Disabled or Retired Nurses

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Specializes in Urology, surgery, pediatrics.

I'd like this area to focus on back in time when we worked as nurses. Of interest are unusual nursing situations.

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I don't know about you but I have been a nurse for over 30 years and although nursing has changed in that time, I have always felt like a real nurse.

Nursing is cylical, like many things. I have seen things come and go. RN's at the bedside and then not. Starting IV's and than an IV team and than back again. As long as I have been my patient's(or client's) advocate and taken care of the individual and in many cases, the family, than I have done my job and have a been a real nurse.

Have a great day:monkeydance:

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
I'd like this area to focus on back in time when we worked as nurses. Of interest are unusual nursing situations.

I'm not quite understanding this statement in regards to disabled or retired nurses.

We being "who"? Are you referring to yourself, are you now a retired nurse or disabled nurse? All nurses have come across unusual nursing situations in their work whether they are actively practicing or not. They occur in the present time just as frequently if not more so than back in time. I've been a nurse for 32 years and during the first years of my practice things were pretty dull.

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Specializes in Urology, surgery, pediatrics.

What I'd like to thread on is: now that we are retired (I'm disabled), let's look back at our nursing careers and think of some unusual nursing aspects. I had a coworker who killed a pt. /c K+Cl when she thought it was a solution with the right titration: it turned out to be full-strengthed! Now all K-Cl come in IV bags as solns.; the nurse in question has been revoked of her license, the hospital has been sued.

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I, also am a disabled nurse who can no longer work, but have found my niche as a volunteer Hospice caretaker in a small hospice house. They have four hour shifts and two residents. This is a God sent place for me, for I missed my full time nursing work so much. I was Charge nurse 3-11Pm on a Dementia and Alzheimer unit and loved every one of my patients.

I have also been working sporatically on a short story of events and humorous happenings when I was at work.

In order to keep from being depressed this is the way to go, I think.

Of course, someone will have to monitor my spelling 24-7.

There is so much knowledge to share that it would be great if we did so with the new grads, for it can be so easy to "slip" today, for we are stretched to the limit some days.

macspuds

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
I had a coworker who killed a pt. /c K+Cl when she thought it was a solution with the right titration: it turned out to be full-strengthed!

That's not something that I would like to think back on. :madface:

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i suffered a back injury 5yrs ago & two surgeries later i am still unable to return to work. i hope to return in teh future at least part-time, however i think to go into a hospice would destroy me mentally. i am so depressed since i know i can no longer perform the duties as i did in the past.....a hospice????? no way! i don't know what the future holds & i don't even know if i would be accepted by a physician or medical facility since i have been out of work for this length of time. any suggestions would help. thanks......bummed out & bored in nc :confused:

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
i suffered a back injury 5yrs ago & two surgeries later i am still unable to return to work. i hope to return in teh future at least part-time, however i think to go into a hospice would destroy me mentally. i am so depressed since i know i can no longer perform the duties as i did in the past.....a hospice????? no way! i don't know what the future holds & i don't even know if i would be accepted by a physician or medical facility since i have been out of work for this length of time. any suggestions would help. thanks......bummed out & bored in nc :confused:

i think you may have misread the purpose of this thread. you should repost in the general nursing discussion thread. good luck to you, sorry to hear about disability. that's a real bummer.

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Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.
i suffered a back injury 5yrs ago & two surgeries later i am still unable to return to work. i hope to return in teh future at least part-time, however i think to go into a hospice would destroy me mentally. i am so depressed since i know i can no longer perform the duties as i did in the past.....a hospice????? no way! i don't know what the future holds & i don't even know if i would be accepted by a physician or medical facility since i have been out of work for this length of time. any suggestions would help. thanks......bummed out & bored in nc :confused:

why don't you get treated for your depression and don't make any decisions now.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Ortho/HH/Radiology-Now Retired.

I'm retired, almost 5 years now. Do I miss nursing? ....... Hmmmm, can't really say I do! I did go through a phase initially, whereby I pondered returning to work. The reasons were many. One of them was I got fed up with the constant surprise reactions from others who were amazed I was retired so young! One was practically made to feel guilty for having the good fortune to not have to work anymore! Then I decided not to allow those negative, sometimes jealous people, influence any decisions I might make in relation to perhaps returning to the nursing workforce.

I thoroughly enjoy being retired. And, the more I read the posts here on allnurses, I'm extremely grateful I no longer have to contend with some of the drama, nonsense, and downright unnecessary carry on which persists.

I began nursing aged 17. I retired aged almost 52. I'm now 56. I worked long and hard. I've earned my retirement. I'm making the most of it and have no intention to return to nursing. If I did decide to come out of retirement, I'd look into another career. Try something new. Nursing served me well. I served it well. Everything has it's Season. I like keeping abreast of things here via allnurses and by talking with my former colleagues etc. But as for actually returning to nursing ..... Been there. Done that. And, for quite some years! :)

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Specializes in All areas.

'The old Nurses Back' I'm now in that boat too. I can understand some of your feelings...I can no longer work at the bedside as primary care R/N. as repetitive manual handling is a nursing issue. I am going to change to another area of nursing. It means learning more, but I'll be adding to my knowledge base. Look at where you've worked, you could go into teaching or being a resource person in your areas of expertise.Further short studies would keep one's mind occupied.And there's a demand for your knowledge. I wish the best in your endeavours. Send the depression on its way out of your life. Cheers...

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thanks so much for your quote. i know i am not the only nurse ever injured in the battle fields of a hospital, but when you know in your heart how dedicated you were & skillful & that you really did make a difference in the lives of your patients, it is very difficult to go down another avenue. i have since moved to another state, which makes it even more difficult to pursue another route without having to "prove myself". at 57yrs (young) i would find it very difficult to have to "sell myself" to perhaps a 30yr old nurse coordinator. i will find something i'm sure......hopefully it will be satisfying. thanks again!

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