Nursing was once considered a great profession; a skilled line of work that was both challenging and rewarding. More recently, only the former seems to be true and a lot of nurses are reconsidering their careers, in Australia and other countries all over the world.
Fewer people are thinking about going into nursing and there are greater numbers of nurses than ever thinking that it might be time for a career change. In addition, many nurses are close to retirement age, without a sufficient number of new nurses entering the profession, increasing the shortage.
There are both personal and systemic reasons for nurses leaving their profession. What can you do about it if you’re a nurse feeling burnt out or want a career change? Let’s find out about the options available to you.
Are Nurses in Australia Happy?
There has been an ongoing shortage of nurses in Australia for a number of years. There are multiple reasons for this phenomenon:
Ageing Population
Both nurses and patients in the Baby Boomer generation are causing a surge of supply and demand problems in the nursing field. Boomer nurses are retiring all at once or are about to retire, and at the same time, people in this age range are requiring more medical attention all at the same time. So, there is both a shortage caused by retiring nurses and increased demand due to an ageing population.
Female-Dominated Workforce
Since most nurses in Australia are female (88% in 2021), that naturally means that more nurses may require maternity leave. This would not be an issue if there were already enough nurses in the field, but unfortunately, each nurse on maternity leave can exacerbate staff shortages. Understandably, this is a lot of pressure on the female nurses in the force who might feel pressure to not have children even if they want to.
Workplace Violence
Many nurses leave nursing because they’ve been victims of patient-on-nurse violence or harassment from their peers or superiors. Nursing isn’t supposed to be a physically dangerous occupation, so it’s completely understandable that a nurse would leave the field in fear after being attacked by a patient. And, trying to deal with the possibility of verbal or physical harassment from fellow healthcare workers while trying to provide life-saving care is exhausting. The hard truth is that there isn’t as much support as there should be to stop these things from happening.
Burnout
All of these things plus ongoing stresses from the aftermath of COVID-19 have led to skyrocketing numbers of nurses who simply can’t handle the demands that modern-day nursing is asking for. Without a proposed solution, many nurses simply have to make the hard decision to leave their careers and dreams behind as they seek a more sustainable way to work and live.
Many nurses love their jobs and are devastated that the circumstances are against them, causing them to have to leave for their own well-being. Of course, there will be certain care facilities with more balanced staff who are able to make their care teams more comfortable, but not every facility has the ability to make these changes at the moment.
However, many nurses are unhappy with their current position but still want to remain in the healthcare field. About 60% of nurses want to change roles, rather than leave nursing entirely. So, many nurses are simply unhappy with their current circumstances, but not so disenchanted with nursing that they want to quit entirely.
Should I Leave Nursing?
How do you know when it’s time for you to think about leaving nursing?
Anyone in any industry needs to take stock every once in a while when things aren’t going well and evaluate if they need to consider a career change. Sometimes the answer is simply to switch to a different department or workplace, rather than pivot and change careers entirely.
If you’re feeling more than one of these things (the negative experiences many nurses report as being a motivator to switch jobs), then perhaps it’s time for you to try changing your place of work.
- Feeling physically and emotionally drained after work
- Dreading going to work
- Lacking support from colleagues and management, or feeling intimidated by them
- Making more mistakes at work and outside of work than usual
- Aren’t getting paid what you deserve
- Feeling stagnate, not growing in your job anymore
Additionally, if you’re feeling these particular ways, it might be best for you to leave nursing altogether.
- Feeling unmotivated by the thought of helping others
- Thinking of switching to a different role in healthcare still sounds unappealing
- Feeling resentful of your work or your patients
- Having a strong desire to explore new career opportunities
- Have needs that a career in nursing cannot support (wanting a flexible schedule, a more relaxed job, staying at home more, travelling a lot, mobility or health issues incompatible with a nursing job, etc)
Nursing requires nurses to be all-in (or at least as ‘in’ as possible), which means that if they don’t have the best interests of the patients at heart, they should not be a caregiver. Nurses who have lost their passion for the work and/or their empathy for the patients lead to bad outcomes. Whether it’s higher patient mortality or even criminal offences against patients, nurses who don’t want to be there simply shouldn’t be there.
Nurses experiencing burnout are more likely to administer medication incorrectly, mix up patients, avoid asking for help or clarification when needed, charting errors, and failure to communicate critical information to other staff. Sometimes, these errors can lead to patient injury or even death.
It’s in everyone’s best interest that you pursue a different career if you no longer feel motivated by helping people. It’s not a moral failing that this happens; as we explored before, there are so many pressures on nurses that can squash their flame. But, it’s important that you recognise if this happens to you and move on to greener pastures.
It can also be worthwhile to talk to your superiors about your concerns and see if a solution can be reached, especially if you still want to be in your current position. Even if they don’t help you at all, it was worth trying. Sometimes a few small tweaks can completely change the work environment and make it a great place to be!
Looking to change into a different nursing role? Discover nursing courses on Superprof!
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
Dr. Seuss
What Are the Least Stressful Nursing Specialities?
