Nursing fields suited for physical limitations/chronic illness

[Watki22]

Hi there!

Im a new grad (kindof) RN BSN, just finished my first yr on a medical surgical/telemetry floor. Bedside nursing is getting harder and harder physically as I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome- connective tissue disease causing unstable joints and chronic pain. I’m worried I’m going to sustain a terrible injury if I keep working bedside nursing or if I suddenly get worse I won’t be able to work. I want to be able to work in nursing for many years but what I am doing now is not sustainable. I am interested in case management (office or telephonic or field) but it seems they are looking for nurses with at the least 3 yrs clinical experience AND they want CMM or case management experience. Does anyone have any advice on another nursing field I could go into? ?

[Nonyvole, BSN, RN]

OP, I have been handed with the same exact deal with my body. Unfortunately, my goals mean that I've two options: suck it up and deal or give up altogether. (Giving up isn't in my nature, unless and until I have run out of options.)

So, figure out workarounds. Compression garments are my best friends because they help remind me where my joints are. Days that I work I take a dose of Tylenol and ibuprofen before my shift and then six hours later. Exercises that I was given from PT. I stay hydrated; my unit culture is one where we have several places to stash water bottles.

Also, I avoid Danskos like the plague. Got tired of my ankles wanting to roll and people getting nosy and panicked when they'd see me roll said ankles to the extreme and keep on going. (anything with more than a kitten heel is dangerous. Which sucks because I am so short and those nice heels are so pretty...)

But. That's what I do. It will be different for you, because EDS/JHS doesn't follow a set pattern. And like others have said, take a look at some of the non-floor options. Clinic nursing didn't bat an eye when I would come in on crutches and then stash them in the corner until I ended up needing to go all the way back to my car. Telephone nursing is another good option.

[caffeinatednurse, BSN, RN]

On 2/14/2019 at 9:46 PM, NICU Guy said:

Were you diagnosed in the last year? It seems that if you had a potentially debilitating medical issue, you should have researched bedside nursing prior to starting nursing school to see if it was going to be too physically demanding for you before you went through the rigors of nursing school or at least recognized during nursing clinicals that nursing might not be the best career path for you.

I am not understanding why you would choose nursing if your goal was not bedside nursing. There are other pathways to Case Management other than nursing. There are also many other non-nursing career paths that are not physically demanding.

Maybe the OP received the dx in nursing school and it was too late to do anything about it. Or maybe they've been able to function at a relatively high level and they thought nursing was do-able. They've been able to complete one year of Med-Surg, which tells me that at some point they've been physically capable of doing their job.

Plenty of people choose nursing with the goal of eventually obtaining a non-bedside nursing job. At least they're not a new grad asking how to get away from the bedside after just 1 week. ?‍♀️

[caffeinatednurse, BSN, RN]

I do not have EDS. I do have SLE, inflammatory arthritis, and fibromyalgia though. I currently work as a Med-Surg nurse and have done so for almost 3 years now.

A visit to your specialist might be in order. I started on one medication during the first year of Med-Surg nursing and found that the physical demands exceeded the benefits of my medicine. I ended up switching to a med that was stronger, albeit with more side effects. However, I have less symptoms from SLE and arthritis and I'm able to function as well as (often better) than my coworkers. Something to think about...you're under more stress now than you probably were during school. It makes sense that the added stress would equate with worsening of your condition. Adjustments may be needed.

Also, are you sleeping well? Are you eating regularly? Are you hydrated? Are there additional stressors in your life that are making your health worse? All of these things play a part when you have a chronic illness.

Non-bedside jobs may be difficult to find with just 1 year of experience. I would agree that a clinic job may be the ticket for you, and would give you the additional experience that you need for a phone triage job. Keep in mind that even in a clinic environment, you will be expected to frequently walk, stand, with little time to sit down or rest. Look at shot/immunization clinics attached to public health departments.

[ertoclinics]

I became ill once I became a nurse and survived at the bedside for 18 years before having to take on other work. I did telephonic nursing for 5 years and at 2 different places but they did require 3-5 years and critical care experience. One year is not enough. I'm now fully disabled (with Ehler's Danlos as well as 50 other diagnoses).