Nursing offers better job stability compared to other nonmedical industries mainly because healthcare is a basic human need. However, this form of safety makes some nurses slip into comfort zones where any enthusiasm towards taking on new responsibilities gets extinguished. Despite the temporary comfort, the hazards of career stagnation have a greater negative impact.
What Are The Dangers Of Career Stagnation For Nurses?
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Higher Risk Of Losing The Job
There’s a high possibility of boredom setting in due to repeating the same tasks for more than five consecutive years. A nurse in this position has a passive approach towards their daily tasks and this can catch the attention of nurse leaders.
The nurse leader might put their observations in their weekly reports to senior management. This information forms the criteria for implementing retrenchment since organizations don’t want to lose money by paying salaries to unproductive staff.
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Setting A Bad Example To The Future Generation Of Nurses
Nursing clinical help students to understand the daily responsibilities they’re expected to perform after graduating from medical school. In addition to gaining practical experience, students also learn a lot about a hospital or healthcare provider through observation.
It doesn’t take much for students to notice RNs or LPNs who have laxity in particular areas. This might motivate the student to cut corners the same way his or her preceptors did. This is a dangerous cycle because it creates a culture of laziness.
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Higher Risk Of Slipping Into Drug Addiction
The loss of enthusiasm causes a nurse to feel like they’re trapped at work. Since the employee doesn’t have morale towards performing daily duties, he or she indulges in irrelevant activities such as spending time on social media or watching YouTube videos to kill time. However, these activities get boring after a while.
When the nurse still feels bored with their job, they might turn to alcohol or other drugs. The daily use of drugs to combat career stagnation is unwise because it leads to substance addiction. There’s also a high risk of license revocation when caught in the act while stealing drugs from the hospital’s pharmacy.
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Increased Vulnerability to Mental Illnesses
A nurse who’s facing career stagnation uses a lot of effort to pretend like they’re getting along with their colleagues and daily tasks. However, this strain is harmful to a person’s mental health because he or she tends to suppress tension for eight to ten consecutive hours.
Continuous suppression of volatile emotions could lead to nervous breakdowns because the brain is unable to release pent-up emotions. There’s also a high likelihood of suffering from high blood pressure that’s a deadly silent killer due to the massive damage it inflicts on internal organs.
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Having Unnecessary Conflicts With Colleagues and Leadership
A nurse that’s lost morale for their current job won’t provide any notices or apologize when they decide to take a few days off. Such disrespect causes strained relationships with nurse leaders because delegating work becomes harder for them whenever they have to cope with the unexpected absence of a team member.
The unreliable nurse also stirs up unnecessary conflicts with colleagues because they’re the ones who have to cover for the team member who’s skipping work frequently. Attracting disapproval from colleagues is dangerous because it puts an individual at a high risk of losing their job.
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Increased Conflicts With Family Members And Friends
A negative response to career stagnation ultimately leads to conflict with family members and friends. Nurses who abuse alcohol or steal antidepressants from the pharmacy might turn violent when confronted about the worrying state of their careers. In addition, the healthcare provider puts themselves at higher risk of committing DUIs due to drug addiction.
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Dealing With Isolation
A nurse that’s retained the same position for more than five years has witnessed colleagues either resigning their current jobs for better-paying employers or, seeing them advance to higher ranks by going back to school for bridging programs. This realization causes feelings of loneliness and self-condemnation because there’s nothing to show for the time spent sitting on one’s hands.
Avoid Falling Into Career Stagnation for Nurses
It’s important to have a mentor that will keep you on your toes and focused on achieving both short and long-term career goals.