Hi all, I’m back to bother you again! I posted a few weeks ago about taking a break from work due to issues with bipolar disorder. I spoke to my manager and charge nurse and they want me to come back, even after learning of my diagnosis. They’re aware of the mistakes I’ve made at work and say none are major and it’s common while getting used to a new job. They think I’m exaggerating how bad I am at the job, which may be true because I catastrophize.
it’s very nice that they want me back, but I think trying to keep up in a fast paced PACU is too much for me. I struggle to get patients out before another one comes out and the stress is bad. I’m thinking of working at a clinic for the elderly that looks like a perfect fit; slower pace and lower acuity. The pay is MUCH lower (practically half!) but my partner and I live for almost free with her mom (don’t hate, Bay Area is crazy and we do the cooking/cleaning, house is paid off!) Has anyone taken a big pay cut and not regretted it? I’m learning money isn’t everything! Thanks for your feedback!!
Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.
39 minutes ago, 2BS Nurse said:
Wow, where do you live that inpatient leadership makes that much more money?
I'm curious too! I know here in the Bay Area hospital leadership makes a lot. At the county hospital salaries are public, so one day when he was mad at our manager my coworker looked up her salary and it was close to $300,000. She had worked at the hospital since she was a new grad and been manager for about 10 years so I'm not sure what her starting pay was.
Even for that much money I'd never be a manager (not that they would hire me!). It looks like so much stress and long hours, always on call and putting out fires.
I think you should worry about your Bipolar first, because stress is great catalyst for an oncet. And remember that you have a partner.
You never can tell the straw that breaks the camel's back. Don't take your relationship for granted even though you might be perfectly happy now. You owe it to your partner to be in good health especially as you can see what this pandemic can do to people.
You never know what politician might be in power and you can't bank on stability anymore.
You also know that if you begin a new job, there's going to be an assessment period and additional stress re performance and new relationships, responsibilities etc. You have a condition that needs to be looked after in exactly the same way as an insulin dependent diabetic.
Good luck and hope you reduce your stress and be happy.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
18 hours ago, LibraNurse27 said:
I'm curious too! I know here in the Bay Area hospital leadership makes a lot. At the county hospital salaries are public, so one day when he was mad at our manager my coworker looked up her salary and it was close to $300,000. She had worked at the hospital since she was a new grad and been manager for about 10 years so I'm not sure what her starting pay was.
Even for that much money I'd never be a manager (not that they would hire me!). It looks like so much stress and long hours, always on call and putting out fires.
I'm still putting out fires, but at least now, all fires take place between 7a-7p, and never on Sundays. Whereas before, there were 24/7 fires, and I often had to come into work on weekends.
I recently interviewed for a job I REALLY wanted (back in inpatient leadership in Denver, where most of my family and friends live) and I was very honest about my need for work/life balance, and it was that honesty that caused me to not get hired.
I recently interviewed for a job I REALLY wanted (back in inpatient leadership in Denver, where most of my family and friends live) and I was very honest about my need for work/life balance, and it was that honesty that caused me to not get hired.
It's been my experience that during the interview process, most employers only give lip service to the idea of a work/life balance. Their idea of the concept and mine alway seem to diverge widely on this point! Working full time hours and being constantly barraged for voluntary (soon to be mandatory) additional shifts is not what I have in mind when I think of a 'work/life balance'.
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
On 9/23/2021 at 1:59 PM, LibraNurse27 said:
Thank you! That is very encouraging as mental illness is often not looked at as equal to having a physical illness.
And I think it’s worse in healthcare than it is in many other professions. You’d think nurses and managers would be more compassionate towards and understanding of colleagues with mental illness, but it’s not like that at all. I learned this the hard way when I confided to my management that I’d been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and found myself out of a job a few months later. Of course, on the surface it was because I “wasn’t a team player” (it took them two years to decide that??!) but the timing was too neat to be a coincidence.
I thought it was a one-off, but the same thing happened a year later at another job. I was struggling in the position and with my moods, and I let the bipolar cat out of the bag. Bad move: I was let go almost immediately. This time the reason given was that I was too slow picking up on things, and while that wasn’t far from the truth, the timing stunk. But I couldn’t prove it, and when I went to my intake interview at the unemployment office, the worker told me I should think about applying for disability. (Which I did, successfully, after six fruitless months of looking for other jobs.)
So now I advise people to keep their “nonconformities” quiet if at all possible, especially mental health concerns. There are some employers who are more accepting of nurses with health problems, but I suspect they’re in the minority. Healthcare facilities are first and foremost *businesses,* with offices full of lawyers who know their way around the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.
@VivaLasViejas Ah that is terrible, I’m sorry your managers were not more compassionate. I did disclose at my 2 previous jobs and it went OK, except that my hospital manager always said she was worried the job made my mental health worse. Guess she was right! I’m accepting that I need to reframe how I see myself as a nurse and what specialties are realistic for me, and that’s OK!
I’m glad it worked out for you to get disability, because I really think nursing, especially acute care is so stressful for anyone, and even more so for those with a mental illness. You put in your time and I’m sure you provided great care while you were working!
I want to reveal my social anxiety disorder at my new job, but I’m terrified what they may think about me. I wanted to reveal it so nobody thinks I’m stuck up or I don’t like them due to my behaviors. I’m not a talker and I can already see coworkers getting irritated. I do say good morning and hello, but it’s not enough I guess.
Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.
5 hours ago, Runsoncoffee99 said:
I want to reveal my social anxiety disorder at my new job, but I’m terrified what they may think about me
I hope you can find the courage to do so! But since interacting with people is part of the disorder I can see why it would be really hard. In my experience being open with people has always turned out well, so I hope if you decide to disclose people will be understanding ?
I hope you can find the courage to do so! But since interacting with people is part of the disorder I can see why it would be really hard. In my experience being open with people has always turned out well, so I hope if you decide to disclose people will be understanding ?
The strangest thing is, I can easily interact with patients,whether it’s peds or adults. It’s my coworkers I have problems with.
I was 20 when I became a nurse. Of course, at that age, our brains aren’t fully developed. That’s when the panic attacks started, oddly enough. But then I started working in home care, and the social anxiety was minimized and barely there. Now I’m back on the floor and it’s starting up again.
2BS Nurse, BSN
703 Posts
"I make about $50,000/year less in my current job than I could make if I were still in hospital leadership".
Wow, where do you live that inpatient leadership makes that much more money?
"All the money in the world isn’t worth sacrificing your health."
Amen to that!