Medical leave ending, don't want to go back to MS floor hours

[heartsgal, ADN, RN]

Hello all, I am in need of your advice and suggestions.

Some quick background for a better picture, is that Iv'e been on medical leave since 11/13. After a short viral illness the week before I worked a Mon and Tues and woke up on Wed with sudden deafness in one ear and my balance greatly compromised. After exams, MRI etc.(I am 50 so they have to rule out other serious stuff , I was diagnosed with SSHL/ Sudden Sensorinueral Hearing Loss. Often what happens as in my case, the balance nerve is damaged along with the hearing nerve, so I was unable to work the floor. Iv'e had weeks of vestibular therapy and it has helped me tremendously and close to fully recovered now (75-80%) of my balance issues. I have been demoing some hearing aids with my awesome audiologist and adapting to wearing one. Although I am super eager to return to work, I seriously do not want to continue working 13 hour shifts. I work 7a-7p and typically leave around 7:45- 8:15. I love bedside nursing and patient education though and feel like I would be bored to tears at a MD's office or as a school nurse. I am fortunate as a PRN employee and can financially afford it, so theoretically I could just work 2 days a week where I am now instead of 3. My prn agreement is minimum 4 shifts per 1 month schedule. I would much rather work 8- 10 hour days though, but my small hospital is very limited in what they have to offer. So now what?

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

I had to go out on leave due to severe asthma. When I was able to go back to work, I knew I could not go back to the bedside. I found a job working for a hospice company. I mostly visit patients in facilities but some at home. I absolutely love it. I get to educate patients and families, I still assess my patients but I don't have the stress of the bedside nor the hours. Have you thought about something like that? Home health or hospice? That is one great thing about nursing, there are so many areas to work.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Hi, Heartsgal, ADN

I experienced Sudden Hearing Loss Syndrome 24 years ago -- when I was 38 years old and in grad school. I was wide awake when it happened, sitting in class and waiting my turn to do a class presentation. Suddenly, there was a ringing in my ear and it was like a wave rolled over my inner and all the little nerve cells died. In the span of about 5 seconds, I lost 100% of my hearing, 100% of my balance, and developed severe tinnitus in my right ear. It took me about a year to get used to life in my new body ... but now, 24 years later, I feel pretty good and don't think about my "handicaps" very much. I am still 100% deaf in that ear, have tinnitus and some balance issues.

I decided against hearing aids and have lived without them, just relying on my remaining "good ear" that has pretty close to normal hearing. As I get older and my good ear starts to fade with age, I am not sure what I will do.

I can understand why you don't want to go back to being a bedside m/s nurse. It's tiring to have to work so hard to process auditory information and keep your balance -- things most people take for granted. It's much harder than many people think it would be.

I was lucky in that I already had an MSN and experience in staff education. (I was in school for my PhD at the time.) So it did not change my career trajectory. I just had to take a couple of months off from school and delay my graduation. But I have been able to do both staff and student education with no major problems. Might you be interested in becoming a CPR instructor? or something along those lines. Are you interested in getting a BSN online? That might open up some other options.

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck in continuing your adaptation to your new situation. It took me a full year to feel "normal" again (and to walk in a relatively straight line), but I noticed myself getting stronger and feeling better which each passing year. If you have some questions or concerns that I might be able to help with, please feel free to PM me.

llg

[heartsgal, ADN, RN]

Thank you for your replies. I have thought about home health nursing in the past, but it seems like there is quite a large load of paperwork. I suppose that is a trade off though. I am also condersidering a surgery center. There are many in my area but can be tough to get in without at least a year of pre-op or pacu experience.