New nurse with severe osteoarthritis and a bad knee

Nurses Disabilities

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Hi everyone! I have been reading everyone's posts and it sounds like a lot of the things that I have. At least I am not alone. I just got my RN license last week. I am desperate for a job. I have 2 disabled children and my hubby is retired. I am the only one left who can work. My other son is working now and has been helping me since I quit my last job so that I can get through school. Well, school is over. I am nervous now cause I am having difficulty finding a job. I want to work for our hospital but I am afraid no one will hire me. I am walking better than I was. I have a curvature of the spine with degenerative joint disease of spine, with osteoarthritis in bilateral knees, hips, and spine. I need a job so bad. I don't know what to do. I don't want to go back to long term care and I am in my early 40's. I want to do something different. I started out as a LPN in a hospital, moved and then I worked in long term care until I had to quit to finish school and because I was literally almost in a wheelchair. I don't have that much swelling now, but my knee wants to lock up every now and then. And most of the jobs I have seen available are psych or you have to have a bachelor's degree. I don't have that yet and I am not enrolled in college right now because I have to pay for my RN schooling first. Our area is getting a new hospital which is opening soon, and I am thinking of applying for general surgery. What do you think I should do? I have to work, I can't quit now. I am walking and I passed my physical and I can lift up to 50 lbs but not over that. I haven't been to my regular doctor in over a year or so because I had no money and no job and no insurance. What do I do? What can I apply for?

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Specializes in Care Coordination, MDS, med-surg, Peds.

I understand what you are saying with the arthritis and bad knees. Mine knees are in full sympathy with you!

You stated that you were an LPN in LTC. If you have several years experience, you might conside a position in the MDS or medical records areas of the LTC. There is some walking, but not as much as floor staff.

In a hospital setting, I can't think of an area that would not walk you half to death.

Have you looked at urgent care clinics, School nursing, or home health? These ares may be somehat gentler on bad knees....

I work as an MDS coordinator and it works pretty good. I do use a cane to ambulate.

Best wishes and good thoughts headed your way!

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I saw a job posting for MDS. What is required? I don't have my bachelors yet.

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I saw a job posting for MDS. What is required? I don't have my bachelors yet.

MDS is an administrative task that involves compiling assessments from all the other staff, filling out forms, sending them to the state, and creating care plans, and many other tasks. Any nurse can do it, depending on whether the DON/company wants LPN or RN. Lot of computer time and regulatory tasks and issues as well as utilization review and case management. OP- sounds like a good job for her, due to her mobility- beats pushing a 2000 pound med cart. See MDS section in this forum. In general, it's sort of like creating long form tax returns for every patient, except the tax returns can be due several times a year, and much of the revenue from your accuracy of those tax returns is based on your competency. Intense, but sort of fun, really.

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Would I get proper training if I get a job like that??? The last job I had they only gave me less than a week and that's it I was on the floor on my own

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The MDS job sounds good. Maybe you should also consider applying for psych as well. What about clinic positions or chemical dependency?

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Umm, I was never good in Psych, like I failed that class once and had to repeat it. I don't like psych at all. I used to work in LTC, and it was mostly psych pts, and it just turned me against psych altogether and then when I went to school, I just dreaded it and hated it the whole entire time. I don't know what to do, but I need a job and bad. I am going to apply for the health department and there is another job position I am interested in, but I am not sure whether to apply or not it is for General Surgery night shift from 7p to 7a. How many surgeries are at night? I am not a night person, but if you get hired on at our local hospital, then you usually start working nights. I can't find an MDS job posting anymore, there's none listed. There is a ADON in a LTC but it is about 40 minutes away. I want more time with my family but the health department only start out like 14 dollars an hour and that is far less than what I was getting as a LPN. But at least it is money and I would have more time off with my family. I don't know anymore.

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Here is a job I have found in my area for General Surgery. This is the description:

  • Assesses/evaluates, plans, implements, reassesses/reevaluates the needs of the patient/family
  • Responsible for discharge planning of the patient
  • Provides health educational needs for patients/families
  • Manages patient care assignment
  • Assists with meeting shift staffing guidelines on short notice while acting as relief charge
  • Demonstrates leadership and professional development/clinical competency
  • Responsible and accountable for the professional and technical skills for delivery of care specific to the needs of the patient population
  • Performs other staff related duties

    What do you think? Do you think I would be pulled to another floor to work if I chose this job? I don't know what kind of "other staff related duties" they are talking about.

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What about a staff development coordinator? I saw a job posting for that. I used to get nervous in front of crowds when I was younger, but I am interested. A person told me when I worked in long term care before that I would make a good one for that job.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I loved the Staff Development part of my LTC jobs. Teaching is a lot of fun in many ways---it's so gratifying when you can see the connections being made in a learner's brain and they GET IT! :D

Come to think of it........maybe that's what MY next job should be.....I'm looking too.

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I don't know what to do. I've been researching for jobs and if you go to home health they want 1 year of experience, but I don't know if that means as a RN or any clinical experience. I need a job. I need something that I can do with my bad knee. I have had 4 1/2 years of long term care experience and I've had med surg experience of less than one year prior to that job. I just need to get some RN experience. I don't know what to do anymore. I am losing hope.

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I scratched the general surgery job, I was told by an employee who works there that the general surgery job is too hard for an entry level RN. She gave me advice about critical care or the Med Surg FAmily unit first. I thought of transitional care since I've had some long term care experience. I don't know.

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