Looking for sub-specialt

Welcome and congratulations on your recovery and plan. Hard to pick on a speciality as most have some element of high pressure. Do you have any interests in any speciality?

Silverdragon102, I would like to be an ER nurse but alas that is probably not in the cards anymore. I have/had some emergency medical training, (read EMT) and I love that area, but I would not want my life depending on a nurse with brain damage, no matter how minor. I have some emotional damage that I am working on overcoming, but I still don’t deal well with stressful situations. It is not to hard to make me flustered and cause me to cry ( oh geez), a side effect of the stroke. I am working on learning to control these problems but not all the way there yet. I am taking many psychology courses at the University where I am in my senior year, I am a psychology major along with most all of the nursing pre-recs already completed and wish to work with stroke survivors on a more professional level than that of a CNA. Perhaps a psych nurse. I just don’t know. My life partner and wife is a professor of nursing at the University here in town . She is truly a nurse extraordinaire, living and breathing nursing, more letters behind her name than most can even keep track of, and she is encouraging me to keep on trying, She thinks that if I don’t give up I will probably make it. Most of our friends have a phd, or MD. after their name and only want to encourage me. I personally think that they are patronizing me because of who my wife is. I am trying to do this on my own, at the junior college for my nursing degree. I even went to a college out of town to go through CNA school and take an EKG class last summer to prove that I did it on my own I am just looking for recommendations from less partial audiences

Well done on your plan and I do wish you all the best in whatever you decide on. Psych nurse maybe the way to go but not an area I know a lot about, you could always check out our various forums in the specialty tab and see what you can find happens in the various areas of nursing

Hi wolfe587,

Kudo's for your strength and determination. After reading your first post it was very obvious to me that it appearred you enjoy working with stroke victims and families and in the recovery of their healthcare. And I bet you are very good at that.

I understand "wanting" to continue to show your strengths ( and recognize your weaknesses as you mentioned) only in a higher level of education capacity.

I believe what your wife tells you is true. Ask her, let her know that maybe you feel patrionized in this situation but just wanted to check. Then keep on keepin on. I'm sure there is a place in the recovery of stroke patients that only you could fill in the way you have already proven to yourself you enjoy.

I am disabled as well and struggle the road everyday, many times doubting what I knew I could do (before) now. Make sense? It's the emotional thing I'm working on as well to get me to the place of return of comfort in my own shoes.

I wish you the best.

Ok, what do you think about this, I am a 51 year old man who is trying to make my way through nursing school after having a stroke (cva) just over one and a half years ago. Last summer I went to school and became a CNA, and now I am going back to up grade to LVN, then R.N (I hope). I had a Left hemisphere and brain stem stroke from blood clots caused by A fib and severe obesity. I have lost 180 pounds and recovered my health (thank you God) I am a guest speaker for The American Hart Association, I speak to groups of nursing student and stroke survivors. I counsel stroke survivors and their families in the hospital. I have great hopes for the future. My thought process are still good, just slower and my speech is somewhat messed up (dysarthria - not too bad though. Any thoughts, my grades are still good my cognitive skills are damaged somewhat and I need special accommodations in as much as I need multiple choice test as opposed to fill-in and short answers. I have weak short term memory, so that I need to write things down. My eye sight is injured in spots, that causes me problem on computer screens, (I read slower). Other than that I'm cherry. Lol. Wondering what specialty I could pursue that does not require quick, high pressure decision making ability.

I smiled when I read that you have short term memory. I feel that I have short term memory when I am under a lot of stress:wink2:! The wonderful thing about the nursing profession is that you can take your experiences and go to so many different places. I would try an insurance company that has rehabilitation ulitization reviews. Most of this work is completed over the phone or via fax. A lot of these jobs can also be done from home.

Many Blessings to you in the future!

I could be mistaken (I'm a new nursing grad) Why not rehab nursing?

You would most likely get to help stroke patients as well as others with head injury.

Your patients would most likely be staying for longer, giving you fewer new patients to learn about daily.

I could be mistaken (I'm a new nursing grad) Why not rehab nursing?

You would most likely get to help stroke patients as well as others with head injury.

Your patients would most likely be staying for longer, giving you fewer new patients to learn about daily.

Rehap is a good choice. Some rehab units and facilities require an acute care experience of a year or two. But given the shortage, they may not still have that requirement.

Woody:twocents: