[Brita01]

I've been an LPN for 4 years. I work for agency and I just started doing part time home health. I've gotten to the point where I'd rather wonder how I'm going to pay my bills than take another med/surg or telemetry shift. The thought of having to go in for a 12 or even an 8 hour shift now fills me with dread and gives me an upset stomach. Not even the fact that I could be making GOOD money entices me. Is this what they call burnout? I know it's insanity. I'd rather not have enough money to pay my bills than choose to work a shift in a hospital. Thank God for home health.

[sjoe]

Yep. Some early signs.
It can get a lot worse if you don't find some way to deal with the stress. See if you can find some stress management courses locally or talk with a counselor.
Or take a vacation and think about what you WANT to do with your days. Facing them with dread is not a reasonable long-term option.
Best wishes.

[Starkid2616]

Britia, Yes it sure sounds like you have a case of the burnout blues! I felt the very same way. It took me 15 years to find out though. If you are that unhappy maybe you should seriously consider something else. I recently left nursing and are working from home, and I love it. Will always keep my license and
keep up my skills. However i realized their is a whole wonderful world out there waiting if yiu choose to look. And above all it is never to late to change paths. take care.

[Starkid2616]

SJoe , i surely appreciate your qoute under your name. You sound like a tough dude or dudette. But you are right. What aspect of nursing do you work? just curious.

[Brita01]

Thanks guys for your responses. I am trying to get into home health full time, which is a type of nursing that I LOVE. I get to focus fully on one patient at a time, actually sit and have a conversation with them, play with their pets . There are no phone calls at the desk from doctors or family members interrupting the task at hand. No meds to pass for 7 to 8 patients. No calling doctors on new patients during med pass to say they didn't get "such and such" that they take at home, which can draw med pass out to 3 hours and over. No patients climbing out of bed to worry about. No admits coming to the floor taking away time that I didn't have in the first place. No aching feet.... I could go on and on. Did I say thank God for home health?

[mrh1953]

Brita--

I did agency nursing (a longgg time ago) and I burned out! I stayed out of nursing for several years and then returned to a part-time consulting position. The money in the new job was livable and the hours were great! Also, I had far less stress.

For one thing, I was now in a consistent situation where I got to know the clients and other staff very well. For another, I wasn't constantly going from place to place, sometimes getting stuck into some pretty interesting situations (such as passing meds in a place I'd never been before an hour after arriving).

Agency nursing can be very challenging. Maybe a vacation (as someone else suggested) and then a change might help.

Don't burn out like I did. There are *so* many choices these days (unless you are WAY in the sticks!)

Best of luck. Let us know how you resolve this.

Margaret

[Youda]

Brita01, what is that old saying? I can't remember it word for word, so paraphrasing, "Stress is the overwhelming need to choke the living daylights out of someone and knowing that you can't."

Well, burnout is when you've stuffed the stress so long that it's starting to come out in physical symptoms. If you don't take care of this now, you'll end up on antidepressants and neurotic like the rest of us! Seriously, though, do what your heart, mind, and body is telling you to do. Get the hell out of there!

[Brita01]

Well I couldn't get into home health full time like I wanted because the visits just weren't there. But I have found my new dream job in private duty. I take care of one patient at night for 12 hours. It's such a great, no stress job, I can't believe I'm getting paid to do it. The most major thing I have to do for my patient is give a bath and straight caths prn. Then he sleeps for most of the nite while I watch cable or read a book. I do this for 3 nights a week and work on a med/surg or telemetry floor one night out of the week. I'm keeping up my skills by working med/surg once a week, and I'm no longer stressed when I walk onto the floor because I know after my 12 hours are up, I won't be back for another week. It's great! Things are looking up, and I'm finally making money to pay my bills again.