1: 4:10

But there are times when you really need to take a step back and consider where you are. We should always be doing an assessment and reassessment of where we are in our careers, but, most importantly, every person should be in a nursing and healthcare job where they enjoy going to work, in spite of the surrounding situations. Let's be honest every job has politics. Every job will have its quirks, but there are some red flags that you need to be aware of. And then there are some things where it's like, okay, I see what we're dealing with. This, too, will pass, because all of these other things are working for my good in this position. So in this episode, you will learn red flags that indicate when it's time to go, how to know if you should stay and tough it out, and what questions you should consider when making your decision.

Speaker 1: 5:03

There are red flags that indicate it's time for you to go, but many times, people stay longer than they should. You know those people. They come into work mad every day. They're fussing at people. They always got an attitude you don't want to ask them to help you to do anything, or they're just making themselves look busy just for the sake of being busy, and nobody else is busy. But that is not the person you want to talk to. I personally, like most people, are not like me, but I do it every time. I'm like why are you even here? Why are you here Now? I believe everybody has a reason for being alive, so I'm not. That's not what I'm saying. I'm asking them the question of why do you stay here and be better when you need to move on? That's usually one of those red flags where you need to figure out something else. Now it could be like things going on at home and you're taking it out on what's going on at work, but a lot of times that's not really it. You just don't like where you're working.

Speaker 1: 6:01

Let's consider these statistics 27% of nurses are considering leaving the profession entirely. 31% want to get away from the bedside. And then there are 40% of nurses practicing clinically 40% of nurses practicing clinically that want to stay in their current position, but they want changes to be made in their current job. And that is a lot of nurses. There are a lot of nurses that I encounter that actually do want to stay at the bedside. There are a lot of nurses that I encounter that do want to stay in nursing, but the current situation just really causes some moral distress for them. That makes them want to leave, but they don't really want to leave.

Speaker 1: 6:45

You should not stay in a role where you're unfulfilled and not at peace. It spills over into your co-workers and patients and it just doesn't allow for a peaceful environment. You should, however, feel a sense of release when you do make peace with the fact that you make the best out of the situation or leave for a better situation. If you're on the fence, make a decision, and I'm hoping that some of these points will help you to make that decision. So let's go through some red flags that it's time to go. If you dread going to work each day, and not because you either have to wake up early or you just don't like working night shift. If you dread going to work each day, that's a red flag. If you never know where you stand with your boss or management, or not giving clear directions when something hasn't been done right. If there's a lot of ambiguity between you and your boss and you're not clear where you stand or you're unsure if they just have your back in a certain situation.

Speaker 1: 7:50

Case in point for me I was in a role where the job was easy. I'd actually made a decision to kind of take a step back because there was just all type of stress around me and I wanted a little bit more flexibility for my family. Walking in the door, I was told one thing and then some things changed with my family. Covid hit my household and in the midst of that, that particular manager that I was working for decided that she wanted to just not support and let me be a little bit more clear about this I thought I was going to be able to work home like two days a week, the job that I was working. I literally walked into the building just to take calls online or do meetings online and then come back home. It was a fulfilling job and it challenged me in a different way. However, during that period of time, I had asked for flexibility in my schedule to be able to work from home for about three days and it was really just for a week until I could get my son back into daycare and out of nowhere it was pull the rug from under you. Nope, you're going to have to take some days off.

Speaker 1: 9:01

I was shocked and I was like, oh no, I've seen this before and I'm now 70 years into my career, so it's very easy for me to spot red flags when it comes to managers, because I've experienced enough of them to know when your behavior is consistent when you show me something. It's that saying of when somebody shows you who they are, you better believe them, regardless of what they say. When they show you who they are, you better believe them regardless of what they say. When they show you who they are, you better believe them. So that is a case of I didn't know where I stood with that particular manager, because anything else could have happened with my family and I don't know what kind of support that I would have had. I'm not asking you to go all in and make all of these provisions for me. If somebody else went through the same thing, I would expect for you to make that type of flexibility for them. But because there were other people in the department who had taken advantage of things like that, she felt like she had to handle me the same way that she handled everyone else Unfair.

Speaker 1: 10:03

My definition of fair is no, everybody across the board can't have the same luxuries as everyone else. Now, this is my opinion. These are my thoughts. Everyone else can't have the same luxuries as everyone else. However, everyone should have the same consideration, weigh the situation and say okay, it's fair, we need to make an adjustment. So that's an example of not knowing where you're staying with your boss.

