I have worked in five different ICU's, labor and delivery, floated throughout the hospital and worked on just about every unit there was (except the operating room and the nursery). For the past three years, I have been the nursing supervisor over the entire hospital, walking those halls night and day, ensuring the safety of the staff and the patients within those many walls.
And now the time has come for a change. My kids are grown. I'm tired of working night shifts, and spending weekends and holidays away from my family. I'm tired of the politics I see each and every day. I'm tired of being caught in the middle, trying to do what's right but being told not to in the name of the budget.
A new opportunity has come my way. The chance to work with patients again in a case-management setting, via telephone, from the comfort of my own home. Yes, I will be working forty hours a week, which I haven't done in ages. But I will be at home! Traffic jams, bad weather, wardrobe malfunctions...they won't affect me.
I have five more shifts left at the hospital. It is bittersweet. I will miss the friends I have made there over the years, especially the many people I have met as a supervisor. I will not, however, miss the ever-increasing stress of the job.
The best thing about nursing is the opportunity to do so many different things with your degree. There is no reason to get burnt out...get out and move on. That's what I'm doing...and I can't wait!
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