I quit Nursing (in the middle of the pandemic)

…my goal of coming in Australia is to find my way out of nursing

So, here’s the truth – since day zero, my goal of coming in Australia is to find my way out of nursing.

While my batchmates in the nursing bridging program are excited to get into the nursing field, I can’t wait to get out of it. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a nurse thus I was even inspired to start this blog. I just thought that after years and years of working as a nurse in different positions, across different fields, in different countries – maybe I have explored what I want to explore and it is time to get into what I have always been passionate about.

Overall, it has been a good journey while it lasted. The nursing field certainly had a significant contribution to my growth as a professional and more so, as an individual. I have learned a lot and met people from different cultures that either inspired me to do better or showed me who I would not want to be (https://nurseaftershift.wordpress.com/2020/08/01/those-times-i-let-the-bullies-win/). There are days that it can be very challenging but to be fair, most days are very rewarding.

Going back to this secret goal of mine; this goal has been my constant motivation to chase the Residency in this country – and boy when I finally got the PR (https://nurseaftershift.wordpress.com/2019/11/03/hey-i-got-my-permanent-residency-and-this-is-what-it-means-to-me/), I wasted no time plotting my roadmap out of nursing. As a calculated risk-taker, it was all planned out up to the very minute details – then COVID happened. The pandemic added another layer to everything including my detailed plan and of course, I did not factor in a pandemic. I started sending my CV out but companies were closing down. And finally, the dreaded lockdown happened. My anxiety and frustration started to creep up. My mind has always been a double-edged sword.

I still remember reading books to somehow divert my attention. I drive to the nearest ocean on the weekends just to breathe. Little by little, I got a grip of myself and pushed myself back in the drawing board to re-strategize. Who thinks of a career change in the middle of the pandemic? This dork right here.

I just thought, this plan was five years in the making and I refuse to delay it any further because of COVID – in fact, I will use this pandemic to my advantage.

I still remember that day, I just came from another exhausting morning shift – my phone rang and I picked it up.

“Hi! Is this S Pe?”

“Hello. Yes, this is S. May I know who am I speaking with please?”

“Hi. This is __. I am interested to meet you for an interview. So how decided are you to transition into the field of clinical trials and research?”

And the rest is history.