Need some career advice from my peers

nurseabc123 · Sep 23, 2007

Hello my fellow ICU nurses,
I have a bad dilemma. I have been off of work for almost a month now due to a herniated C3 - C7. I don't want to explain how it happened less it compromise my anonymity.
OK, in my ICU there is no lift team, no lifts, no CNAs. Most pt's require Q2hr repositioning and are dead weight. Besides being critical care nurses, we are beasts of burden too.
My problem - my pain management Dr has strictly advised me to get out of the ICU due to the lifting. In his words "you will be back here again if you don't change your nursing field."
I love the ICU. I am trying to think what else I would enjoy as much. I guess I could change employment to the only hospital in town, (and I live in a VERY LARGE metropolitan area), that has a lift team. It would be quite a commute though.
I am a type A personality, as most of us are. I don't like peds, I don't like neonates, I don't think I would like home health, I don't think I am patient enough to work in the ER. I am leaning towards interventional radiology, PACU, or GI nursing.
What would any of you do if you had to be yanked out of your favorite field of nursing? Any advice for me.
Thank you for reading,
Hooz

Interventional rad - wouldn't that require you to wear heavy leads?

A lot of nurses that leave our ICU, end up in Endo, Cath Lab, EP lab, PACU, or Inpatient Dialysis.

Or does your hospital have an IV team or STAT nurse/SWAT nurse/Rapid response position?

I think EP would be interesting, and good hours too.

Hoozdo, ADN · Sep 23, 2007

Interventional rad - wouldn't that require you to wear heavy leads?
A lot of nurses that leave our ICU, end up in Endo, Cath Lab, EP lab, PACU, or Inpatient Dialysis.
Or does your hospital have an IV team or STAT nurse/SWAT nurse/Rapid response position?
I think EP would be interesting, and good hours too.

Yeah, IR would require lead aprons......I think they weigh 20 lbs.

The IV team and rapid response is done by our ICU. Other floors just call the ICU for hard sticks - and RR and code teams are us.

Thanks for the ideas, the more input the better!

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Sep 23, 2007

I like doing special procedures, conscious sedation-EGD's, TEEs, Dobutamine stress tests, etc. Any of those jobs around? Not all of them require IR work.

In PACU, don't you have to push the stretcher all the time to return patients to their rooms? That's one reason why I didnt' want to work there-I hate pushing stretchers...

Hoozdo, ADN · Sep 24, 2007

I like doing special procedures, conscious sedation-EGD's, TEEs, Dobutamine stress tests, etc. Any of those jobs around? Not all of them require IR work.
In PACU, don't you have to push the stretcher all the time to return patients to their rooms? That's one reason why I didnt' want to work there-I hate pushing stretchers...

You know, I am not sure about stretcher pushing. I know when we get admits from surgery they totally bypass PACU and come to us for recovery. I will have to ask in the PACU forum.

I love special procedures!

You know what I hate, ambulating patients! It's one reason I would never want to work in CVICU.

Thanks for the input guys, this is cheering me up.

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Sep 24, 2007

You know what I hate, ambulating patients! It's one reason I would never want to work in CVICU.

Me too! I hate it!

We, as ICU nurses, tend to forget that PACU recovers more patients than ICU patients. They have lots of pts who need to go back up to the floor after they've recovered.

Usually the PACU nurses are alone (at least in my hospital), no techs to help with transportation. So they push that stretcher alone. I hate that, it really hurts my back and neck.

deeDawntee, RN · Sep 24, 2007

Go back and get your NP! Perhaps be an acute care NP.