Regret Leaving Nursing Too Soon

2 I graduated from nursing school with a BSN in May 2010. Nursing was my second career and I didn't start nursing school until I was 40 years old. I was in an accelerated BSN program in Los Angeles and found a job quickly out of school.

I worked on the floor for 8 months before moving to the OR which is where I thought I wanted to be. I only lasted in the OR for 15 months.

I am now working at another hospital in an administrative position and am starting to regret my decision to leave clinical nursing.

I am seriously considering trying to move back into the clinical arena but I know that I cannot go back to working on a regular med/surg floor or working in a busy OR. I am afraid that my lack of solid experience in nursing may hinder my efforts.

Has anyone else left clinical nursing early in their career and tried to return to the clinical setting?

Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.
If you want to get back into hands on but don't want anything two fast paced, maybe you should consider geriatric or pediatric homecare....this way you can get back into using some of your skills without being behind a desk but have the slower pace of 1:1
why do you wish to go back to bedside nursing? why did you last only 8 months on med/surg and 15 months in the or? what is it that you liked about each of those jobs and what didn't you like? why did you choose to leave the bedside in the first place? these are all questions that you should consider before you consider applying for new jobs. there are some clinical settings that are laid back most of the time, but they aren't the norm. if you can't stand a fast-paced position, it's going to be more difficult -- but not impossible -- to find something. and yes, you have hindered your efforts by leaving both of your previous jobs so quickly. it doesn't sound as if you've been at your current job for very long, either.
Ruby Vee,I "only lasted" 8 months on the floor because it was a waiting period until the OR training program started. I "only lasted" in the OR for 15 months because I herniated a disk. I'm not sure what you're idea of "fast-paced" is or what town you live in...but I worked at the two largest hospitals in Los Angeles, so I know what "fast-paced" is. I'm not sure why so many people choose to respond to posts by being condescending and discouraging. I guess people just like to pass their misery on. No thank you. You can keep yours.
Mrs Hoskins,Thank you for your kind response. I am actually seriously considering geriatric homecare, hospice or LTC. I think what I didn't like that most about the nursing positions that I had was that the pace was so fast I hardly had any time to actually spend just being with my patients, listening to them, talking to them. Those times are few and far between in a large urban hospital.Thanks again for the support and suggestions.
Quote from omibashuruby vee,i "only lasted" 8 months on the floor because it was a waiting period until the or training program started. i "only lasted" in the or for 15 months because i herniated a disk. i'm not sure what you're idea of "fast-paced" is or what town you live in...but i worked at the two largest hospitals in los angeles, so i know what "fast-paced" is. i'm not sure why so many people choose to respond to posts by being condescending and discouraging. i guess people just like to pass their misery on. no thank you. you can keep yours.
Home health is kinda slow paced and hospice
Ruby Vee is correct - the pace & workload of acute care nursing has increased at an astonishing rate in the last few years...due to the convergence of many factors; EHRs, more regulations, greater productivity demands to offset dwindling reimbursement, HUGE emphasis on patient satisfaction, etc. Each and every change results in a negative impact on bedside nursing. It's ugly out there. I know several administrative nurses who have 'opted in' - returning to the clinical arena after becoming completely burned out in admin work. For the most part, they made arrangements with their employers to do a gradual re-entry via PRN work while continuing to do the admin job. For the most part, I think it works out well - being able to reconnect with the factors that inspired them to become nurses in the first place. But I don't know of anyone who has resumed a bedside position on a full time basis. One has moved into Clinical Informatics, one became a Diabetic Educator - the others still have full-time admin positions.
Quote from OmibashuI graduated from nursing school with a BSN in May 2010. Nursing was my second career and I didn't start nursing school until I was 40 years old. I was in an accelerated BSN program in Los Angeles and found a job quickly out of school. I worked on the floor for 8 months before moving to the OR which is where I thought I wanted to be. I only lasted in the OR for 15 months. I am now working at another hospital in an administrative position and am starting to regret my decision to leave clinical nursing.I am seriously considering trying to move back into the clinical arena but I know that I cannot go back to working on a regular med/surg floor or working in a busy OR. I am afraid that my lack of solid experience in nursing may hinder my efforts.Has anyone else left clinical nursing early in their career and tried to return to the clinical setting?Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.
Quote from OmibashuRuby Vee,I "only lasted" 8 months on the floor because it was a waiting period until the OR training program started. I "only lasted" in the OR for 15 months because I herniated a disk. I'm not sure what you're idea of "fast-paced" is or what town you live in...but I worked at the two largest hospitals in Los Angeles, so I know what "fast-paced" is. I'm not sure why so many people choose to respond to posts by being condescending and discouraging. I guess people just like to pass their misery on. No thank you. You can keep yours.
i suggest looking into hospitals that offer programs for returning nurses, like a fellowship or a program that will give you some kind of orientation on the floor with a precepter. personally, i just made a switch from an office nurse position in a cardiology office to a psychiatric nurse in a in-patient setting. it's a way different kind of nursing, but i really love all of the communication and face time i get to have with my patients, which is what i was missing working in an office triaging phone calls all day long. whatever you choose to do, i wish you well. :-)
I think you picked up some solid skills working 8 months on the floor. I graduated in May 2010 and "only lasted" 2 months on the floor, so 8 months seems like a good while to me. After working in clinics and now at a school full-time, I decided I wanted to pick up some more skills so I have started in Home Health prn. I think your 8 months of med-surg and your OR experience would make you a great candidate for this. It's slower paced yet you still get to use your skills. Best of luck
Quote from HouTx One has moved into Clinical Informatics, one became a Diabetic Educator - the others still have full-time admin positions.