RE: Advice needed.....

Charlotte Chisholm — Wed, 20 Nov 2019 21:10:25 GMT

Hi,

Do you have someone close to you, maybe a family member, who you can talk to? Also agree with Sal about speaking to your GP. They might have some suggestions and being impartial can be helpful.

I had mixed experiences when I was working as a locum - some practices are lovely and had great teams but I wasn’t looking for a permanent position at the time. While at other practices I felt like it wouldn’t be a good fit for me long term. So for myself locum work made me see what I wanted from a long term role while not being tied into staying if I wasn’t enjoying my work.

It can be hard to work out what else you would do when nursing has taken up such a big part of your day to day life. Could you try a different role within a practice? Maybe more on the admin or management side or nurse development and training? That way you would have a focused role and still be within the veterinary industry. Sal mentioned working part time which would also be a good idea so you can focus on yourself away from a work environment.

I hope you start to feel better soon

RE: Advice needed.....

Sal the 1st — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 02:38:22 GMT

have you tried listing what puts you off and another list of what draws you back? What is it about working in practice that makes you feel so ...

have you looked at alternatives at all.

have you seen your gp recently. Sorry this is a short post but just heading to bed.

feel free to pm me if you think it will help I should be around after 7pm

edit.

The thing to remember with locum jobs is that you are only there a short time and you dont really get to know a practice. Now that could be good or bad. Under utilisation of skills - to the practice you are an unknown quantity, they don't know you and it is only when you have been with a practice for some time and they get to know you that they start delegating (or not). That is no reflection on you. It is just how it works

When I did locums I found that most practices make do and mend with existing staff - ie nurses cover other nurses absences and breaks until such a time that the rota just can't be filled anymore and the practice then is forced into getting a locum in to fill the gaps. When this happens you might find yourself filling more than one position. Some people thrive on this and some just don't want the fast pace. A lot of practices that work this way also have a high staff turnover. If your confidence has already taken a hit previously and you find yourself in this situation then it really won't boost your confidence - so I can see where your apprehension comes from. And I know this because I have been in the same boat.

My first 4 locums were horrible but not all practices are the same - have you thought of part time to ease you in ?