Am I making a mistake?

Katnip, RN · Oct 18, 2005

Do what you love.

Maybe that particular practice isn't what you needed. Try looking into holistic wellness centers. They're getting pretty popular.

Do you truly feel you can't handle ER or are you just apprehensive because of the change?

carachel2 · Oct 18, 2005

Hi guys!
Need some honest opinions. After being out of a hospital work for over 10 yrs,and doing many other things like home care, case management, UR etc...I've applied for the ER position, and much to my surprise was offered a job. It's 12 hour night tour (flex) . The only reason why applied is that hospital within a walking distance, and I used to do some paper pushing on-site, but never worked for them. I decided to get back to an acute care area, but now realizing that I'm getting myself into something more than I bargain for. I think I was kidding myself that after 15 yrs being an RN I want to go back, esp that 5 yrs of hospital work I did in the locked med/surg, and detox/psych unit (all in one :rotfl: ).I've tried med school,and understood that even though with some unprecidented effort I'll pull thru, but really didn't have a stamina for it. I also have a degree in Acupuncture, and feel like this is really what I want to do. Before the med school I had a joint practice with chiro and PMR doc. It's two and a half yrs later, I'm not there, and patients still ask for me by name. I guess I'm looking for some "convinient" way to balance between what I really want (building my private practice back), and having what I need (City Job) with all the "b"s and a pension. I really doubt myself if I could be on a real "front line" i.e. an ER? Any thoughts, suggestions, comments are really greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Paps:)

Are you in need of cash, a flexible job or are you trying to find your "niche?"

For me, I KNOW the ER is not my long term goal but it is a means to an end. I need to see a lot, learn a lot (for my advanced practice degree) and I needed the flexibility and the great $$. So it works for now.

Papadoc · Oct 18, 2005

Are you in need of cash, a flexible job or are you trying to find your "niche?"
For me, I KNOW the ER is not my long term goal but it is a means to an end. I need to see a lot, learn a lot (for my advanced practice degree) and I needed the flexibility and the great $$. So it works for now.

Hey Carachel2!

It's all of the above. You hit the nail on the head there. I'm really lookiking for an answer to "What I wanna be when I graw up." I know I have a great potential, but I can't seem to channel it in the "right", or at least in one identifiable direction. I'm all over the place. My seven year old dtr probably laughs at me. I've never been so confused in my life, and really unable to make any meaningful decisions. And if I do, I can't seem to follow thru with anything. Always feeling underachieved, and feeling like I have to prove something to myself. I never really went into a whole Freudian thing.But may be I'm overcoming some infiriority complex, and don't even know it. The truth is I've done quite a few things in my life, and had accomplished most of them. But once "there" insead of being "happy" I mess it all up, and move on into unknown. May be I'm taking Napoleon Hill's phrase "success is a journey, not a destination" way too seriously. I'm also leaning towards NP, sinse I decided not to continue with med school. But not so much as a primary profession. I wish I could be at peace with myself.:rotfl:

Thanks

Paps

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2005

Hi Paps. Just be very clear that your inexperienced and need lots of orientation and you'll be fine. Just make sure they don't throw you to the wolves too soon.

Good luck!

KatieBell · Oct 18, 2005

From your post, it seems you are having many second thoughts, (and third and fourth). It's possible that you don't want to do ED. It is *different* from all of your other experiences! (not very wholistic, IMHO).

It's also possible you will enjoy the fast pace and the different things seen daily.

However, you will probably find your orientation very challenging, and I'm pretty sure, not convienient.

Best Wishes!!!

Papadoc · Oct 18, 2005

Hi Paps. Just be very clear that your inexperienced and need lots of orientation and you'll be fine. Just make sure they don't throw you to the wolves too soon.
Good luck!

Hey Tweety! (Ahh, I thought I saw a puttycat:chuckle )

Yup!I couldn't stress the "inexperienced" part to them during the interview.But it may not register that much. They see lots and lots of other things on my resume in the past 15 yrs. But no real ER exp under my belt. Never done peds either. Quite frankly I'd be most terrified of a pediatric emergency. I'm also kind of worried about being able to function for 12 hrs Gotta few ails of my own. I have a "touch" of diabetes. Generally I control this beast well:lifting weights, jogging, swimming, low carbs. But switching night and day...I don't know. I just know I feel like total crap if I didn't sleep well for a couple of nights. That's one of the main reasons I' do not continue with med school. Don't thing could handle the residency, and on call thing.

