Feeling Stuck in Your Nursing Career? Take Action

Like anything in life, nursing can bring its ups and downs. It doesn't matter if you’ve been in the career for over ten years, or you’re still in your first year of nursing. Anyone can fall into a career rut and feel stuck with where they are at. 

Today we want to equip you with some mindset tools and actions you can take to create some energy and help you get out of your rut. 

We believe strongly that just because you feel stuck or uninspired in your nursing job, that doesn't mean you need to change careers or positions. Sometimes it’s not a change we need, but just some new energy and life brought into our normal, everyday life. 

New Mindset + New Actions = New Energy

4 Questions to Ask Yourself

When we ask different questions, we begin to allow a new perspective to take shape. 

Allow yourself to be honest and ask yourself the following questions. If you want to take it a step further, we’d recommend journaling them out. Once it’s on paper in ink there’s no denying what needs to change. 

• How is my current mindset around work? 

• Do I feel good going to work each day? If not, why?

• What am I currently doing before work, at work, and after work that allows me to experience a sense of fun in my day? 

  • Note: If you’re struggling to answer any part of this question, it’s definitely time to take some action, which will be discussed below. We all deserve to have fun.

• When was the last time I changed up a part of my routine in relation to work? 

  • When was the last time I drove a new way to work?

  • When was the last time I changed up a physical aspect of my shift such as what I wore, ate, or brought with me to help me feel good?

Now, let’s take some actions. 

2 Actions to Take Outside of Work 

Pick two of your upcoming days off and schedule time to complete both of these activities below. Have fun with it and really go all out. 

If you aren’t having fun and enjoying life outside of work, then you can’t have fun and enjoy our life at work. Your time off is so valuable, so use it and bring new energy to your week.

Action 1: Plan a solo date with yourself

Block 2-4 hours of time just for yourself and spend it doing something you love. This could be trying a new workout class you’ve been wanting to try, baking a new recipe, going on a solo hike, etc. Give yourself permission to fully enjoy this experience. As nurses, you give so much of yourselves to other people, you also deserve to give back to yourself, too. We’d suggest trying this action without your phone, so you can really enjoy the experience with no outside distractions. 

Action 2: Plan something fun with a friend or your partner

Plan a friend’s night out, make dinner plans, try a new cooking class, or go to a movie. It's important to feel good outside of work, so you can feel good when you head into work. Get out and make time for connection.

One Action to Take at Work

Implement 3 things over your next set of shifts to help you feel good going into work

Think of what you’ve done in the past that you haven’t done in awhile, or reflect on the questions asked above.

Examples include: Meal prep a new seasonal recipe, switch up the water bottle you take to work, plan a shared meal with a coworker, wear the compression socks you’ve been meaning to wear, print out a quote to hang up in your locker, bring some photos of your family on a recent trip & share them with your coworkers, decorate a space for yourself that you chart in, download a new charting playlist, etc. 

If you’re not feeling the vibe of the hospital or skilled nursing facility where you work, then take it upon yourself to make it a vibe, so you feel good in your work environment.

4 Follow Up Actions

After you’ve taken these actions, have a check-in with yourself. Think about how you feel heading into work now. Do you feel better, less stressed? If not, perhaps ask yourself some new follow up questions to bring a new perspective. 

Here are a few we’d recommend:

1. Are you working too many hours?

2. If you’re working overtime, is this worth it for where you’re at? 

3. Are you too tired? If so, what are some actions you can take to help improve this? 

4. Is there something that is affecting me I hadn’t thought of before taking these actions that is now clear to me?

We may not always get it perfect, so it’s important to remember to go easy on yourself. If you aren’t feeling better as quickly as you’d like, give yourself grace. You can never go wrong by taking the time to set yourself up for success, so the fact that you are trying to improve is an amazing first step. 

Remember, a new mindset paired with new actions will bring about new energy, so keep moving forward and new energy is sure to be around the corner. 

And if you ultimately don't feel like you have the flexibility to take time off or make time for yourself, connectRN can help you take control of your career and life. Learn more.