Devastated - What would you do?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in NICU.

due to vaccine reaction i have lost a significant amount of function in my dominate arm and hand. bedside nursing is no longer a feasible option for me. i am devastated. when i lucked into nicu nursing 12.5 years ago i found my home and it is truly where i belong. my problem now is that i am over specialized. every job i apply for can't see past the fact that i only have nicu experience to see that i can do anything with a minimal amount of training. i do have my bsn which is at least getting me into interviews.

so if you could not do bedside care, what other nursing job would interest you? (maybe you guys can think of a few things i have not.)

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Telephone triage? Research?

I am sorry to hear about your forced job change.......but on the bright side it may open you up to a whole new and exciting side of nursing!! I have changed specialties a couple of times and in the long run it has been great!

Good luck!!!!

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Specializes in ER/Ortho.

I am currently home ill with a vaccine reaction. Got the flu shot on Oct 15, and have been having a reaction ever since. What vaccine did you have a reaction to?

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Are there any health insurance companies in your area? They offer a wide variety of jobs for nurses, some would even offer jobs that would let you use your NICU expertise as a case manager, triage nurse, health line nurse, chart reviews, etc. Good luck!

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Specializes in Case Management.

I'm so sorry this happened to you. It must be hard to have to walk away from your dream job.

If you were to have another job,what would you want to do? Can you type well? Do you want to work from home? Many insurance companies now offer work from home positions. The company I work for highly supports the work from home option. In fact, 20% of our work force world wide works from home. So that is an option, if you live near a large city, look for insurance companies in your area. There is a need for NICU nurses to follow NICU babies telephonically. Look online. That would be my suggestion as working from home has always been my dream, and I have been working from home for the last 3 years. The pay is good as well.

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Specializes in OR, CVOR, Clinical Education, Informatic.

Nursing Informatics? Staff development/education?

Both of these areas require the specialty knowledge and skills you have.

Good luck!!

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Very sorry about what happened to you. This is making me very nervous and angry about having to get vaccinations for nursing. What can you do now? IS there any compensation for this vaccine injury? I imagine that what happens with most of these cases is that they are impossible to prove. In that case why are we subjected to these risks without any recorse?

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Specializes in NICU.

coolpeach - it was the tdap vaccine that messed up my arm 2.5 years ago. the consensus of several experts in their respective fields is that i have an atypical complex regional pain syndrome. i've seen at least 2 generalists, 3 neurologists, 1 infectious disease doctor, 2 pain management doctors, a psychologist, 4 ot's, 2 pt's, and a chiropractor. i have even tried biofeedback and spoken with a reiki practitioner.

my little duty at work has run out and i'm filling an interim position, but i need to look at other alternatives incase i don't get this job.

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Specializes in pediatrics, public health.

You would be perfect for a NICU graduates follow up program, if one exists in your area. In my area (SF Bay Area) there are PHNs who do home visits with NICU grads, following them till the age of 2. You have a BSN, so you'd be eligible for a PHN certificate here in CA if your BSN included a community nursing class -- or you can take one if you don't already have it. The rules for getting a PHN certificate vary from state to state, so look up what the rules are in your state.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Have you thought about school nursing? That might be a little less demanding on your arm.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Lactation consultant -- or some program where your function would be to teach pregnant women or new moms about infant care.

As a NICU nurse, you have probably done a lot of that.

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Specializes in OB, Occupational Health.

I am so sorry that you're going through this.

All of the above suggestions are excellent. Maybe you could also look into RN transplant liason positions? We have an organ and tissue procurement agency in our area that utilizes RN's to guide patients through the procurement/transplant processes. I know several of the local hospitals also have such positions to coordinate things in the hospital...

I hope that whatever you decide to do brings you as much fulfillment as NICU nursing has.

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