Happiest Nursing Jobs

Dec 13

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I don’t believe there’s one magic nursing job that’s going to make you the happiest. The happiest nursing job for you will be the one that’s the best fit for you.

What made you want to become a nurse? Do you remember?

I know one nurse that isn’t quite happy with her med/surg job but her dream was always to work in L&D. It’s why she went to nursing school to begin with! Is it any wonder why she’s burning out and unhappy?

That can seem like a small shift but adding up little things can make a difference in the big picture of how happy you are in nursing.

For me, I wanted to take care of cancer patients. I did for several years but the death and dying got to me. My happiest bedside nursing job ended up being in step-down tele. It was a good fit for me.

In order to find that out I had to figure out what I liked and didn’t like. I also tried different things over time.

Another mistake I see some nurses make is they stay too long in specialty areas then they’re stuck. You see this with ICU nurses sometimes that have only ever worked ICU for several years. They’re ready for change but they have trouble getting hired elsewhere and adjusting to different areas in nursing.

I put a couple different options below from different sources that listed the most common happiest nursing jobs listed below. I also put my own tips on what to look for when moving into one of these jobs.

However, I’d strongly encourage you to remember why you got into nursing in the first place? What did you want to do? Then try to do just that!

If you’ve already tried it and you discovered it wasn’t for you then let’s chat! We’ll work on figuring out the best fit for you.

Hi I’m Christen

I was just a tired, exhausted, burned out nurse dreading work and imaging what I could do instead of nursing. It affected me professionally AND personally!

Now I help nurses struggling or wanting to prevent the struggle using the same strategies and tools I used to create a happier, healthier life.

Get your free 5 minute visualization to decrease your stress, increase your peace, and sleep better tonight….naturally!

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HAPPIEST NURSING JOBS

Women’s Health (L&D, Pediatrics, NICU)

These can be incredibly satisfying paths. When I was working oncology, one of my colleagues used to work prn in the well-baby unit. She loved rocking the babies to sleep, it was a form of self-care for her. Self-care is incredibly important here, even the coldest nurses shed a tear when a code is called in one of these units.

One code can really mess you up. If you’re in this area and are feeling stressed coaching and breathwork can make a big difference.

Tip: These are hard areas to get into. If you’re in nursing school, I’d suggest trying to get a job as a tech/CNA in L&D or Peds. It’ll be easier to make the transition to be a nurse in that area once you graduate since you’ll already know people and have experience with that population.

OR/PACU

If you don’t prefer a lot of patient conversation, these fields may be great for you. I’ve never worked either but in the OR you can definitely see some cool stuff. Plus, there’s usually music playing while you work which is something I love. A couple downsides are the surgeon’s ego/temper and on-call schedules.

While you work with the doctor, your responsibility is to the patient. Awake or asleep, you’re the patient’s advocate.

Tip: PACU is great because once the patient wakes up, it’s time to move them! PACU’s are usually staffed by a smaller number of nurses so rotating call and getting time off can be downsides to this area. That’s a good thing to ask about in an interview.

Ambulatory Care settings

These are usually the office hour jobs. They’re great because they offer wonderful work-life balance. No going into the office on weekends or holidays. Some may prefer three 12’s however, as someone that made the transition from 12’s to 8’s, and then back to 12’s, I actually preferred the 8 hour shifts.

I could sleep in a little and have time for what I wanted to do after work as well. Plus, your day ends…ambulatory care isn’t open 24/7. You don’t have to carry work home with you.

I was surprised to learn ambulatory care can involve a significant amount of time on the phone. If you don’t like talking on the phone, this may not be a good fit for you.

The downside is most ambulatory care settings aren’t going to pay as much as inpatient settings. Money isn’t everything and sometimes you need a change for a little bit. However, we all pay bills so it’s a factor to be aware of.

Tip: Being that you may be working banker’s hours, in your interview I’d ask about flexibility to go to an appointment if needed. I’d also ask about a rotating call schedule as offices usually have someone on coll on weekends/holidays.

Oncology

Honestly, I’m a little surprised this made the list because I’ve worked it and know what it involves. It’s incredibly meaningful and I loved getting to know the patients and their families. You get to know the patients better than an average unit because you see them more often. You really feel like you’re making a difference, you build relationships, and trust. This specialty is very heavy and can be very busy though. It’s a lot of infusions, pain management, high emotion, and death and dying. I probably would’ve been able to last longer in this specialty if the patient ratios were better and it wasn’t shared with another population of patients.

Tip: If you decide to try it out, I would ask about patient ratios and support for staff. This is a highly emotional area of nursing. Get support early, don’t let it compound to the point you need a bottle of wine to sleep or feel sick to your stomach when you know you have to work the next day.

School Nurse

This can be a great job, especially for nurses with kids in school. It’s great for work-life balance as well as the hours follow the school systems schedule. Weekends, holidays, no call, M-F, I mean who can complain? Believe it or not, school nursing involves more than just head lice, vision tests, and upset tummies.

As aspect of school nursing assisting special needs children with complex medical care and case management. School nurses do a lot of creating and coordindating care plans to support kids being successful in school. These nurses may also teach the staff how to mix emergency meds or perform CPR.

The biggest issue I hear with school nursing is being over more than 1 building with little help. I may ask about that in a interview. That being said, I’ve only known a few school nurses but they all loved their job.

Tip: I’ve known school nurses to work more traditional hospital jobs, during summer break. This is isn’t a requirement, but if are looking to make a little extra cash while school is out it may be worth thinking about.

Conclusion

There’s no magic, one-size-fits-all nursing job that’s going to make everyone happy. The happiest nursing job is the best fit for you. Don’t try to fit the mold of one of the jobs listed if it’s not something you’re interested in.

If you’re having trouble finding what your best fit is or you’re ready to leave the profession for good, let’s chat. Let’s figure out what it is you really want.

You don’t have to leave nursing to be happy! You can…..but you don’t have to ;)