Working with stipulations

Nurses Recovery

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rngaltx

21 Posts

Specializes in ED, dialysis.

Yes Fresenius is VERY recovery friendly. Give them a shot. I went on their site, saw the locations hiring and went in person with resume in hand. Dialysis is a very rewarding area to work in. Let us know how it goes. Good luck!!

backtowork

146 Posts

Specializes in u name it.

Hello Allnurses friends in recovery..wanted to post that my situation has drastically changed this past few days. My main focus has been finding a job.. until my 96 year old mother with dementia fell and broke her right hip at the nursing home. I have been so disgusted and embarrassed about my field of choice in the past few days..:grn: from the nursing home through the hospital stay..where are the caring nurses, compassionate doctors, dedicated social workers????? :crying2:.they were absent during the last 4 days, so I demanded to take my mother home with me on home hospice after her hip replacement 3 days ago.

The self righteous/self serving ortho surgeon wanted to make sure he pushed her to the point of olympic competition( defensive medicine) and when I said my focus was on her comfort.. not cure for her..he said to me, and I quote.."well I hope you are not TOO disappointed when your mother does not die in 6 months on hospice" I mean..really????. This is a woman who was born in 1915..she lived thru a time when women could't even vote , her first car was a model A..endured 2 world wars, the last one (WWII) my dad was gone for 2 years overseas..the depression..on and on..she was married to my dad for 64 years before he passed 5 years ago. She raised a family on the farm and found time to cook ,clean, wash, grow and can every vegetable and fruit imaginable...and plow..and This surgeon is going to judge me for refusing his aggressive painful care plan when she weighs 85 lbs and has profound osteoporosis and dementia?? :confused:

Anyway enough venting..my point is that my focus is not at this point finding a job..but rather being the full time caregiver for my mother in my home. I am so fortunate to have a husband who supports this and values family above all else. I have enough morphine and Ativan in my fridge to put down a large horse and thanks to my HP and recovery..I will not make bad choices today. My HP has brought me to this point in my nursing career .I am so so blessed to be her nurse today..and DO IT RIGHT.

I am going to stay active in this forum because someday I will be back to the job market.. (if I can ever get past my disillusion with healthcare today) but more importantly..because of the cyber strength and resolve ya'll give me. That.. with my friends, family and my real life network will get me thru..one day at a time..God bless us.each and everyone. Thank you my friends :heartbeat:redbeathe

Trauma Columnist

traumaRUs, MSN, APRN

88 Articles; 21,249 Posts

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Backtowork - I wish you well. Your Mom is a lucky person.

backtowork

146 Posts

Specializes in u name it.

Thank you traumarus..I feel like I am the lucky one.

Specializes in LTC, Psych, Med/Surg.

Back to work--you are a wonderful daughter & don't you dare let that arrogant doctor imply that you are anything else! :mad:

Please accept my best wishes that you can care for your mom and keep her as comfortable as her condition permits.

I don't have human children (2 cats & a dog are my furkids)and I used to think that people with kids automatically had care from their grateful offspring when they needed it in old age. :no: After I worked for a few years in nursing homes, I saw that many children could not care less about their ailing parents or may even take advantage of them.

Anyway, I am glad your mom has you to look out for her best interests.

Please accept a big cyber ***HUG*** from me and I hope you will let us recovering nurses in this forum know how you and your mom are doing.

Best wishes,

Catmom :paw:

maelstrom143

398 Posts

Specializes in PCU.

Best of luck taking care of your mom. Thank God for supportive family!

backtowork

146 Posts

Specializes in u name it.

Thank you catmom and maelstom 143. You are the exact, very caring, family supportive nurses that made me want to be a nurse in the first place.

You know..it is funny..whenever I give my Mom some of the Ativan topical cream or sublingual Morphine, I chart it in my own self designed documentation record...The hospice does not require for me to do this, but it is so ingrained in me to document reasons for medications, time given and then, relief documentation.. that I feel I must keep this record. It is so weird going from career nurse to lay care giver in this respect. I mean they bring in this ginormous box of controlled substances and say " make sure you keep it in the frig"..that's it. No pixus, no documenting in three places, no counts. I think a lot of my need to document my care for my Mom is based out of fear that the BON nazis could come into my own home and make allegations against me. This is so crazy and yet I feel like I am always the subject of a witch hunt and always will be..long after my 1 year of stips are up.

That being said, I am wondering what shall I do if my Mom is still with me when my BON ordered stips begin in Jan 2012? How do I explain to them that A..I cannot go out and get a job while being the primary care giver for Mom..B. I cannot just hop in the car and go to drop when my color comes up..C. I cannot drive across the state to take the required classes.

I posed these questions to my attorney and he responded by saying the BON does not give one hoot about you, your Mom or your problem with compliance and "perhaps bringing your dying mother home to care for her was not the best choice at this time if you really wanted to keep your NL"..:uhoh3: He said he would send them the documentation to prove I could not meet the stips while caring for Mom .but they will most likely suspend my license for non compliance. So ....what have I gained by my legal representation..Same outcome if I had gone it alone..but $6K lighter in the wallet.

