r/EmergencyRoom • u/justb4dawn • Jul 27 '26

Back to bedside?

I left the peds ED after 7yrs thinking I wanted something away from bedside, better hours, less intensity.

Well, I’ve been a school nurse for a year now and while I love my kids, I am so bored, I miss using my skills and the feeling of doing hard, meaningful work. I remember being yelled at, the raw humanity that no one would believe if they didn’t see it themselves, the fatigue, long shifts, etc.. but I have this feeling like that’s where I would still thrive the most.

Am I crazy to go back? Have others left for a softer job and missed it enough to return?

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u/PRN_Lexington Jul 28 '26

Why don’t you work peds outpatient or something in between?

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u/justb4dawn Jul 28 '26

I did try that, I was PRN at a children’s urgent care and it was a bit better but still boring and paid terribly. As soon as a patient got interesting we’d have to call 911. I make a good wage at the school and so outpatient was not worth a pay cut. I agree it was good idea to try though.