A lot of people want to become nurses. A lot of nurses want to be doing something else. These are my unscientific conclusions based on nurses I hear from and non-nurses who think they want to be one.
What is certain is that we need a lot more nurses, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The United States has about 1.9 million registered nurses, 218,000 short of current demand stated The Washington Times, referring to the report. By 2020, we will need more than 1 million additional nurses to attend to the increasing demands of patients.
Before we lose the ones we have, it might help to understand why they want to leave the profession and how to help them stay in a field where they are sorely needed.
When I ask nurses what’s wrong, most say they’re burned out. This is a “very real phenomenon when you work with the public in a very fast-paced, high stress environment and you’re making life and death decisions,” says Donna Cardillo, a Registered Nurse Entrepreneur.
Unhappy nurses are often in hospitals where they’re responsible for too many patients and “don’t feel they can give safe and competent care,” explains Cardillo.
They may also face mounting paperwork that keeps them from patient care--the reason many got into nursing in the first place. They deal with increasing regulations from government and watch dog agencies and cut-backs in staff, resources, education and benefits. In some places they don’t have input on policy and decision-making.
When working in a hospital is no longer a good fit, they may leave the profession because they don’t know they have options. “Most of us entered nursing school assuming we would work in hospitals, “ says Cardillo.
If this describes you, don’t bail yet. And if you’re thinking about entering the field, there are loads of options.
First, there are nurse specialties where you can still be a hands-on nurse such as a correctional nurse who provides healthcare for inmates at correctional facilities.
But there are also many non-traditional roles suggests Cardillo including:
Telephone triage or advice nurses who give advice to patients or consumers to help determine urgency of care or refer or schedule appointments. (Check out the International TeleNurses Association.)
Parish nurses who act as health educators, counselors or liaison between churches, communities and hospitals. (Check out The International Parish Resource Center or advocatehealth.com.)
Travel nurses who take temporary nursing assignments across the country, on cruise ships or Indian reservations or in rural or critical care settings. (See healthcaretraveler.com.)
Holistic nurses who become massage therapists, acupuncturists and trainers. (See ahna.org.)
Forensic nurses who get involved in the investigation and treatment of victims of crimes or fraud investigations. (See iafn.org.)
Legal nurse consultants who work with attorneys. (See aalnc.org.)
Nurses who work in the pharmaceutical industry doing research, sales and marketing or educate staff and consumers.
Fitness nurses who work in weight loss clinics and fitness centers.
Nurses are vital at the bedsides, says Cardillo. But they are healers, teachers and nurturers and have many skills that make them just as vital in other areas of healthcare.
Talk to these associations and people in non-traditional nursing roles. There are plenty ways for you to heal, teach, investigate, interpret and give advice as well as be at the bedside of the patients who need you.
See my blog to hear what nurses have to say, click here.
© by Andrea Kay
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