I hear it from so many nurses: “I’m going to quit nursing because…” That open-ended statement can be filled with the doctor’s administration, my co-workers, working odd shifts, mandatory overtime, too many holidays, and the list can go on and on.

However, before you quit nursing, ask yourself one question: “WHY did you go into nursing in the first place?”

Many of us in the profession have had a calling from a very young age. We love the job of being a nurse and taking care of patients. If you had that calling, how will that desire be fulfilled?

Before you make such a decision, I would invite you to be part of the solution rather than the problem. It may be the environment in which you are working is not conducive to your needs. Are you a fast-paced person? Maybe an ICU or emergency room setting would be your best fit! Do you like things to be predictable? Maybe then that would be in long term care.

Nursing is the most diverse profession in the world. There certainly is an environment that would meet your needs. Just because you don’t feel fulfilled in one setting doesn’t mean that another setting won’t fulfill you. If you’ve tried to work in different settings and still are not fulfilled, I invite you to look at the reasons why you’re not fulfilled. That’s because the situations could possibly follow you into a different career should you not recognize and look further into the reasons why you are not fulfilled. Sometimes fulfillment also needs to come from within. What needs of yours are not being met and where can you get those needs fulfilled?

If you are contemplating leaving nursing, I strongly encourage you to look at the reasons that brought you into the profession and how you will be fulfilled in another job later.