Help Please (:

allnurses Guide · Jun 2, 2015

Hitting a rough patch and I need some advice -
I am going to school for nursing. I start the LPN Program in January and then I plan on getting my RN and my BSN.
Seven years ago I got in a car wreck and fractured my calcaneus in 12 spots and shattered my joint. Since then, I have had a lot of trouble and all of it resulted in me getting my ankle fused last June. I am only 23 years old.
As of right now I have my CNA and I am getting my CMA this summer. I work in a Nursing home and since I have started working, my ankle has really been bothering me. I have started up physical therapy again, but I am not sure how much that is going to help. I am at a loss because Nursing is what I want to do, but I need a job where I am not on my feet very often.
Anyone have any suggestions on what to do ?
I appreciate you taking the time to read this and respond.

Your in a tight spot as there are very few nursing jobs that don't require you to be on your feet a fair amount of time. There's tele nursing which I would findmind boggelingly boring. You might want to go to you foot surgeon and see if a custom shoe would work.

Peace and Namaste.

KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN · Jun 2, 2015

There are plenty of mostly sitting jobs available for nurses but the wast majority of them requires several years of bedside experience.

You might want to think again about going to LPN way, as LPN's workload is not that different from CENA. If your SNF has this options and you still want to do LPN first, I would ask about opportunity to become "activity coordinator" or "wellness director" when you finish your LPN school. If you can afford it financially and manage (very heavy) courseload, then going directly to BSN/direct entry MSN in nursing informatics is a popular option for nurses with physical limitations.

Whenever you go, your health must come first. You can pay off loans but you cannot buy another extremity.

drea.says · Jun 4, 2015

I agree, I don't think I would particularly enjoy telenursing. My physical therapist said that I would be an excellent candidate for a custom insole, so I am waiting to see how that plays out. I am going to pt twice a week for a month to see if that will help out at all. Thank you (:

drea.says · Jun 4, 2015

Katie, that's kinda what I figured. I am thinking I am going to have to have some experience before I am able to gain a job where I can be off my feet more often. My friend said that one of her friends in her LPN class got a job as an administrator 6 months out of school. I know that is probably very rare, but I am going to do everything that I can to keep getting experience while I work my way up. What exactally is CENA and SNF? Sorry, I am still new to all of this. I plan on getting my BSN, after I complete my LPN to RN bridge. One of the reasons I chose to take the "long way" and work my way up is so I am able to work while going to school, so that I will have years of experience under my belt by the time I graduate.

What does someone that has a nursing informatics do?

Thank you (:

drea.says · Jun 4, 2015

Are there any specialties that I should look into ? I thought about going for my CRNA, but I would be open to other options.

OCNRN63, RN · Jun 4, 2015

Why go to school for CMA when you'll be going to school for LPN? You'll be spending money on something that won't give you much ROI (return on investment). You'd be better off saving that money so you have something set aside for when you start your LPN program.

I had my R ankle fused many years ago after a bad fracture, and did well for 13 years. In the interim, I had to have my L ankle fused, and now the R ankle will need surgery again. During that time when it was just the R ankle, I did all sorts of jobs and was on my feet most of the day; that ankle was pulverized from the break, so it was not a minor fracture.

Go back to therapy and get that leg strengthened. I used an Arizona brace which helped give me extra support.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Jun 4, 2015

Are there any specialties that I should look into ? I thought about going for my CRNA, but I would be open to other options.

CRNA schools require at least a year or more of ICU experience. In order to get that, you are going to have to do a fair amount of very physical nursing.

Sounds like you are on the right track with physical therapy and some specialty shoes.

KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN · Jun 4, 2015

CENA = nursing assistant.

Nursing informatics specialists fresh out of school usually work in places using electronic medical record, which is pretty much everywhere nowadays, helping others to navigate, search and enter data, working with databases as part of quality control, etc. Those more experienced and/or having IT background can make it to insurance companies, software developing and up to Google and large research companies.

drea.says · Jun 9, 2015

I am getting my CMA so that I can work as a CMA while I am going to school for my LPN. I am also taking it because I know it will help me with my pharmacology class that im going to have to take. Im in physical therapy right now, we will see how much it helps. Also - I didn't just fracture my ankle, I shattered my entire joint. I've been wearing a brace, and other than providing a little more support, it doesn't help much.