Do you miss the hands-on care?

[LovingNurse, BSN, RN]

I recently moved from floor nursing to triage nursing at a very busy practice. I'm still just as busy (still no time to potty) but it's a different kind of busy and I don't ache at the end of the day. I am, however, already missing some of the things about floor nursing ...I liked doing many of the hands-on procedures that come with bedside nursing, the closeness I'd feel with my patients, and also the freedom of working 3 12's. I like having weekends off now, but already miss my patients and having flexibility the 3 12's provided. I do like my new job, but I guess I'm just a little nervous, wondering if I made the right decision, and driving myself a little crazy feeling a little whiney, cuz I can't have it both ways. Did any of you feel this way when you made the switch?

[G'smommy]

Nope. I like being with my family while I work.

[Jerry 75]

No No and No again. I don't miss being exposed to pathogens, don't miss running into dry blood on gurney railings, rude little kids and adults who can't have enough courtesy to cover their mouths when they cough, risk of needle stick, having to break my back lifting obese patients. Not having to wash your hands all the time is great!

The phoen is more then close enought for me!

[LovingNurse, BSN, RN]

I'm doing office triage, so I'm away from my family more now than I was with 3 12's on the floor.

[G'smommy]

Well for me, it is all about my family. I'd shovel crap as long as I could be here with my kids while I did it. So for me, I'd rather do hands on care if it meant seeing them more. Plus, people are more likely to be rude to you on the phone in my experience. They don't have to look you in the eye. They can just take their frustrations out on you. So in you case, I guess I would miss hands on care. What made you switch? Have you looked in to working from home instead? Or do you think you would still miss hands on care? I am 3 years + away from hands on and have actually started to miss ICU a little bit. Not enough to go back mind you, but just a little. :)

[G'smommy]

I miss IVs. Sometimes I wish I could bring some home and stick my husband for kicks. :)

[LovingNurse, BSN, RN]

I switched b/c I would physically ache something terrible after my med/surg shifts - (not a spring chicken and have significant arthritis).... plus, I thought it would be less stress - NOT MORE. I have a ridiculous load now (well over 100 calls/day that I have to trouble shoot, plus have to call back & document all abnormal labs and x-ray reports.) I thought I'd be working 8hrs a day, but I'm there at least 11/day to get all my calls returned and never feel caught up. The work isn't difficult - just the load that is killing me. Makes me miss what I had.

I can take 15 calls off my voicemail and have 30 more waiting. It's nuts.

I have never been so unhappy in my life. My husband lost his job, so am supporting a family of 4 and putting 2 kids thru college.

It's not what I expected it to be. Guess there's a big difference in what some triage requires?

[LovingNurse, BSN, RN]

I miss IVs. Sometimes I wish I could bring some home and stick my husband for kicks. :)

lol, me too.

[G'smommy]

That is nuts. I triage a lot more calls per hour than many of the nurses on this forum and I would go crazy doing 100/day more than a few days a year (Labor day was like that for me/ 115/8 hours). You might start applying to some telecommute positions. Fonemed pays per call (at least that is what I saw on their site).

[LovingNurse, BSN, RN]

Thank you for the info. I hate to be looking for another job when I am not even out of my 90 day probation period but that is exactly what I am doing. The RN I share an office with does 1/5 the volume because she only triage's for 1 physician & he is not anywhere near as busy as my two. Don't get me wrong, she is still busy, but in a normal pace. Not insanely so.

I am constantly swimming against the current, trying to keep my head above water. To this my boss says she "warned me it was the busiest position in the practice." She is very sweet, but there is only one of me. I can see why the last person left.

Do you get benefits with the telecommute positions too?

Thanks for your help.

[Vtachy1]

I do NOT miss the hands on care. Its the heart that matters, when we touch their heart. So NO I do not miss the hands on not even a little bit, because its the heart that is what its all about.

[petty,s.t.]

When I first made the transition from bedside nursing to telephone nursing, I was in a bit of culture shock. I worked ICU/CCU for 3.5 years and made the move so that I could go back to school and "spend more time with my family". Initially I was bored half out of my mind when the calls were slow, 15-25 calls a day. I had nightmares at night and sometimes cried myself to sleep thinking I had made a major mistake. I missed my patients. I really loved caring for them and then I went to a position to sit on my behind for 7.5 hours a day, we only get a 30 minute lunch break. I felt like I was not being a nurse, no more starting IV's, lab draws, IV drips, ventilator adjustments, watching my patients get better and leave the unit. Gradually, I realized that I was still being a nurse, just from a different aspect. I still help my patients and their family members utilizing my mind, research skills, computers skills, communication skills, and deductive reasoning as well. It is much more difficult to care for someone you can not actually see. When I stopped feeling sorry for my self I realized that I enjoy patient teaching and I get to do that more than I ever could on the unit. I currently take between 60-105 calls per day and get satisfaction from my callers telling me thank you, which was something I hardly ever heard while working on the unit.