Bipolar Type 11 AND Bilateral Cochlear Implants

[SasZcats]

Having both of these problems coupled with the fact that I have not been able to get a job in a hospital for the past 7 years seems to make me un-marketable and I don't know what to do. I have been working in Nursing homes. Two of them I walked out of due to the Bipolar making me blurt out that I was just quitting and now this one that I have been at for about 5 weeks, I think I am being fired from. I think the Bipolar is really causing me a lot of problems with the memory aspect of things with SNFs. I would much rather go back to a hospital because all my life 39 years of it, I have worked in hospitals. I really hate the SNF's., And I have no idea how to go about getting back into the hospitals again. They just say that I don't have recent experience, but I won't get it if they won't hire me and it is just a vicious circle. I believe that I still have my med-surg and assessment skills and that with orientation, I would just be able to brush up on them. But no one will give me a chance! What can I do?

[SarahMaria, MSN, RN]

As someone who is also Bipolar Type I, I believe you need to stop looking to your illness as the barrier to your success. It is something that you have, not something that defines you or should run your life if you can be managed effectively with your providers assistance.

Are you in treatment? Perhaps, if your illness is causing you such mood instability, you need to follow up with your mental health provider to address medication concerns. Once you get you mood regulated, you can begin looking for a hospital nursing position.

Best of luck.

[poppycat, ADN, BSN]

I agree that you should probably see your doctor. You might need a med adjustment. I also have bipolar 2 & I know when I become impulsive it usually means I'm going into a hypomanic episode.

As as far as getting a hospital job, I think it's gotten much harder for nurses who've been out of hospital nursing for a while to get back in. Hospitals want nurses with current acute care experience. I'd love to get a per diem hospital job just for something to keep my skills up. I've been out of the hospital setting for almost 9 years & no one will even look at my resume.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I'm bipolar 1 and for the longest time I blamed my illness for every rotten thing that happened to me. It's easy to do. But ultimately we have more control over our situation than we think, because we can choose to be self-aware. We all have triggers...work stress is a very common one, so we have to be vigilant and use our coping skills. Cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness are both helpful in identifying our triggers and enabling us to remain in control.

I would advise you to see your mental health provider as soon as possible and work on your issues in therapy, as well as look at your medications and discuss whether adjustments are warranted. Sometimes all you need is to tweak your meds a little or spend some quality time with a therapist. I'm not saying these things to be hurtful; but I know from experience that this is probably not a good time for you to make a big change in your career, even if you were able to find a hospital job. I've been there and done that, and it never ended well.

I wish you the very best. Coping with bipolar is a hard job all by itself, but it doesn't have to run your life. I wish I'd learned that before it destroyed my own career...it took losing my job, my home and my accustomed lifestyle for me to get it through my head that I couldn't lay everything at the feet of my disease. You don't have to have that happen to you. Get help and THEN try to figure out your next career move.

[SasZcats]

Thank you for all your feedback. Actually, I didn't even think of my bipolar as causing me any problems until my counseler from Vocational Rehab brought it up. I just thought I was having problems at work because I didn't like long term care. It never occurred to me that it was because of the Bipolar. I am planning to have my meds "tweaked". Thanks!