I am an RN with my BSN. I have worked in the LTC setting, acute hospital setting and now I do home-care. I have only been a nurse for a year and some months. I know that is not a lot of experience but I know for a fact I do not like bedside nursing. As for my home care job, I case manage 9 patients and work M-F, I do evenings visits. I recently went full-time and have come to realize what it really was like. I used to do Per diem ( you don't case-manage as much, usually none) and I think I want to go back, that's if I can find something else I'll be happy full-time in. My patients are mostly psych. I fill and pick up meds, contacts MD's, set up appointments and do a lot of other things. I find myself getting up early to make phones calls most mornings because i do work evenings and have to wait till next morning, unless it's an emergency. I find other nurses texting me during my "mornings off" and it just ruins my day usually. Patients are constantly in and out of hospital. I don't mind the paperwork part but the job gets stressful. The stress level is different from a hospital setting, almost worse because I'm always home with it. I stress when I don't get calls back from Md office, I stress when it has been days and I have not received my refill rx I requested and the patient is running out. The hours are good and pay is great but I'm starting to hate the idea that work comes home with me. I mean it is great that I do most of my work from home and only take 2-3 hrs a day to actually see all my patients. But I just can't stand the fact that I sleep with work on my mind all the time. I want a job where I can leave my work at work and come home and not have to worry about my patients. What other options are out there? I can't see myself being an educator or instructor, and definitely cannot do bedside again ( hated those 8-12 hr shifts)!
With only one year in already more than one setting your options are somewhat limited I think.
If you do not want to do bedside there are case management job in insurance companies, hospitals, and doctor's offices - but those often require some more extensive work history and at least a BSN, some even ask for a MSN for those positions now.
There are also positions that are different from bedside but still have some patient contact like clinics (coumadin clinic for example), doctor offices).
If you like technology you can look into dialysis (but acute dialysis has on call).
I get the dilemma of Home Care CM as I was a CM in home hospice/palliative care. If you do not like CM but do not find another job perhaps look into a different position or company with per diem, weekend baylor, per visit ...
I might look into doctor offices or the Coumadin clinic, I just don't want to take a pay cut. I hear you don't get as much in clinics and offices
You don't have to address the problem if you don't know about it and you won't know about it if your work number is off and the caller is directed to the on-call personnel at the agency. That is what they get paid for. If the problem is not urgent enough, they will have no qualms in telling the caller to call back during business hours. It would be a different matter if you were the on-call person and getting paid for being on-call.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
I do that sometimes, but for me, as a person, when a problem arises I have to address it right away. It always ends of being one problem after another. But that's nursing right !
It is on you to set the boundaries. If it's not your working hours, then the office should have someone whose responsibility it is to deal with those problems. Otherwise, you will burn out- and it sounds like you are already heading that way.
I worked in acute dialysis. I had to go through a special training for acute dialysis nurses that includes school and hands on training. You need to pass competencies and are not allowed to dialyze a patient on your own until you are sufficiently trained. Some require that you have critical care experience but not necessarily. Check out the large providers who are Davita and Fresenius. Acute dialysis is not the same as chronic dialysis.
In any way - it depends on where you work what kind of stress level you have. I encountered plenty of stressful situations....
I used to carry a work phone, but we were not on call after hours so I shut it off completely. You have to learn to separate personal time from work time, otherwise burnout and resentment eventually sets in.
Case Managing only 9 patients and that doesn't work for you and this is your third area in a year, then I would say you probably won't like much in bedside nursing- that's true! Since you only have one year under your belt, I would say that your choices will be limited unless perhaps you are a BSN or MSN.
NetaSo
6 Posts
I might look into doctor offices or the Coumadin clinic, I just don't want to take a pay cut. I hear you don't get as much in clinics and offices