r/nursing • u/ajaeRN • 1d ago

Seeking Advice Leaving Bedside

Hello, all! I’ve been a nurse for 9 years now and leaving my current unit after 7 years in a few weeks. I’m def grieving in a sense— leaving everything I’ve known and done to another role as a post acute care transitions nurse— helping prevent readmissions to the hospital, by way of telephonic follow-up, education reinforcement, and care coordination.

I’m def not going to miss the back breaking work (I work on a surgical floor, primarily trauma, ortho, and neurosurgery. I’ve decided to leave to find a better work/life balance as well as transition to something where I can flex a different part of my nursing brain in an outpatient setting, Mon- Fri, essentially a 9-5.

For those that made the transition out of bedside to the “soft nursing” side of the profession, how did you make this change work for you? Are there any growing pains? Any tips? Anything you love? Hate? Lmk!

Also, if this is what you do— how do you like it? I haven’t found many that do this work, yet.

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u/evilglowduckie RN - Pediatrics 🍕 20h ago

Went from bedside to doctor's office and lasted 6 months. Spent my days stuck at a desk basically answering emails and begging to room the occasional patient just to do something. Currently enjoying pediatric home health.

What kind of clinic are you moving to?

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u/BookishJuka MSN, APRN 🍕 11h ago

I went from ER to home health. The agency you work for can really make or break your experience- and I had a bad one.

I was able to use my home health experience to leap frog into a remote prior auth role working M-F 9-5 with occasional weekends (like once a quarter).

As far as handling the change:

I made myself "get ready" in the morning even if I don't have to. Even just a shower or skincare or some sort of intentional grooming. Not full glam by any means.

I try to smush my chores into some lunch breaks during the week to clear up the weekend. That's just my preference to make the M-F schedule feel more balanced.

I have to be intentional with steps and movements now, since I no longer have tens of thousands of steps built into my job.

Overall I love the work from home lifestyle. Listening to music or podcasts while working, lighting candles, and not having to pack lunch are all super super underrated.