My unit is closing!

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Hi, I'm a psych nurse of 14 years. My unit is closing for 3-6 months to update it. It will be around summer 2016. Has this happened to anyone else? They don't have another psych unit to put me on. They said they'd cross train me. I was wondering if I could take a leave of absence or what if I scheduled knee surgery. My last knee surgery I was out 3 months and got a very nice compensation through my pto and short term disability. Anyone have creative things they did when their unit closed? Thank you!

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I have never had a unit close but my advice would be start looking for another job, yesterday! The whole "they will reassign me" stuff wouldn't have suited me, no control. :)

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Get another job. If they find themselves short staffed because they didn't plan for this, their loss.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I'd consider the knee surgery -- assuming you actually need the surgery, of course. It would be a good time to get it done -- while you are still employed at that facility with full benefits. See how they are doing the cross-training. If you can get trained, then have surgery, that would be ideal. That way, you'll get some extra training that might come in handy if the renovations are done when you want to come back. (It maximizes what you get ... and minimizes what you give.) Renovations are rarely completed on schedule: so be prepared for that.

If you won't get the training before you take the medical leave ... ask them what will happen when you are ready to come back to work. Will you get the full cross-training at that time? If so, that's not a bad deal. By the time you are trained, the renovations might be done. And the training might help you get another job if needed.

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Specializes in Oncology.

So what happens if your unit is closed for 4 months, and you go out for 3 months with your knee then are cleared to go back? You're going to have to learn a new unit for a few weeks when getting into the swing of things being back in the first place?

Being cross trained isn't the end of the world.

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Where are the psych patients going now? Closing for updating is a huge red flag. Who knows if it will reopen as a psych unit. Sounds like psych at your facility is gone.

Scheduling time off during this period.. would not be a smart move. Find out what is REALLY going on. You may return to NO job.

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The pattern for this hospital so far is that they have been updating a few sections at a time. So far nurses have been displaced but kept and returned to their new unit. It's an old hospital.

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Thank you! I'm thinking maybe cross train in mother baby, I hear good things about the unit. If my knee needs it I might grap that closed unit time to get my needed knee realignment. I got the other knee done a few years ago, it's an easy 3 months off. I've been paying for maximum short term disability, might as well use it

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Thank you!

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Specializes in OB.

Good luck to you!

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

Sounds like an excellent time to get surgery, when your unit's closed anyway. You won't have to feel guilty about your coworkers working short or feel stressed if you need additional recovery time. Sounds like perfect timing. Win-win.

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Sounds like an excellent time to get surgery, when your unit's closed anyway. You won't have to feel guilty about your coworkers working short or feel stressed if you need additional recovery time. Sounds like perfect timing. Win-win.

Why would anyone feel guilty about attending to their own health care needs? Staffing the unit is not not the OP's problem.

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