Motivations For Finding A New Employer

“Always consider the big three: work life balance, affordability, and joy… after all, nursing is a vocation.”

Rachel shares her advice for nurses looking to find new employers, both within the NHS and private sector, drawing on her own experiences as a Registered Nurse working in a variety of settings and specialisms.

As a Registered Nurse with nearly 10 years’ experience, I have changed jobs several times for different reasons, but one of the main draws into a new job is the employer.

My Journey To Finding A New Employer

When I qualified back in 2013, I was lucky enough to have been offered a job before I finished university; there was no doubt in my mind that I would be working for the NHS. Having done the majority of my placements in NHS hospitals I hadn’t really considered working anywhere else. However, this hospital happened to be in the southwest of England, so I was going to have to relocate from Northern Ireland.

I had done my elective placement in the adjacent oncology ward, so I already knew the hospital and the area fairly well. Being in my early twenties with no ties made it an easy decision to pack up and move. The fast paced and specialised environment of the haematology ward provided me with the confidence, experiences, and skills I needed to know that nursing was the right career path for me.

Having worked there for 3 years, I then began to think of the kind of nurse I wanted to be in the long term. Palliative care had always been in my mind due to my own personal experiences with a hospice and now that I had had a taste of it during my time on the haematology unit, I was ready to look for a new job in this sector. Although the closest hospice was on the hospital grounds, it was a charity funded hospice that still used elements of the NHS such as the laundry and pharmacy.

Factors To Consider When Looking For A New Employer

I had to consider several factors before accepting the job. First, the pay wasn’t quite in line with the NHS, meaning I would take a pay cut, my NHS service record would be broken, and I wouldn’t get the same benefits such as maternity or sick pay.

However, I would still be able to keep my NHS pension, the patient to staff ratio was higher, the shifts were short days, and it had the very good reputation of a lovely place to work, not to mention one of the top charities in the area- so very well known.

When I considered all of these factors together, I decided the good employer’s name and shorter shifts combined with the fact it was the kind of work I wanted to do, outweighed the lower pay. It paid off and I had 5 very happy years there, but my personal circumstances had changed: I had gotten married and had a young daughter now. The cost of childcare as well as the changing day to night shifts were becoming a struggle. My daughter was born during Covid, and I had suffered with postnatal depression and anxiety which was made significantly worse by night shifts.

As supportive as my employer was, the needs of the service meant that one nurse couldn’t be taken off nights permanently as it wouldn’t be fair and may leave the ward short staffed. I had to then decide how to balance my work and home life whilst ensuring I took care of my mental and physical health.

Always consider the big three: work life balance, affordability, and joy… after all, nursing is a vocation.

Moving Into The Private Sector

I reached out to several private nursing homes and was offered a job in one who were particularly interested in my experience in end-of-life care and my desire to progress in my career. It was a really big decision to leave a job that I loved in an acute setting for a slower paced community setting, as well as the fact I would now be looking after residents and not patients.

My pros and cons list came out again as I weighed up the options. The nursing home was offering a significantly higher hourly rate which would enable me to go part time and take some of the pressure of childcare off. I could choose to do days only and also do set days which again really helped with work life balance and childcare.

The challenges were that I didn’t know anything about the company or owner, I would only be getting a company pension, less holidays and working solely with elderly care including dementia. I also would be relying on lifts and taxis as my husband needed the car whereas, previously, I had been able to cycle to work.

I decided the easiest way to make a decision was to visit to the home a few times and meet the staff and residents and see how I felt in my gut. It usually wasn’t wrong. I had 10 good months here with a good work life balance, but the lack of career progression and transport costs soon got a bit too much and again I found myself wondering if I was ever going to find the right match.

A New Employer Could Be A Positive Change

A nursing home that specialised in end of life and palliative care then offered me a job. Out came the trusty pros and cons list as I debated another move. I already knew I liked working there as I had done bank shifts in the past and it was back on my old cycle route so no more costly taxis. I could still do set shifts (days only) and the pension was much better.