Anyway, I don't want to sound like someone who's got more problems than they've got solutions. If there is a will there is a way. I'm just not sure if it's the "right" way for me, that's why I'm looking for excuses to justify not doing what needs to be done. The question is "what needs to be done?"

Thanks

Paps:)

carachel2 · Oct 18, 2005

Hey Carachel2!
It's all of the above. You hit the nail on the head there. I'm really lookiking for an answer to "What I wanna be when I graw up." I know I have a great potential, but I can't seem to channel it in the "right", or at least in one identifiable direction. I'm all over the place. My seven year old dtr probably laughs at me. I've never been so confused in my life, and really unable to make any meaningful decisions. And if I do, I can't seem to follow thru with anything. Always feeling underachieved, and feeling like I have to prove something to myself. I never really went into a whole Freudian thing.But may be I'm overcoming some infiriority complex, and don't even know it. The truth is I've done quite a few things in my life, and had accomplished most of them. But once "there" insead of being "happy" I mess it all up, and move on into unknown. May be I'm taking Napoleon Hill's phrase "success is a journey, not a destination" way too seriously. I'm also leaning towards NP, sinse I decided not to continue with med school. But not so much as a primary profession. I wish I could be at peace with myself.:rotfl:
Thanks
Paps

Just a thought, but since you enjoy long term relationships with your patient and you seem to need some career stability AND you have a critical care background AND you need some benefits of being a full-time employee..have you ever considered cardiac rehabilitation ?

Papadoc · Oct 18, 2005

Just a thought, but since you enjoy long term relationships with your patient and you seem to need some career stability AND you have a critical care background AND you need some benefits of being a full-time employee..have you ever considered cardiac rehabilitation ?

Hi Carachel again!

Unfortunetly I don't have any real critical care exp per se, but the unit I worked on during my hospital yrs (over 10 yrs ago) cared for HIV/AIDS,multi-drug resistent TB folks, with all kinds of AIDS related complex diseases. It was also locked unit because all of these folks had a dual Dx psych/substance abuse:uhoh3: .Lovely crowd:chuckle . Very good experience. Lots of codes. I really wanted to get day flex, and possibly not a full-time, but 2/3.It usually still comes with full health benefits, and a prorated other "b"s. But I just recently entertained the idea of going back to a hospital work. I realize now, that I don't really care what type of nursing I'd be doing, since nobody is interested in my Acupuncture profession in these big places. I guess it was another reason why I went to med school. I thought since I'm tired of fighting the system, I'll just become a part of it, and do my best in promoting what I believe in, but wearing a cap "MD" that has some weight. If I could do paper pushing part-time...but even if they hire you as such, you still wind up doing full-time, only unpaid.

So, decisions,decisions:uhoh3:

Thanks

Paps

Papadoc · Oct 19, 2005

From your post, it seems you are having many second thoughts, (and third and fourth). It's possible that you don't want to do ED. It is *different* from all of your other experiences! (not very wholistic, IMHO).
It's also possible you will enjoy the fast pace and the different things seen daily.
However, you will probably find your orientation very challenging, and I'm pretty sure, not convienient.
Best Wishes!!!

Hi KatieBell!

I had an FNP classmate at my Acupuncture school. She works in the busiest NY City hospital Level1 trauma. From what she told me when we were still in touch (she graduated one year before me), she is managing many asthmatics with acupuncture quite successfully, sometimes without any use of steroids. I understand it's a special arrangment that she has with the hospital. And by any stretch of imagination that's not the only thing that she does there:chuckle . But the term "holistic", and/or "alternative" is used rather loosly in today's health care. Usually the reference is made to the "spirituality" aspect of the Oriental Medicine, which has it's place. But there is so much more to it than I could begin to describe. There are many, many resuscitation options in Acupuncture, and generally managing the acute syndromes. It's used quite well in emergency, and even battle field situations, granted outside of the US. In many European contries, Japan, South Korea you could not be an acupuncturist, before becoming an MD. I can tell you that I've been very successful in Tx many things, including full recovery of the loss of function of the extremeties post CVA. Using scalp acupuncture. So it's all relative. Thanks for your input.

Paps:)

Really An Actress · Oct 23, 2005

You'll never know until you try. Sometimes certain kinds of nursing fill an inner need we didn't know we had. I'm rather the opposite of you, Paps, I love my emergencies but part of me wants to try massage therapy for my patients. In fact, you've just inspired me to research acupuncture!

ER attracts nurses from all areas-everything you bring in terms of experience is beneficial in some way. As Tweety, recommended, make sure you feel you're orientation is adequate.