These days it is not uncommon to hear nurses in the acute medicine unit complain that they are abused by the hospital administration, harassed by patients and the patients’ families, that there is no or minimal support staff and that their job satisfaction rating is at an all-time low. They are burnt out. Should they try changing units or get out of health care altogether? COVID just adds to their stress. If you also happen to be a health care worker with substance dependency (in or out of Recovery), the easy access to drugs just adds to an already complicated situation.
Do you “feel” happy at work? Both addicts and health professionals often are not good at identifying their feelings. It is challenging for them to pinpoint what it is they are experiencing emotionally. When one is making deliberations of this kind, it is essential to honestly assess one’s feelings with respect to one’s chosen profession in health care.
The argument that one can’t switch careers because one will have wasted a medical or nursing education is not valid. An education is never wasted and can always be put to good use in some other field that is more fulfilling.
By switching careers, you are not letting anyone down: not the health care system, not the patients. The health care system and patients are not the deciding factors and you are not indispensable to them. Remember: do not be a people-pleaser; do not be codependent (see Blog 45). If it “feels” right, make the switch.
However, a few words of caution: one must be in good Recovery before deciding, especially since this is such an important move. In order to feel one’s feelings accurately, Recovery should ideally precede this important decision. Being in active addiction or early Recovery can lead to impulsive decision-making. Favourable conditions need to be in place in order to achieve an effective career change. There may very well be financial aspects to consider and a career change often involves further training and education.
Therefore, the following cautions should be kept in mind: beware the impulsivity of early Recovery. Impulsivity can easily lead to the wrong decisions. Be aware that COVID represented an unusual (and nightmarish) strain on the health care system and health care workers. It might therefore be prudent to wait until a reasonable post-COVID period has elapsed before reaching a decision with respect to a career change. Things just might improve without having to take drastic measures.
In general, one should be guided by one’s honest feelings in stable Recovery (not by one’s intellect or impulsivity). And I also believe that one should seek the guidance of at least one trustworthy person (such as one’s sponsor or perhaps a coworker in Recovery).
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