Is it wise to work from home?

Nurses General Nursing

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At work, I’ve recently been given the opportunity to bring a laptop home to complete work without distractions from others and theoretically cut back on hours.  

In theory, this seems like a good idea, but I’m not sure how well this would actually work. If anything, this might resolve in me working even more since I would have access to check up and follow up on things over the weekend and other days I have off.  I can see myself checking in frequently too, since  I almost always have at least one or two patients I’m worried about.  

Is this wise? 

Specializes in Hospice.
On 3/27/2021 at 10:16 PM, SilverBells said:

Because as of right now, I blame myself for everything.  If I send a patient into the hospital, I blame myself for the patient being ill in the first place and not having caught something sooner.  If someone else sends a patient in, I also blame myself, because I start ruminating on any change in condition I may have missed. 

Maybe you should see a therapist.  

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7 hours ago, cardiacfreak said:

Maybe you should see a therapist.  

Ya think? ?

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Specializes in Retired.
On 3/27/2021 at 8:18 PM, SilverBells said:

When I created this thread, my goal was to see if maybe being able to do some work from home might overall create a better work schedule and reduce anxiety.  I was wondering what the thoughts of others were, and if others have had success in working from home.  However, the more I think about it, the more I believe that completing work from home will probably only enhance my anxiety since I'll have access to monitor patients continuously.  Knowing myself, I'll probably end up logging in multiple times a day.  So you're probably right in that I likely knew the answer to my question even before I asked.   I'm off-the-walls at times, but realistically I'm not completely unintelligent either.   

Intelligence is an asset but it's EQ that determines what you do with your IQ.  So get into therapy now while you are young because it take WORK to develop EQ but worth what you put into it.

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Specializes in Peds ED.
On 3/27/2021 at 3:54 AM, SilverBells said:

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At work, I’ve recently been given the opportunity to bring a laptop home to complete work without distractions from others and theoretically cut back on hours.  

In theory, this seems like a good idea, but I’m not sure how well this would actually work. If anything, this might resolve in me working even more since I would have access to check up and follow up on things over the weekend and other days I have off.  I can see myself checking in frequently too, since  I almost always have at least one or two patients I’m worried about.  

Is this wise? 

It doesn’t make sense for a staff nurse. If you had a job that could be done virtually or a role that requires 24/7 responsibility it might make sense but charting time is time that should be paid.

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
On 3/28/2021 at 6:34 PM, SilverBells said:

..............because I went into nursing with the intent on helping others get better.  I still have this mindset every day at work despite knowing that I work with the geriatric population and decline is eventually inevitable with older people.......

As a BSN You have surely taken classes in nuring theory and are familiar with the works of Virginia Henderson who stated,,,,,,,“the unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge."

Sending everyone to the hospital who declines is not best practice! But we don't get todecide who we save. The nurse has a role in helping the patient to understand what the goal of care is. I for one would rather jump off a bridge that get stuck in nursing home.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Just a thought.  Being told it's okay to work from home and then not being able to access work from home may feel like abandonment for someone who suffered attachment disorder as a child which is now PD as an adult.

I say this only because my daughter fostered and eventually adopted two girls from a severely neglectful and abusive home.  I'm not saying this is the OP's story.

We can never really know what the operation of another's mind is.  

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Specializes in oncology.
On 3/28/2021 at 8:34 PM, SilverBells said:

I'm a unit manager so on the lower-end of management I would say? Basically, my position allows upper management to assign any task to me they would like, and that often includes bedside work.   

I knew a staff nurse that I had taught in her BSN program. When I came into the hospital to make student nurses assignments,  I heard all about what she had done that day, yesterday etc...a good nurse but needed more praise, esteem ?. I suggested to her to go on in education as I thought her talents were good. but her current limitations were interfering in any success she had, I read on another post you are graduating from advanced education.  Congratulations! Can you tell me what your degree is in? This may change your life  and let you thrive if you let it! Screw that ex husband and his new life/wife, property taxes, mortgage, $ for diapers, formula etc. You have a great future - your income is yours alone

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

I know that I am late to this party, but your upper management must really love you!  They can drop anything on you and you gamely shoulder the responsibility.  Do you think at some point the bigwigs will invite you to swim in their pool?  No.  When you collapse in a heap they'll have you hauled off to the glue factory and your replacement will already be installed.

You cannot save the world.  You need to develop a persona separate from your job.  Being a nurse cannot be your whole self.  The people you work for have lives and have no qualms about you not having one.  Save yourself.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

TriciaJ - funny!

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Specializes in Rehab/Nurse Manager.

I was foolish enough to shut down my at-home laptop from work completely to give it some rest.  Now, not only can I not get into the charting in system, I can't log into the laptop to at least keep caught up on emails and such.  It seems as if working at home simply isn't meant to be. LOL. 

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Specializes in Rehab/Nurse Manager.

Worked from 8am Friday to 3 am this morning (Saturday).  With no access to at home charting or emails, this means about 1.5 days of no work related activities at all.  My classwork is also on "stand-by" as I can't do anything more at this point until I receive final feedback from my teachers.  Weird to have a break. 

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Specializes in Rehab/Nurse Manager.

This evening, I was thinking about a patient and how she was doing.  She had some test results that weren't available by the time I left work today. I was tempted this evening to look them up, and then decided against it.  I figure I left work for the day for a reason,  and I can always find out tomorrow.

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