Keesha RN

I’m an experienced nurse. As a child had hip dislocation (age 10), developed avascular necrosis and had hip replacement surgery right before turning 21 years old. I became RN right before 25 years old. Now 17 years in my career I’ve already had 2 hip revision surgery unfortunately at 41 years old. Last year the second hip revision was after a traumatic motor vehicle accident. I still get around good. But have been told that I should look into non-bedside nursing?? I started in hospital nursing, and then relocated states which meant I left my position and had trouble finding a hospital position that fit me since. So the past 4-5 years have found a better routine in and been doing long term care/skilled nursing. My concern is I’m still so young with years left to work I don’t want to get into trouble where I’m hurting myself trying to take care of others… Suggestions?

I’m glad you shared your story. I’m recently dealing with something similar and wondering how to handle it before too late? I recently started a new position at a rehab hospital on a brain injury unit. A year and half ago I was in a motor vehicle accident and I was a patient on this same unit. This past month I have been in nursing orientation on this unit. Long story short I made a med error with liquid Tylenol and also eye drops. My preceptor and manager has been bringing up the fact that I had brain injury with my motor vehicle accident and question my safe practice. Actually it has started making things uncomfortable on the unit. I wonder should I continue to improve (is what I would like to do) but on the other hand feel like I’m already kind of labeled by them for my brain injury over a year ago?? The fact that I made these errors have been brought up several times. I would like to move forward and improve. Not sure what I should do from here?? Should I leave position before it gets worse or try to hang in there?

OK Nurse Beth. I still have concerns on this new job. I’m still in orientation but do not feel that my preceptor and manager have high expectations of me. They have mentioned that I don’t seem ready to be off by myself yet. I don’t think that I have proved myself to them yet? I really do want my job.

Hi I also just recently started a new nursing job in a rehab hospital. On a unit where we get a lot of traumatic brain injury patients. Im not a new nurse. I have almost 17 years experience but am fairly new to rehab nursing. I only write because I just finished only my first week on the unit and am still in orientation but have already got called in to the managers office, she mentioned being concerned with me. The nurse training me told her I was focused on the wrong thing in patient report. For instance asking the patients age. Which to me was a petty complaint. But she also mentioned that she noticed that I spoke with a couple of my patients about something I put on my fb about a time I recently spent in the hospital. Which worries me more than the age thing in report. She said I was getting too personal with the patients and shouldn’t bring up my fb. Which I do understand. I know this is something that I can correct and plan not to do again. But I’m just wondering if anyone thinks that this may be an issue that can affect my morale with the management. I just worry that with it being so early on with this job that management is already finding things “wrong”?? Or Should I worry that I already have a bad reputation with management because of this?? Is this something I should worry about? I’m just wondering if this is something I can come back from, and improve on and move forward. Being that I really want to succeed in this position.