Community case managers...do you ever miss the hospital?

Specialties Case Management

Published

Specializes in med-surg, OR.

I am contemplating a career change. The thing is I have worked so hard to get where I am, and I enjoy the excitement of the hospital. But my home life suffers to be able to do it. I commute 1hr each way to work, for every shift. The 12s were hard driving home after nights. I tried 8s, so I went part-time because of the commute, which resulted in a pay cut.

There is some positions near by working as a home care case manager, its half the travel distance, and the pay is better. I am good with people one on one in small groups, and enjoy the "business" atmosphere and the idea of more autonomy. I am 5 yrs into my career. Do you ever miss the adrenaline of the hospital, was it worth the trade off for normal hours? I just am worried about kicking myself down the road.

Not for a New Yawk minute, you should pardon the expression.

Well, sorta, but not really. I was in shock when I first lost my hospital job to a reorg. Like most nurses with hospital careers, I thought I'd be there forever, I loved it, I was good at it, had great reviews. But the budget was slashed and there went my specialist job.

So three weeks later I'm still in shock, but I'm in a CM job with a third-party administration company (work comp, benefits and case management for other companies who didn't want to do it themselves), and the boss comes in and says, "Everybody up and out, XYZ Insurance Co is taking us all to lunch." And as I am sitting in this very lovely restaurant with china and linen and glassware, surrounded by terrific nurses who are smart and funny, and it's getting on towards 2pm, I suddenly said to myself, "Hell, I never had a job like this in nursing before!"

And I have never, never looked back.

I think you will be surprised how intense home care nursing can get.

Specializes in Pedi.

Not in the least. I have zero thoughts of ever going back to the hospital.

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