When asked to describe what a nurse does, what is the general answer? Most envision a nurse caring for the ill in a hospital setting, directly at the bedside tending to every need. To put a spin on things some may even say that a nurse could also work in a clinic. While these descriptions could accurately represent a good majority of nursing jobs, there are other options that many overlook.

Nurses comprise the largest sector of healthcare providers in the U.S., yet many nurses are disgruntled with the profession and end up leaving the bedside. Even worse, many leave nursing altogether.

From an outsider looking in the nursing profession looks desirable; after all it is considered the most noble of professions. People may be caught up in the assumption that most nurses only have to work 3 days a week, will always have a job, and get paid well. Only those in the profession know the real truth.

The 12 hr shifts are very demanding on a nurses’ body. When you are responsible for lifting, pushing, and pulling on patients, running up and down long corridors, being pulled in 10 different directions at the same time, and the never-ending paperwork, bedside nursing doesn’t sound so great does it? This general description doesn’t even include the lack of appreciation most nurses feel is nonexistent from management, families, or even the patients themselves.

Some nurses feel their compensation is not worth half of what they do and would gladly take a pay cut to get away from the bedside. When confronted with these issues on a daily basis, it’s no wonder why many nurses choose to leave the bedside.

I’ve been a nurse for over a decade and the story has not changed since I first began my nursing career. At one point early on in my career I left my job as an LPN in an LTAC to go work as a cashier at a local retailer because I was so overwhelmed with my job. I actually enjoyed my job as a cashier. Only until a former co-worker ran into me and told me I was over-qualified for the job did I go back to nursing. Since I was relatively new to nursing, I discounted this experience as a phase where I had to “grow into myself as a nurse.” I did not realize that the feeling would follow me to just about every bedside job I have had since then, or that others felt the same way as I did.

As I grew into myself as a nurse, I realized that many other nurses have felt the same way as I did at one point or another in their career. These nurses would often end up leaving not only the bedside, but the profession altogether. These strong men and women were excellent nurses with many valuable skills and knowledge that could be utilized elsewhere, but because they left the profession altogether, these attributes went to waste. I knew there had to be a better solution.

ReNursing Career Consulting, LLC was founded in part by my desire to help others find unique career opportunities away from the bedside. After scouring the internet, I noticed that there was no clear site dedicated to bedside alternatives. At ReNursing Career Consulting, LLC nurses, and those interested in nursing, can find different options in nursing to pursue.

Various careers will be highlighted on a regular basis, along with resources to help nurses transition into a new career or even their own business. I encourage all visitors to contact me with information and topics they would like to see covered. If there are any nurses out there who are already “ReNursing” feel free to share your experiences with me.

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