Nervous about switching specialties

I'm an experienced RN looking into a new area of nursing, but so nervous about making the change. I've worked in acute care my whole career (12 years) in 3 different hospital departments and feel ready to branch out, but also nervous about the change.I am thinking of trying advice nursing in a call center, which I know will be intense and has its own pressures, but part of me likes the newness and critical thinking, and still helping others. I am getting so burned out on bedside nursing. I do like hands on care, but I find the acuity and workload unmanageable, and physically exhausting as well as mentally. I'm not naive enough to think the work load is less stressful in a call center, but I hope it might be a breath of fresh air in my sails. I am looking for feedback and encouragement (I also posted in the nursing triage forum). Right now I have an opportunity to work a decent shift that goes well with my family. But I feel frustrated that almost every area of health care seems like nurses are overworked and stressed out. I have a friend who does phone triage, and she says it is very stressful, but then again, she isn't going back to med/surg, so how bad is it? I would love to hear from others who took the chance and made a change. The hardest part is I would be leaving a facility that I have worked at for many, many years. If only I had a crystal ball! Thanks in advance.
Change is scary.Embrace it, be flexible, and you'll see you've earned a skill many, many, many people do not have.There is no crystal ball...and you have to accept the fact that the road always bifurcates and there is ONLY always ONE path at that time and place....Choose to jump..or not...Either way...you'd have made a choice....And commiserating on whether or not it was right won't do you any good nor change the end result.Good luck to you and your choice.J

I empathize with the OP. I'm making the jump from telemetry/Med-Surg to the ICU in August. I've wanted to do ICU since I was in nursing school and did a rotation in the ICU.A position on nights came up and even though I love the floor where I work, after talking to my wife and several co-workers I decided to jump. Everyone told me, "If it's what you really want, you'll kick yourself if you don't do it..."As for worrying about the change, my wife said it best to me..."You're not going to be good at first...you'll be new again...but you'll get good..."

Thank you JoPACURN. Your reply reminds me of that poem, "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. ;-)MediCRN13- Good luck in ICU!! I used to want to do ICU, but my interests have changed over the years. I hope you enjoy the learning process and find it rewarding.I am still not sure what I will do...any Kaiser Call Center Nurses care to give me a heads up? I am interested, but not certain if it would be a good match. Thanks.

I will be honest with you. These are the hard parts I dealt with, am dealing with, as I moved and changed jobs 5 years ago. DO NOT READ TO MUCH INTO THIS, THIS IS ME, NOT YOU. I really found it hard to learn new routines. The older I get the more of "this isn't the way we did it" seems to stick in my brain!! I really missed my old familiar hospital and friends. I never felt I "clicked" fit in with my co-workers. However the new job is really great, fun, good hours, makes up for my long adjustment period.

if you can handle the icu i think you will be okay