Why I Left Bedside NICU Nursing and How Per Diem Saved My Career

This is a guest article, contributed by Jessie Ford, RN

The mother of my NICU patient looked like she was about to leave – not just the lobby, but the hospital campus altogether. 

I understood why. Her baby had been with us for weeks. She was in the early days of recovery, and was riddled with fear that her child might never be able to join her in the next chapter of her life. These were overwhelming feelings to have on top of those usually experienced by any parent of a child in the NICU. For these parents, every beep can sound like a foreboding alarm, and every lab value can feel like a verdict. 

I was caring for several babies that day, but I knew this mother needed more than just a vitals update. So I paused. I explained what the care plan looked like, what progress her baby had made, what the next steps were. I translated medical jargon into human language. I helped her see herself not as a visitor in a sterile, fluorescent-lit hospital campus, but as a mother. 

That’s what we do in the NICU. We care for critically ill newborns, but the part that isn’t in the job description is how we also care for their parents. Every day, we’re helping families get through what may be the hardest moments of their lives thus far. The chart doesn’t show how much time we spend coaching scared moms and dads through another setback, or comforting a parent who hasn’t left the hospital in days. 

Those moments matter, but they’re also why so many nurses burn out. The emotional burden of nursing is heavy on the shoulders of every nurse, whether they’re in an emergency room, a clinic, or a school. A recent survey found that 96% of nurses are seriously considering leaving the profession, and 83% feel burned out at least weekly. Wherever we are, our emotional capacity is limited further by rigid scheduling, short-staffed units, and little room to breathe and recollect. 

But in the NICU, the emotional toll of nursing is magnified in ways it isn’t anywhere else. It makes sense why so many of us reach a breaking point. I reached mine last year. 

I spent years as a full-time staff nurse in my local NICU, working the night shift. I was told I was three years away from a chance at working days. Three years felt like an eternity. I loved my team, my patients, and their families, but I needed more balance. So, I stepped away from the traditional career pathway and trailblazed my own. 

Per Diem Gave Me Flexibility

Today, I work as a per diem nurse and pick up local shifts on my own terms. I’m still connected to the unit where I started my career. They know they can call me when things get tight – and I can say yes because I’m not burned out. I’m rested. I’m ready. I’m doing this work because I want to, not because I’m tethered to a schedule that doesn’t leave room for me to live a life.

That flexibility has made a world of difference, both for me and for the families I care for. 

Every health system is struggling with staffing right now, and has been for years. Shortages, turnover, and burnout aren’t isolated to one unit or one region. And while long-term workforce planning is essential, we also need more immediate, responsive solutions – strategies and tools that give nurses like me more control over our schedules and allow health systems to meet demand in real time. 

On-demand per diem staffing isn’t just convenient for nurses. It’s critical for health systems. It allows hospitals to tap into a skilled, credentialed, local workforce that’s ready to step in when needed. It gives nurses a way to stay in the profession without sacrificing their mental health or personal lives. It allows people like me – experienced, committed nurses – to stay connected to the bedside. 

That’s what real flexibility looks like. It’s not just a perk, but a way forward. In the NICU, that matters a lot. The babies we treat require highly specialized care. Health systems require nurses who understand both medicine and the magnitude of the moment – people who know how to adjust a feeding plan and how to talk a terrified mother through another tough night. They need people who have competence, compassion, and the mental capacity to manage both. 

Nurses need the space to show up as the best version of ourselves. We want to provide compassionate care. We want to stay in this work, but we need the flexibility to do it. The more hospitals can open up to alternative staffing models, nurse-driven scheduling, and new ways of thinking about capacity and flow, the more they can retain the people who keep healthcare running. 

And the more moments we’ll have to provide not just care, but comfort. 

🤔 Nurses, share your thoughts in the discussion forum below.