Well guess what..next time I will be sure to ask my 96 year old mother to consult with attorney and the BON before she breaks a hip so we can see when the best time for them is...right? :devil::mad::devil:

I have read a lot of Jackstem's posts and I agree with his recommendation to seek legal advice..I would just like to say..that this is by no means an antidote to the BON's witch hunt mentality problem.

I know my looking ahead 2 months and asking "what if" is not working the program 1 day at a time, but we are also told we need to make the best choices today for the best outcomes tomorrow. I am really questioning how much I value keeping my license and continuing in healthcare as a licensed professional at this point. I am wondering if working under the BON, restricted or not, is healthy for ANYONE'S recovery..or is it a toxic relationship we have all been told to avoid to maintain our sobriety? The entire system seems so convoluted, random, judgmental, and punitive. (Sounds like a bad marriage..doesn't it?) I wonder how many nurses out there love being a nurse, love the profession, but are no longer willing to deal with the BON system? Is a relationship this toxic really a good thing? :confused:

backtowork

146 Posts

Specializes in u name it.

Update..My dear mother passed in our home with my husband and I at her bedside on Thursday morning at 0200. She was comfortable, safe, and loved to her last breath. I am so grateful to God to have had her last precious days with me as her care giver and daughter.

Now, I must look ahead at what is my future. As I said in my last post, my disillusionment and dismay over the health care system I have witnessed in the last 10 days is still present. I am very fortunate my mother has left me a sizable estate and also know I am not going to sit back and not work and drain the funds she worked so hard to save..so..where does my search for employment take me now..my gut tells me to follow the advice of ya'll and my nurse friends to look at dialysis and nursing homes to work off my stips and maintain my license..damaged as it is and always will be. My creative, free spirit says..let that piece go and find a job you can love and respect again..go to Vet tech school and work with animals is a dream I always considered as a partial retirement job..but is it what is best for me and my recovery..I just do not know. Please weigh in if you have any advice on this at all. Luckily, it's not about money..it's about recovery for me and nothing else. I am blessed in this respect. Please tell me if you were I..what would you do?

maelstrom143

398 Posts

Specializes in PCU.

My eyes teared up when I read your above post. I am so very sorry for your family's loss and so very happy that your mother passed in such a dignified manner, surrounded by love and safety. I wish more of our elderly could have such an experience.

As far as your career choices...follow your heart. If you do not need the money that badly, either nursing or vet tech school make good sense. In either one, you will be caring for those that cannot care for themselves, that may be frightened, confused, alone...in either situation your compassionate care will make a difference, if even for one shift. And those patients, at least to me, make all the difference.

Choose the one that you think will support you in your recovery process. God bless and best of luck in your search.:hug:

TXRN2

324 Posts

backtowork- wow- what an experience! i think you should take some time to sort through your feelings, let the dust settle... you've been through a lot. i know it can be very disillusioning, disconcerting when you view nursing, etc from the patient/family member viewpoint. don't let that disillusion you- let it strengthen your resolve to be the best, most compassionate nurse you can be- be the nurse that patients & their family members will love & remember! there are many people who are nurses for the wrong reason- & it shows in the way they treat people. best of luck to you- you did an amazing thing for your mother! God bless you, put your recovery first - the rest will eventually fall in to place!

jmo1231

70 Posts

Specializes in adult health , critical care.

Dear Backtowork,so sorry for your loss at least your Mom died with love and support of her family. I am sure you have some difficult decisions to make in the near future. My advice (only because you asked lol) is to not give up Nursing based on the experiences with some in the healthcare field. I know you are in a difficult position but use this experience to help others oneday. The great thing about Nursing it is such a diverse field there are so many different facets to explore. The stips on your license Yes,is an issue, but someone somehow out there will hire you ! Remember you worked hard for your license to throw it all away because of some bad eggs that I know are everywhere not just Nursing.....It wasnt to long ago we all were in negative positions and still are but cant throw it all away. Of course I want to some days as well Believe me! This too shall pass and life will go on but my advice is Dont give up your Nursing License! The profession needs compassionate,caring nurses like you! Deepest sympathy to your loss.

backtowork

146 Posts

Specializes in u name it.

Wow..Thank you so much to all who responded to my query with the kindness and wisdom I have always loved and admired these qualities in our shared profession. I needed that "kick start" to get my head back in the game and to see how fortunate I am to have choices. I read here so often about nurses in our "situation" having so few choices and are facing financial ruin, bankruptcy, and homelessness...I am ashamed of my own whining and have re found my "attitude of gratitude" that I seemed to have misplaced here recently.

Today, I will pull myself up by my bootstraps and hit the job search again with an open mind about all the great direction you have provided me, and any other opportunities which may present.

Let's make sure we keep sharing our combined strength and wisdom on this forum so we can continue to lift each other up in recovery and all of it's blessings. :heartbeat:nurse::heartbeat

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