I have had some what I thought was soft tissue inflammation in a part of my body (won't specify where, as I have mentioned the pain at work and don't want to identify myself) for the better part of a year now. I tried to manage it myself with ice, NSAIDs, stretching, exercises, and splinting, but the pain has gotten worse. It reached a head earlier this week and I finally decided to seek treatment.
What the doctor told me was that I apparently have severe nerve damage and tendon inflammation as a direct result of what I do at work every day. I may need corrective surgery but there is more testing to be done yet to determine that. I have no curve in my upper spine because I have so much tension in my shoulders and neck. There was no specific one time incident that "caused" this, it's just the result of being a nurse in an area of nursing that requires heavy lifting and heavy work for 20 years, so it's not a worker's comp type issue.
She said I need to leave bedside nursing. I have no idea what I'm going to do, as my childcare situation makes it so that I cannot work a typical 9-5 office job. I would need summers off, because the cost of care for my special needs child is prohibitive, not to mention it is extremely hard to find a trusted caregiver for a special needs child. I can't go into teaching because I don't have a master's degree, and to be bluntly honest I have zero desire to get one. I hate school, and I only have my BSN because going to college was basically a requirement in my family. I am a terrible student when it comes to discipline, and made good grades in undergrad only because I was interested in the material. I never studied. Never.
I don't know what to do. I have only ever worked maternal-child nursing, so my skill set is very specific, so I am only an asset to a very narrow patient population. I have looked for a telecommuting utilization review position, but haven't found any.
What about working as a nurse consultant for an insurance company? My insurance plan has a 24/7 nurse line specifically for questions/concerns regarding pregnancy. Otherwise, do you have any interest in NICU? Very minimal heavy lifting. :)
What about working as a nurse consultant for an insurance company? My insurance plan has a 24/7 nurse line specifically for questions/concerns regarding pregnancy. Otherwise, do you have any interest in NICU? Very minimal heavy lifting. :)
No insurance companies in my area hiring such jobs right now, and I would love to transition back to NICU. HOWEVER, there may be a good thing on the horizon. I found what looks to be reliable, safe, competent child care. Expensive, but that's pretty much the case everywhere. I crunched the numbers, and me and the spouse will discuss it later this evening. There are 2 jobs that I really really REALLY want, one of them in research that deals directly with the OB/GYN population but no heavy lifting. A lot of "ifs" there, but if things were to fall into place it would be wonderful.
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
Yes she was! In fact, the company gives a free review class to new case managers to help them get their certification within a certain timeframe of being hired.
DontStealMyPenRN
1 Article; 5 Posts
What about working as a nurse consultant for an insurance company? My insurance plan has a 24/7 nurse line specifically for questions/concerns regarding pregnancy. Otherwise, do you have any interest in NICU? Very minimal heavy lifting. :)