What To Do When You Hate Being A Nurse

I wrote an article a while back called “The Day I Realized I Didn’t Want To Be A Nurse Anymore”. It was the way I felt about nursing at the time. I poured my heart and soul into that article. Some of those feelings remain, while others have been replaced with joy and excitement about my skills.

I was shocked (although in hindsight shouldn’t have been) about how it resonated with so many of my fellow healthcare workers!! I had people from all over the globe messaging me. The comment I got the most? “I hate nursing. What do I do now?”

I have done a lot of things over the past few years to rid me of my hatred of nursing as a profession. Here are some of my best tips to help you change your mindset when you feel like your over worked, burnt out, or when you hate being a nurse.

Pray About It

Seriously.

People vastly underestimate the power of prayer.

I love prayers. I love reading ones from others and making up my own.

If you need some inspiration, click here.

Get a New Job

I shouldn’t have to say it. There are a million self-help gurus saying it. It on thousands of Pinterest pins, some of which I am sure are pinned to your “Motivational” or “Quotes I Love” boards. Alas, here we are.

If you’re miserable in your circumstances, CHANGE THEM. When you realize you hate being a nurse, figure out something different.

For the past 3ish years, I have changed jobs 4 times. I have liked aspects of every job, but there have been some things I didn’t. The things I didn’t like trumped the things I did, so I moved on.

That’s the good thing about nursing. There’s always a job.

However, that whole “It looks bad on a resume” thing is malarkey, best I can tell.

In most interviews I have been in, they always ask, “Why did you leave your last job?” Be honest here. If it was administration, tell them. If it was staffing, tell them. Administrators don’t know something is wrong if people always talk ABOUT them and never talk TO them.

But don’t stay in a job you abhor just because you’re comfortable. Those types of nurses are horrendous.

Learn A New Skill

Not just any skill. Learn a new skill that will make you money.

When I first realized I hated being a nurse, I went and got my real estate license.

Second hardest thing I’ve done after nursing school. I spent over half a year learning a completely new set of skills, complete with it’s own language, code of ethics and training. Now that it’s all over and done, I have a skill set that can make me a couple extra thousand bucks a month some months. It’s hard work, and completely different then nursing, but I enjoy doing it on my off days.

Find a Side Hustle

Or two. Or three.

I have several side hustles. I don’t have time sometimes to make the most of them, but I do the best I can. They make me an extra $400 a month, which essentially just means they pay for themselves. They help give me an outlet for my feelings however (which we will go over in a minute).

Find something you LOVE doing, something that you would do even if you didn’t get paid for it. If you’re lucky, you can find a way to make money with it.

I love to write. I love writing about everything and anything. So I write for a couple of blogs, this one included. I also write about camping on a separate blog, because I love camping too. And I write about my hometown, both because I like it and to show people the amazingness we have here.

Like I said, I don’t make much, but it’s enough to pay for itself. If you’re curious, I have links to some of my favorite blog learning courses here.

Have An Outlet

Have something that makes you happy, or at the very least something that takes the stress away.

I have 2 things that I love doing and that makes me feel better about life in general.

I love cooking and baking, especially desserts. Sweets are my jam!! I will bake a cake just because I feel like it. I’m always the one to volunteer to make desserts for parties and love experimenting with flavors.

Because I have this penchant for sweets, I also try and workout every single day. Working out makes me feel better about the whole day. I am more morning motivated, so it’s often the first thing I do when I wake up.

Both of my outlets make me feel better after having completed them. You need to find something that makes you feel that way too. Go for a bike ride, find a new coffee shop, or learn how to crochet cat jackets. Whatever if it, make sure it’s something that brings you happiness and not stress and anxiety.

Make Time For Other Things

So far, I have talked a lot about side hustles and things that make you money.

Guess what?

It’s not just about how much money you have. You’ve gotta make time for things that you just like doing.

Recently, I took an entire day off from doing everything. I spent the entire day in the middle of nowhere, reading a book and eating snacks with a shotgun in my hand. I was deer hunting, but more than that, I was taking a minute for me that revolved around nothing other than me getting to do nothing. It was lovely.

Making time also comes into play with your extracurriculars. If you always use the excuse “I don’t have time”, you’ll never get anywhere. You have to make time.

I wake up at 4am to start my day. I work on blog stuff, work out, say my prayers and drink my coffee all before most of my family is up (except my husband when he works out with me). That time is imperative if I’m going to be productive. Working an 8-430 job means afternoons are spent on homework, chores and dinner. I also know I’m a motivated morning person and don’t do so well in the afternoons and evenings.

Sometimes, I don’t wake up that warly. Sometimes I catch the extra hour or two and stay in bed. That’s ok too. You gotta decide what’s most important. Writing is most important for me, so here I am. My health is also important, so that’s next.

But there are some of my tips for when you hate your job and want to find a new one. Most of them are things I do every single day, but I don’t like them stress me out. Nursing does that enough.

If these help or you have a question, drop a comment below. If You feel like you hate being a nurse right now, reach out. I’d love to help you find a new path, either in nursing or beyond.