med surg nurse desperate for something new

Do you have any sort of certifications?
Have you thought of critical care? I would get my ACLS and PALS before I changed jobs.

If I were you I would try critical care before leaving the hospital. If you didn't like ICU you could always go to PACU....that shouldn't be too physically strenuous.

I did home health for 5 years and loved it! I have been out of it since 1998, and I know there have been lots of changes, but it is still a very nice chage of pace. It is less physically demanding although after getting in and out of your car 50 times a day, you may question that. Occasionally, I did need to do some lifting or pulling but it was rare to have to do it by myself. I loved the 1 on 1 teaching and oportunities to see people in their own environment and not the cold hospital setting.

The big downside is the paperwork. I thought I had seen bad paperwork before, but "you ain't seen nothing" till you see what they have for you in home health. You must justify every step you take, every 4x4 you use and do it so medicare or an insurance company will pay for it. I spent more time doing paper work than patient care, but I still loved it.

Another downside is for some reason, if you do home health awhile, hospitals think you went on a vacation and went braindead while you were gone. Nothing could be farther from the truth. You use all of your creativity and assessment skills in the field. Even though I had been an ER/ICU nurse for nearly 20 years before I went into home health, I had to "prove" myself again when I needed to get back into ER. My employer let me start PRN until I could prove that I had not reverted to new grad status.

Good luck in your search, there are lots of options in nursing.

I went from LTC, to Med Surg to Hospice and am loving every minute of it.! Its been absolutley wonderful! I have found my niche!

Critical care, although quite rewarding, is not the best place to work with a bad back in most facilities. Many of the patients require maximal assistance and lifting help can be hard to find at times. PACU can require a lot of transferring of patients.

Home health is a great option. Depending on your educational background, nurse education may be an option. Good luck!

Hello,

Home Health Care is a field that offers a flexible schedule and also allows nurses the opportunity to offer one on one patient care versus having to take care of many patients at one time in a hospital unit.

My company is known for its' high quality patient care. As an RN you can chose to work per-diem or as a Core RN where you can become a Case Manager, Homecare Supervisor, Director of Health Care Services, Administrator or even Regional Administrator. It is a great career path that offers a lot of variety.

For more information you may e-mail me at
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Michelle