Speaker 1: 10:29

If you're experiencing negative physical symptoms as a result of your job, you're having panic attacks, you're having headaches Every time you go to work or think about work, you might be breaking out in hives, like you get a stomachache every time you're at work. Those are negative physical symptoms and you really need to take a step back Because more than likely, it's stress that's causing that. There's something at work that's triggering that. That's a red flag. There's no room for near-future advancement. If you've looked around and you're like well, where I am and we want to advance and be that ambitious first, then it's time to go. It's either time to go or settle in where you are and expand outside of where you are. The last red flag is you aren't learning new things to add to your skill set and your resume. You're bored. If you're bored. You're not adding anything to what you're doing, you're just coming in and doing what you do and you go hauling and it's not providing you a challenge. That's a red flag you need to go. So now that we've gotten all of that out of the way, you know I'm not done I then have to help you to figure out. Well, if you want to stay we've gone through those red flags and you're like none of those really speak to me Then that means you probably need to stay where you are and just figure out what your next move is. So here are some indications that you should stay and tough it out.

Speaker 1: 12:00

While there are things you don't love about your job, you overall love what you do. There's something to be said about loving what you do. Your co-workers make you feel like family. They are a huge part of your happiness. You're learning new things and being challenged every day in a good way. That's another reason to stay and tough it out. That's one of those times where you're like this, too will pass and there is room for near future advancement. There's room for you to grow. If you're not growing, then you're stagnant and you get bored and then getting into stuff that you shouldn't be Last two reasons you should stay in Tuff it Out If you're excited about your future at the company and if you're able to share your ideas openly, those are all great reasons for staying in Tuff it Out.

Speaker 1: 12:50

I also have to add in here you have decent management. I've been in places where I've had all of these things, where I'm excited about my future, I'm able to share my ideas openly. I love my coworkers, learning new things, room for advancement overall, love what I do and my manager wasn't that great. But as long as you're not hindering my progress and able to still support me and I see how you're supporting all of us as teammates and trying to do the right thing, the fair thing then it is what it is, because those things check the box for me. So you have to figure out what are those things that check the box for you, because what I've shared in this list, they check the box for most people. But you have to figure out also what are those extra things that you may need. It could be more time at home, it could be child care, it could be any other thing that hinders us from staying in a job that we actually may like.

Speaker 1: 13:50

Lastly, let's talk about some questions that you should ask yourself. You're starting to wonder what else is out there. Now I'm going to take a pause right here, because I'm just going to tell you that I'm one of those people that looks at the job door all the time, because I'm an ambitious nurse. I'm always looking to see what does the future hold Like. What can I work towards? So you're starting to wonder what else is out there. It's a twofold type of thought process. Is it one of those things where you're just looking to see what's out there, because you want to keep your options open and you know that you're working on some things where you are and just wanting to know what you can work towards? Or you're literally starting to wonder what else is out there? That's where the boredom comes in. That's where it's like, well, maybe I could do something different. Start to think about what else can I do out there?

Speaker 1: 14:42

Again, going back to do you dread waking up to go to work each day? Do you get along with your coworkers? Does your boss or management constantly put you in a state of stress? Is there room for advancement? Are you engaged in learning new things? Do you feel like you execute your current job at a high level with more training help, or are you better suited for a different role? Think about those questions as you're really trying to consider what you should do next in your career. If you're really at the juncture of I'm trying to figure out if I need to stay in this job or if I need to leave, and there's nothing at all that is causing me to ask that question Then think about the red flags, think about the indications that you should stay, and then listen back to this and begin to ask yourself those questions.

Speaker 1: 15:30

When you start to feel those red flags, such as a sense of dread intimidation by your boss or just lack of interest in the job, it's time to use those questions to evaluate if you need to stay and tough it out job. It's time to use those questions to evaluate if you need to stay and tough it out or if it's time to leave. I hope you enjoyed today's episode. If so, would you take 30 seconds and share it with another nurse who may be unsure of where to go next in their career or maybe need some career clarity? Also, please leave a quick review for the show on Apple Podcast. It brings me so much joy and so much encouragement to know this podcast is helping you. Now go, get the career you want and not the one you settle for, and I'll meet you back here next Thursday for another episode. See you soon.