Burnout and exhaustion are common in the medical field. When lives are at stake, you simply cannot afford to relax or make mistakes. However, the higher the standard you hold medical workers to, the more pressure is placed on them.
Earlier this year, doctors in the U.K. went on strike, citing low pay and extreme pressure. In the U.S., it’s even worse, with 81% of doctors citing overwork. It’s the same story in Asia and the Middle East. While some workers thrive in high-stress environments, many don’t, and these people are leaving the field of healthcare.
If you feel like you are in a similar situation, read on to learn some of the opportunities you can consider.
1. Hospice Nursing
While nurses in this field do work in hospitals, they often work at the patient’s home or at a senior care home. Hospice nursing involves looking after seniors or those who have under six months left to live. Considerable focus is given to palliative care, building a relationship with the person, and helping them live their last moments with dignity.
When compared to the life of a general nurse at a hospital, the pace of hospice care is considerably slower. Your environment is also more peaceful, and your focus is only on one patient at a time. Hospice nursing is also one of the few nursing roles where work satisfaction has been proven to be ‘significantly positive.’
Getting a BSN degree is all you need to become a nurse, even if your bachelor’s was in an unrelated field. Not only is it a more relaxed job, but you have to remember that ABSN salary figures can be as high as $73,000 depending on where you live. Outside major cities, that’s enough for a decent life.
According to Rockhurst University, it offers a much quicker route when compared to doing a traditional BSN degree. You are looking at just 16 months via an ABSN degree instead of four years with a traditional BSN. All these factors make hospice nursing great for people who want a relatively low-stress career that still feels meaningful.
2. Health Coaching
Surprisingly, a lot of people these days are taking their health more seriously. Gen Z in particular has seen how unhealthy habits have affected their parents and older relatives. This increased focus allows not just fitness influencers to shine, but also more dedicated roles like health coaching to see success.
While it’s a trend that emerged in the 1950s, it really became more established in the late 1980s. Today, several institutions now offer formal courses on nutrition and holistic health care. However, if you are transitioning from a healthcare role at a hospital, this role is an easy switch. You have freedom in how you pursue health coaching.
You can run a traditional health and wellness coaching clinic or expand to side opportunities like holding wellness retreats or starting a personal brand. If you have an interest in sports, then definitely consider opportunities where you work with athletes. These jobs will pay considerably more, which is one factor you need to consider.
This is a field where you have the opportunity to help people abandon their unhealthy lives. As such, you will often need to use a bit of psychology and basic counseling strategies. A skill that you should seriously consider developing is empathetic listening. The weight loss process can be intense for some people and bring many strong emotions with it.
As a health coach, you will have to understand where your patient struggles and develop tailor-made strategies. As you can imagine, it’s not entirely stress free, but it can feel extremely fulfilling when you orchestrate positive change in a person’s life.
Health coaching isn’t the most lucrative field out there, but if you know how to hustle and are good with entrepreneurship, you’ll be fine.
3. Dental Hygienist
If you are someone who wants to stay away from even moderate amounts of stress, becoming a dental hygienist is a solid option. Let’s explore why. For one, most people in this field work part-time. This is because the job responsibilities don’t require the sort of long and high-intensity work hours that come with surgery or nursing.
The work you do is also relatively calm and, for some, quite cathartic! Most of it involves teaching patients preventive care and conducting routine cleaning on others. There are rarely any emergency or high-pressure situations that feel unmanageable.
The work can be challenging enough to avoid boredom. As a dental hygienist, you need to be able to focus and ensure dental procedures are as comfortable for your patient as possible. Naturally, switching to this career path will require some studying and certification.
According to Forbes Advisor, you should be able to complete a dental hygiene associate degree in about two or three years, after which you pass a written test and a clinical exam. The American Board of Dental Examiners conducts these. Sometimes agencies like the State Resources for Testing and Assessment (SRTA) or the Central Regional Dental Testing Services (CRDTS) are also involved.
Dental hygienists enjoy competitive pay. According to Indeed.com, the average base salary in 2024 was over $50 per hour. This was based on data from over 86,300 salary reports.
Long story short, while we only discussed three low-stress career paths in this article, rest assured, there are many more. If the high stress of hospitals is getting to you, then studying for a couple of years before switching paths isn’t a tough decision to make.
Lastly, try not to feel worried that your educational investment in healthcare is wasted by switching careers. With time and motivation, countless opportunities await.
