[nurscee]

I'm tired of working in the shark pit (med/surg in hospital)
Thinking of public health nursing. I've GOT to find something at least a little less stressful or I'll go bonkers!

[VivaLasViejas]

Public health generally requires a BSN, so if you hold an ADN or diploma, you may have a tough time getting into it. It also pays rather poorly as compared with acute care or LTC. However, I'm sure there are rural areas which have difficulty staffing their public health clinics and would be delighted to have nurses of any kind; also, there are other types of nursing, such as occupational health and assisted-living nursing, that are considerably less stressful than Med/Surg.

I don't blame you for wanting out. I used to think I was a tough old bird until the last year I worked M/S, when a combination of stress and its ensuing health problems, grueling physical labor, and bad management got the better of me and drove me to quit nine days before Christmas. Now that I'm in a vastly different position that allows me to set my own pace, I realize more and more how truly awful that situation was, and I urge anyone who is unhappy in their job to jump ship as soon as humanly possible---life is just too darn short to be miserable at work.

Good luck to you. Do some research, find out what appeals to you, and then GO FOR IT!!! You have nothing to lose but your stress!!!

[nurscee]

I've checked some things out. In my state having an assoc. degree isn't a problem. Just pays less.
I haven't turned in an application yet. Just afraid I may be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
I really don't know much about public health.
I have mental pictures of giving immunizations and the like.
But what if I'm wrong and it's all crayzzeee.
Sounds like you are happy with it though.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply.

[VivaLasViejas]

Originally Posted by nurscee

I've checked some things out. In my state having an assoc. degree isn't a problem. Just pays less.
I haven't turned in an application yet. Just afraid I may be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
I really don't know much about public health.
I have mental pictures of giving immunizations and the like.
But what if I'm wrong and it's all crayzzeee.
Sounds like you are happy with it though.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply.

Oops, I appear to have misled you........I'm not a public-health nurse, I'm the director of health services for a local assisted living community. I apologize.

I would have liked PH nursing, I'm sure, but not having a BSN, I don't qualify for such a position here in my neck of the woods, even though I'm bilingual (Spanish/English). That's OK, though, I've done quite a lot of different things with my ADN, and I'm very content with what I'm doing now. ALL jobs entail a certain amount of stress, but as I've learned, it's much easier to cope with when you can control it to some degree. Whenever I feel overwhelmed now, I can shut the door to my office for a few moments and gather my thoughts, or I can retreat to some resident's room and visit for a little while, which clears my head and is enjoyable to boot.

"Overwhelmed", however, is relative.........nowadays, it just means that I'm trying to do too many things at one time. In my M/S days, it meant doing too many things for too many people, too much strain on my back and feet, and too much crabbing from management that I wasn't doing ENOUGH.

[nurscee]

Oh, now I get ya.
You are absolutely right about management in med/surg. It's just the cherry on the rotten cake.
Sadly, the patients miss out. The very ones I care about most.
Today I'm going to pick up an application for PHN.
I can only speak English and bad English, so not so sure they will want me.
If not there, I will look in other directions.
Thankyou for your guidance.
I really would like to hear from others too.
I'm on the brink of giving up on nursing all together.