I worked in healthcare for 15 years, and then I was hitting burnout.

12 Comments

1. AnonymousAugust 29,2023 at 11:24PM UTC

   I'm sorry to hear you are navigating both burnout and career changes and pivots. I don't have any personal advice but I have seen people respond to other posts on here about two people. One is a career coach who specializes in what it sounds like you're talking about. Her name is Grisel Scarantino.. The other person is Anna Lovell-Nesmith and she is a burnout specialist.

   Both of these women have been recommended on other posts but they are only on LinkedIn. Posts I've seen say both women offer complimentary strategy calls. Wish I could be more help. Good luck

2. AnonymousAugust 31,2023 at 12:01AM UTC

   I'll check them out, thank you!

3. AnonymousAugust 30,2023 at 1:50PM UTC

   I went through the same thing. A job pivot is like starting over again. You "wander in the wilderness" until you find your niche. If you liked recruiting, have you tried a different industry? My pivot was from tech to ministry (big jump, I know, and not much of a chance to make the same kind of money, but ultimately more satisfying). I started as an Associate Pastor, but that was a disaster. I tried chaplaincy but found myself laid off after a couple of years (unfortunately, chaplains are not a revenue-generating position, and they tend to staff only to the Joint Commission requirements). I finally found my niche working for a non-profit human services agency and stayed there until I retired. Were/Are you recruiting for healthcare, or are you a healthcare clinician/office worker? Since you have experience in both, that could certainly be a place to look, unless that is where you are.

4. AnonymousAugust 30,2023 at 11:57PM UTC

   I was doing tech recruitment! It was absolutely in an entirely different field, and it was for a Big 4 accounting and tech firm. I loved my time there, it just ended way too quickly for sure. I may look into recruitment in other fields though, I do have experience as an office manager, case manager, and more.

5. AnonymousAugust 31,2023 at 2:03PM UTC

   It may not pay as well as healthcare, but state and non-profit agencies are looking for good case managers, and with your experience, you can probably get in at a senior, lead, or manager level. Good luck.

6. AnonymousAugust 31,2023 at 3:55PM UTC

   I'm currently working for Medicaid and Medicare, honestly I just don't want to do case management as a whole anymore. It's definitely going to be a paycut to move away from it, though in the state I'm in due to the taxes here my checks seem to be about the same at the higher rate as they were when I was being paid $10 less an hour lol. Which is wild!

7. Dawn FrydenlundAugust 30,2023 at 2:01PM UTC

   As a fellow healthcare worker, I feel your pain! On the one hand, you are drawn to healthcare because of the real difference you can make in people's lives, and at the same time healthcare as an entire industry is struggling (and that is an understatement!)

   We all deserve to be passionate about our life's work so taking some time to dig into this first, can pay some great dividends in the long run. As you consider making a career transition, what have you done (for yourself) to really dig into what you want in your next career move?

   To answer your questions above, I'd say that people are moving around in careers more now than ever. As a hiring manager myself, this would not be a showstopper for me IF the type of experience matched what I'm looking for AND the cover letter shared more background on the career shifts as well as a sincere passion for the work. The cover letter is where your personality can shine through - so don't be afraid to leverage it in this way. Personally, I don't interview individuals who have not submitted a cover letter.

   Wishing you the best!!

8. AnonymousAugust 30,2023 at 11:56PM UTC

   Thanks so much, I love helping people, absolutely! Though honestly I fell into healthcare more than anything, and I've loved some parts and hated others. Since COVID things have just gotten more complicated in the field as a whole, and it wasn't quite where I saw myself by now.

   But I know there's also some fear for me now that I'm coming close to my 40's - my own physician made a comment about how my age would probably start effecting my career soon.

   The advice here has been very helpful, and I think I do need to sit and really think about exactly how I want to move forward.

9. Sarah LarsonAugust 30,2023 at 2:21PM UTC

   This might sound juvenile but have you perfected setting boundaries around your work so you avoid hitting burnout wherever you go?

   I worked in healthcare for a long time and I had the same issue, 80-100 hours per week because I loved my job and loved making an impact. However, it was taking its toll on my life and, especially, my body. I worked with a therapist and coach to understand my triggers, my personal boundaries, and how to set them for all aspects of life.

   While burnout isn’t impossible, it’s less likely now that I know the signs. Doing this part of the work may prove fruitful for you, wherever you go, like it has for me.

10. AnonymousAugust 30,2023 at 11:52PM UTC

    I've definitely gotten better around the hours, but I'm a case manager and it is absolutely demanding. It's nothing to be working one on one with over 70 patients at a time.

    But I think the big issue for me is also when I got my business degree my passion was in generating ideas and helping start new businesses and marketing, I sort of fell into healthcare and then couldn't find a way out. Right now one of the burnout issues is honestly surrounding how me and other medical professionals are being treated. It's nothing for patients to be downright violent anymore, and it's getting more difficult by the day.

11. AnonymousAugust 30,2023 at 10:08PM UTC

    I think you need to stop and assess what makes you happy at work. Clearly if you are feeling burnt out so quickly something is not quite right there. Find a role where the content leaves you satisfied at the end of the day and where you can learn and also be impactful. Find a place where there is work life balance and the pay is reasonable. Stack rank your needs and decide what is the most important from the list above and then you can decide before making another quick move where to go next.

12. AnonymousAugust 31,2023 at 12:01AM UTC

    That's great advice and definitely what I'm trying to go by before applying anywhere, but I've gotten a lot of rejections over the past year since I was initially laid off. Right now I feel like I'm in the "Taking work where I can" way since I'm on my own financially, but that's a tough spot! I think the burnout is just healthcare itself, I get too emotionally invested at times but also it's a complex field.