Nursing school, as every nurse young and old can testify, is a whirlwind of tests, clinicals, stress, and studying. It consumes your entire life like a newborn infant consumes your sleep. That doesn’t mean that the nursing profession must take over your life as well. In fact, our unique schedules allow us to have a pretty active non-nurse life! I’ve personally used this schedule to travel the world and work in a completely different field, all the while working as a full-time nurse! During our shifts, nurses are masters of the multi-task. Outside of those shifts, we have the chance to be masters of the multi-job.
We are well aware of the high burnout rates in nursing. The emotional and physical toll the job can be taxing on the psyche of the working nurse. This only increases the importance of finding activities outside of the nursing field to exercise other parts of the brain. Nursing, in particular, allows for little creativity, which has always been a huge part of my life. That’s why I started a video production company in the time between my shifts, and now am a content marketer for Nursegrid. I currently wear scrubs on the weekends as a nurse, and then switch to suits on the weekdays in an office! Without this creative outlet, I could see my hospital work and mental health suffering as a result. I’m not the only one out there who could be considered a Multi-Job Nurse!
Here Are Some of My Favorite Multi-Job Nurses:
The Nerdy Nurse
(@TheNerdyNurse) | Technology Advocate
Keep up with all the latest on nurse technology at The Nerdy Nurse Blog.
Donna Cardillo
(@DonnaCardilloRN) | The Inspiration Guru
Take your pick from Donna’s two amazing blogs, Motivation Cafe & Nurse Power!
Elizabeth Scala
(@ElizabethScala) | The Nurse From Within
Read Elizabeth’s great book about learning how to thrive in the ever-changing nurse environment!
Teresa Chinn
(@AgencyNurse) | Founder of WeNurses & Social Media Advocate
If you haven’t already become part of the WeNurses community, join today!
Sara Marlow
(@MissFNP) | Model/Actress/Music Junkie
If anyone ever tells you that you can’t do it all, feel free to point them in Sara’s direction.
In fact, many of the skills we acquire as a nurse work extremely well in the business profession, if that is the dual career you choose. We know how to deal with grumpy customers, can calmly manage emergent situations, and know how to prioritize the most important things to get done. Business is much of the same, just in a different environment (and usually lives aren’t on the line).
If you worry that you lack unique skills for another profession, utilize what you know about the field! Start a nursing blog, consult companies needing insight into the field, or sell fun homemade nursing items on Etsy. Believe me, every nurse has a hidden talent that will make for a great multi-job!
“During our shifts, nurses are masters of the multi-task. Outside of those shifts, we have the chance to be masters of the multi-job.”
If your nursing schedule allows you the time to pick up a small second career, I’d highly advocate you take that chance! It breaks the monotony of a single job career and will decrease some of the fatigue that nursing naturally creates. Of course, many of us are busy even with just one job (see: babies + lack of sleep). Not all jobs need to be big-time consumers though.
No matter the scope, becoming a Multi-Tasking Multi-Job Nurse will improve your overall mental health.
Oh, and the few extra bucks don’t hurt either.