However, the hourly pay was, again, a lot lower, so I had to weigh up whether I could afford to still be part time. I talked it through with family and friends as I had done for all the other career changes and they helped me realise that I would probably be much happier in a home that was less dementia and more Parkinson’s, palliative care, and general old age. They had won awards for their end-of-life care as well so I knew my skills would be utilised and I would be back working in partnership with some of my old hospice colleagues.

The home itself was of a much higher standard of care and although owned by a large company, its core values very much matched my own and I loved the origin of how it all started- with one lady who had a desire to see the elderly cared for and made it her life’s work that they would never be neglected or forgotten about again.

All this seemed like a good compromise on the lower salary again. As it happened, I was able to pick up plenty of extra shifts to subsidise my pay and still have that work life balance that was so important. The employer lived up to their good name and I enjoyed the wider aspects of being part of a bigger community including company events and themed celebrations. I was very happy with this move.

The best tip is to write a pros and cons list and go through it with whoever you think would give you good sound advice, whilst also listening to what you want.

The Impact Of The Cost Of Living Crisis

The rising cost of living crisis prompted our family to look at our options and we made the tough decision to move back to Northern Ireland. I was gutted to leave a job that I loved, but I was also keen to try for a step-up in my career once again, and the move gave me the opportunity to explore that.

We have been back in NI for nearly 7 months now and during that time I have decided to put my job search on hold until after maternity leave. I have been working for several nursing agencies as they have given me the flexibility to be able to focus on the new house, getting my daughter settled, and for my husband to find and settle into a job. The higher rate of pay means I don’t have to worry about working full time; I can pick and choose where I want to work and choose not to work at the weekend if I don’t want to.

I made sure to do my research on which agencies were in the area, so I didn’t have to travel far, as well as which got the best reviews and what the application process was like. It was a bit hit and miss at the start as the agency that I thought would be the best fit turned out to be a nightmare with the application process and communication from head office, so it just goes to show you can’t always judge a book by how big they are!

I am happy now to have found an agency that offers both nursing homes and hospital shifts as I’m getting a wide variety of experiences and keeping my skills up. They offer good training, support at all stages of the application process and easy booking. Although I’m not as settled with a job as I’d like to be, all of these experiences have helped me gain a much better sense of the type of employer I want to work for next.

My Tips When Looking For A New Employer

1. First, look at your motivation for wanted to find a new employer. Is there something you’re unhappy with that could be sorted out? You may not need to leave a job at all but instead speak to your manager or HR about your concerns.

2. If you’re just starting out in your first employment as a Newly Qualified Nurse, then think of the experiences you have had on placements- what areas did you definitely not enjoy? Or maybe there was a ward where you really bonded with the staff? It may not be the specialty you want to work in forever but if you feel comfortable in that setting then it could give you the confidence and support you need when starting out.

3. If, like me, you’re considering leaving the NHS for private or vice versa, then always consider the big three: work life balance, affordability, and joy. Will the job offer what you need to have a professional and personal balance? Is the pay enough so that you can afford to pay the bills and do the things you love? And will it bring you joy and fulfilment? After all, nursing is a vocation.

4. Do your research on your new employer. Do they get good reviews? Do you know someone who already works there that can offer an insight? Are there benefits or compromises that might pop up after you’ve signed a contract that you didn’t know about? What was the interview process like? Did you get a good feeling?

5. Don’t worry about having lots of employers on your CV. As long as you can justify your reasons for leaving and you feel happy with your decisions then the number won’t matter. That being said, I don’t recommend changing every year- but statistics show nurses typically change jobs every 3-5 years or so.

6. In case you haven’t guessed from my article, I consider the best tip is to write a pros and cons list and go through it with your significant other, mum, dad, granny, bestie. Whoever you think would give you good sound advice, whilst also listening to what you want. They can sometimes see it from a different, helpful perspective, or sometimes you will see the answer as clear as day in front of you.

7. Failing that- follow your gut instincts!

We hope this has been helpful. If you’re looking for a new employer, you can find thousands of vacancies on our job board.