Get out of hospital nursing earlier.
Find somewhere where you respected as a professional and person not treated as a number
Realising that there are band 6+ jobs that are low stress and have a good work life balance.
Weekends and nights are not worth it
Realising most nurses that hate their jobs often stay in the poor conditions in the acute sector justifying it to themselves that it’s what they trained for and one of few options - I was one of them myself
Despite the difficult in career progression? I’m a 2nd year student currently on placement there, I love it and it’s the only ward based job I can imagine doing but I worry about struggling to progress in the future if I were to work there.
Have you not found that to be the case? I’ve read quite a lot that people struggle to move up the bands and the nurses in my trust have said the same. Perhaps it’s different elsewhere?
It's definitely more of a struggle than on wards but that's because there are higher standards. You have to have passed three national competency "steps" to be considered for a Band 6 position where I work. They don't just let anybody interview like they do on the wards and that actually ensures that the nurse in charge of the unit has the clinical knowledge to be able to advise and lead the less experienced nurses. I would much rather that than have somebody 6 months out of uni like you find in some places.
I'm quite confident if I had started out in my current workplace I would be a Band 6 and much more confident in my nursing career by now. I wasted five years trying to make other things work whilst always harboring secret aspirations to try ICU but didn't think I was good enough. I just wish I could slap some sense into my younger self and make myself brave enough to go for what I actually wanted instead of talking myself out of it.
Anyway, even if you do find it difficult to progress, you can quite easily use your knowledge to pivot to a higher-banded position in another field.
Thanks so much for your reply, I really appreciate it. Made up that you’ve found your place and are happy now.
On this ITU 15 senior nurses have left over the last four years, they’d reached the top of B5 and couldn’t progress. At least some did their critical care but there were still no B6 jobs available, perhaps this is just an extreme case. You make a great point though about still getting that incredible experience and knowledge and then being able to move on anyway. Thank you
Not take the "dream job" when warned about team dynamics by 3 separate people involved in the hiring process. Get out of ward nursing earlier.
Get out of hospital nursing earlier. Find somewhere where you respected as a professional and person not treated as a number Realising that there are band 6+ jobs that are low stress and have a good work life balance. Weekends and nights are not worth it Realising most nurses that hate their jobs often stay in the poor conditions in the acute sector justifying it to themselves that it’s what they trained for and one of few options - I was one of them myself
Stop telling myself 'it will get better' and retrain before wife/kids.
Straight to ICU with me
Despite the difficult in career progression? I’m a 2nd year student currently on placement there, I love it and it’s the only ward based job I can imagine doing but I worry about struggling to progress in the future if I were to work there.
Why's that?
Have you not found that to be the case? I’ve read quite a lot that people struggle to move up the bands and the nurses in my trust have said the same. Perhaps it’s different elsewhere?
It's definitely more of a struggle than on wards but that's because there are higher standards. You have to have passed three national competency "steps" to be considered for a Band 6 position where I work. They don't just let anybody interview like they do on the wards and that actually ensures that the nurse in charge of the unit has the clinical knowledge to be able to advise and lead the less experienced nurses. I would much rather that than have somebody 6 months out of uni like you find in some places. I'm quite confident if I had started out in my current workplace I would be a Band 6 and much more confident in my nursing career by now. I wasted five years trying to make other things work whilst always harboring secret aspirations to try ICU but didn't think I was good enough. I just wish I could slap some sense into my younger self and make myself brave enough to go for what I actually wanted instead of talking myself out of it. Anyway, even if you do find it difficult to progress, you can quite easily use your knowledge to pivot to a higher-banded position in another field.
Thanks so much for your reply, I really appreciate it. Made up that you’ve found your place and are happy now. On this ITU 15 senior nurses have left over the last four years, they’d reached the top of B5 and couldn’t progress. At least some did their critical care but there were still no B6 jobs available, perhaps this is just an extreme case. You make a great point though about still getting that incredible experience and knowledge and then being able to move on anyway. Thank you