If you decide you want to remain in nursing and that you just need a change of scenery, there are many pathways you can choose to explore.
Roles outside of the hectic hospital or clinic setting include positions like
- Interventional radiology technician
- Endoscopy nurse
- Infusion nurse
- Operating theatre technician
- Nurse educator
- Clinical research nurse
- Lactation consultant nurse
- Telehealth nurse
- Aged care nurse
- Case management nurse
- Home health nurse
- Occupational health nurse
- Nurse health coach
- Academic nurse writer
- Legal nurse consultant
- Nurse informaticists
- School or summer camp nurse
Define what elements of your current position are causing you the most stress and look for roles that don’t have that specific element. If the hectic pace of a busy emergency room are stressing you out, look for a speciality in a slower-paced setting. If the paperwork aspect is driving you mad, look for a role that requires less or more straightforward documentation.
There may just be a perfect nursing role waiting for you in a different sector, facility, or department!
What Else Can I Do with a Nursing Degree in Australia?
There are many jobs where a nursing degree can help you transition into a new role. If you want to stay within the nursing field, here are the different specialties you can look at entering. You may need some additional education to switch to a different speciality, especially if it’s very different from your current role.
- Pre and Post-Natal Specialists
- Fertility Nurse - Work with IVF patients
- Midwife - Assist in pre-birth nutrition and birthing process
- Doula - Provide support for the mother
- Lactation consultant - Help new mothers nurse their infants
- Hospital Medical Nurse
- Care for admitted patients recovering from procedures
- Emergency Care Nurse
- Take care of many different kinds of patients in a fast-paced environment
- Mental Health Nurse
- Work in a facility or home health for people who require medical assistance as part of their mental health plan
- Public Health Nurse
- Work to improve the health of the community at large
- Oncology Nurse
- Provide treatment for patients with cancer
- Paediatric Nurse
- Provide care for children and teens
- Aged Care Nurse
- Provide care in a facility or home health for elderly patients who need help with day-to-day tasks, medication, and palliative care
- Live-In Nurse
- Take care of one patient at their home, where you are also given room and board
Prepare for a new healthcare role with nursing courses Melbourne on Superprof.
If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For passion will lead you right into your purpose.
Bishop T.D. Jakes
Alternative Careers for Nurses
With your expertise as a nurse, you can carry your knowledge to some alternative career paths for nurses. These are a great choice if you want to remain in a healthcare role, but not work in the clinical and hospital setting.
- Nutritionist
- Work with clients to develop healthy eating habits and meet individual health goals
- Personal Trainer
- Help clients meet health goals through diet and exercise
- Alternative Health Provider
- Yoga teachers, yoga therapists, holistic health coaches, and alternative medicine consultants can be rewarding pathways for providing different types of care
- Nurse educator, nursing tutor
- Teach incoming nurses how to be even better at their jobs
- Health Educator
- Teach in schools, speaking events, and more about different health topics
- Nurse Writer
- Write academic articles, fact-check writing for authors/medical journals, or become an author yourself!
- Procurement Nurse
- Arrange organ transplant logistics
- Clinical Ethicist
- Consult with healthcare providers to ensure their practices with workers and patients are satisfactory
- Pharmaceutical Nurse
- Help conduct drug studies
How to Get Out of Nursing
If you’re committed to leaving the nursing profession altogether, there are a few different paths you can choose. Here are a few ways how to leave nursing.
Choose a Non-Nurse Role in Healthcare
Your experience in the healthcare world means you understand more than an outsider, which can be a big draw for healthcare-adjacent companies. Check out jobs like
- Sterilisation Technician
- Cosmetic Injectables
- Drug Test Technician
- Specialist Device Sales
- Forensic Work
- FIFO Nursing
Pivot to a Non-Specialty Role
With your degree and work experience, you can join many different roles that don’t necessarily require a specific degree. You’ll be able to work your way up in a new type of work environment quickly since you have work and life experience. Make the best use of your transitive skills learned in nursing school and on the job!
Such roles include:
- Government Administrative Work
- Management
- Administrative Assistant
Find a Role with a Low Barrier to Entry
Other roles may require a bit of education, like a certificate course, but have a low barrier to entry, making them a perfect way to transition into a new career while picking up some new skills
- Data Analysis
- Healthcare Administration and Data
- Bus driver
- Programming and IT
- Real Estate
Committing to a career and then feeling like you need to leave that path can be scary and you can feel like you’re stuck. But, you’re allowed to change your mind about your work as time passes, and even if you leave healthcare, remember that you still helped many people while you were in it and learned a lot along the way.
Another approach to leaving nursing is to save up some extra money or build your own tutoring enterprise. Whether you teach nursing skills to nursing students, help year 12 students with biology, or share your passion for crochet, swimming, or cooking, you can teach students of all sorts on Superprof.
You can learn from tutors of all sorts, too! Pick up new skills when you seek out tutors to teach you everything you need to know to shift your career. Take in-person or nursing courses online depending on your needs and preferences.
No matter your reasons for wanting to change to a different nursing career path or leave nursing entirely, there are many pathways forward for you to explore!
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