The new year is a great time to reflect on our lives, including how fulfilled we feel in our current role and if it aligns with our lifestyle. If you’re wondering whether you should apply for a new nursing job while reflecting on the last year professionally, the beginning of the year might be the best time to get started on the job hunt. Here are six signs that your new year's resolutions should include looking for a new nursing role.
You’re no longer challenged at work
Nursing is a challenging yet fulfilling field. It’s also one of the few careers where no 2 days look the same, and you can learn and grow rapidly. If you no longer feel challenged at work or if you’ve lost some of the passion for your role, you might want to consider applying to new nursing jobs in 2023.
You feel burned out
While it’s good to feel challenged at work, it’s not healthy to be pushed to the point of emotional and physical exhaustion. If you’re experiencing any signs of burnout, it’s time to find a new job you will love. While not every single day will be great in any role, you should feel happy and fulfilled during the majority of your nursing shifts, not exhausted and fatigued.
Your workplace is understaffed
An understaffed workplace is no walk in the park. Working in an understaffed facility may mean nurses take on extra shifts, work overtime, and/or take on more patients, which can lead to emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue, and burnout. If you like your job, it’s always a good idea to discuss staffing concerns with administrative staff. If they’re unresponsive about making changes, it might be time to find a new nursing role.
Your administration is not supportive
Being a nurse is one of the hardest jobs, and you deserve to feel supported by your administration. If the administration isn’t offering new resources to help you improve, creating a nursing schedule that allows you to get eight hours of sleep and some free time between each shift, and/or incorporating changes based on nurse feedback, it may be time to apply to new roles.
You want a higher salary
Money isn’t everything, but getting paid what you’re worth is a great feeling. If you feel like you aren’t making as much as you could be or aren’t eligible for a raise with your current employer, it could be time to apply to higher-paying nursing roles. Before applying, make sure to check out our guide to how much nurses should make, so you are being paid fairly in your new role.
Your job no longer suits your lifestyle
We work to live, not live to work. If your job no longer suits your lifestyle, it might be time to brush off the ol’ resume. There are a variety of reasons your job no longer suits your lifestyle, including disliking the geographic location of your job, work taking up too much of your free time, or inconvenient shift times.
For example, you might want to move to a sunny state like North Carolina, but your job is based in Minnesota, which doesn’t suit the sunny, athletic lifestyle you’re looking for. Or maybe you just had a baby, and working the night shift is cutting into family time, so a smaller practice with traditional office hours might be a better fit for this big life change.
Ready to look for a new nursing job?
If one or more of these signs resonated with you, it might be time to start searching for a new nursing role. Between updating your resume, interviewing, and finding open positions in your area, the job hunt can often be a long, thankless, and stressful process. Luckily, HireMe Healthcare has an app to make it faster and less painless. Use our free app to connect with employers actively searching for jobs in your area today.