srahamim

Look at Blood Center Collections Nurse. Donors are healthy and want you to stick them in the arm. Job is friendly, you talk to people who want to be there. Really great job! Great training and opportunities to gain leadership experience. I moved to a blood center 15 years ago and have never been happier!

Another suggestion - apply to your local blood center organization. They are always looking for good people, the “patients” (donors) are healthy and want to be there and are usually in a great mood! The work can be a little physical if you setup mobiles, but otherwise it is a fantastic job.

What about working in a Blood Center? I have found it very rewarding and the donors are healthy and want to be there.

Adding my 2 cents. I started pre-Reqs at 47 and graduated at 50. Tried bedside but not a good fit for oh so many reasons (another time, another story) I became a Blood Center Collection nurse and have been very satisfied with my career with my blood center for over 10 years. No, I'm not making 6 figures but otherwise very satisfied. An RN has lots of options even with an ADN and a BS/BA not in nursing other than bedside.

Blood banking. Less pay but the "patients" (donors) are asking you to stick them with a sharp needle and they are usually happy about it!

Blood center nurse! Healthy people who want to be there. Great teamwork and lots of fun! Flexible schedule! I love it!

I'd like to put in a plug for atypical nursing roles such as legal nurse, chart reviews and Blood Center nursing. In a blood center, you deal with healthy people who want to be there and your job is to be sure they make it out safely! Lots of friendly people who get mad at you if you don't stick them I the arm with a huge (16 gauge) needle! where else can you find such a happy nursing job?

A lady came in with a splinter in her butt. A very generous butt to be sure. And had 5 family members with her. It it surprises me how many people think ER is primary care then complain about the wait for their clearly non-urgent issue.

Sorry for not replying earlier - look into Informatics, working as a clinical consultant to IS projects at your current hospital would be a good starting place... As regards salary - I am currently making (in California, in blood banking) about $15+/hr less than I would be making had I stayed at the bedside, if that helps. Also I am working 8hr shifts, 5 days a week and that includes some weekends. Good Luck! Let me know if you come up with some interesting alternatives. There's always the possibility of Legal Nurse Consultant if you have the experiance - I see that advertised frequently. Sarah

Are you asking the question or just providing information? Use cases have been around for over 15 years, starting as a tool for systems/application development around the same time as object oriented programming concepts. As the article says, it is a way of documenting the paths taken, and the participants of the path (users, data, etc) to ensure accurate collection of requirements. It is a lot of fun (IMHO) to "use". Let me know if you want more info. Sarah

In my case, after leaving the hospital (I tried ER for 15 months) I took positions that were specifically for RNs but very non-traditional such as chart reviewing with MedAssurant (look for another thread) and now working at a blood center. Since I also have about 20 years in applications development as a project manager and data and process analyst, I am working on a software application implementation at the blood center to automate the collection process. MedAssurrant is part time, no benefits, the blood center is full time with benefits... good luck!

Did you contact ENA? http://www.ena.org

What you are suggesting is a good idea except... clinical sites are necessary for this. In some areas maybe this is practical but in the Silicon Valley area of northern California there are way more schools (both RN and LVN) looking for clinical opportunities than there are hospitals able/willing to provide it..... All of it is a catch 22 that's for sure!

On the other hand, you may find that you never want to go back! :) I work in a Blood Center collecting donations from Healthy, happy people who want you to dtick them in the arm!

Carl - I too am over 50. I went to nursing school because it was a childhood dream. If I didn't have that dream and a love of learning - there were many times when I might have just quit (horrid teachers, mean spirited co-workers, tough days when we were short shifted, etc.....) I have found both age discrimination and the "eat the young" syndrome when I worked in the Hospital - I also found some great co-workers that really did try to help (and for that I am greatful!) I had worked over 20 years in Info Systems before nursing. Nursing has a very different culture - learning that culture was one of the most difficult things - learning the skills was easy by comparison... I am guessing you might be male - you may have an even harder time. I say go for it - even though right now it seems there is a nursing glut (no new grad opportunities, hiring freezes and layoffs) who knows - in a couple of years or so it could all turn around quickly..... I'm really glad I went to nursing school, I am happy with my choice. I am able to do good things for people and I have the knowledge to make a difference, even if I don't work in hospital (I work in a Blood center collecting donations and working on software for collections) and mostly advise my friends and family. Good Luck!

i say go for it! I was 47 when I decided to go back to nursing school - once you have your RN you can work in informatics with computers if you don't wnat to work directly with sick patients - start with one pre-req class to see if you can figure out studying again and go from there. Pre-reqs can be completed for less at the community college level if you are in the US :) Good luck!

I am working in a Blood Center to collect blood donations. It is a great job! Low stress and lots of fun. Also there are clinic positions (maybe oncology or allergy would fit you since they do use RNs) or Case Management or Chart reviewer for Insurance companies (medAssurant from another thread may be hiring) or HIM as others have suggested. Good Luck!

I have been a blood center collections nurse for 1 1/2 years. It is a lot of fun! At my center, we are a great team of people. Errors get made which is nautral but the management has a strong education focus rather than an "eat the young" focus. You work with primarily healthy people with great veins (except sometimes the autologous donors may have illnesses and poor veins). We easily place 16g needles all the time. You won't lose your phlebotomy skills! The donors want to be there and they love sharing stories (and usually you have a moment or 2 to listen if you want). You learn a lot of geography (people travel to areas of malaria risk all the time). It is generally low stress and happy. The down side - it can get monotonous and boring to do the same thing every day unless you hook into the people part. Changes can be frequent as dictated by the FDA, AABB, CDC and other govenring boards. Because of said governance, SOPs must be strictly followed because if they do a spot inspection, your center could get shut down (Good news, the rules are for the safety of the recipient or the donor, so thery are there for a good reason!) Our salaries start at about $10 per hour less than the going rate in the local hospitals but my benefits are great! In short, I love it... also many centers are looking into automation so this is a good place for informatics folks. Let me know if you have any more questions.... Also, go donate - it can save up to 3 or more lives. Then you could also question the staff, if you go at the end of the drive, it is usually a bit quieter..... Sarah

I am also sorry that you have found yourself in a difficult "new to the specialty" situation - welcome to reality - "eating the young" seems to fit here as well as "you're a nurse, you should know that" after asking a question.... I've never worked in L&D or OB, so I can't help you there but just know you aren't alone and you are in a difficult situation - it may not be you at all..... Good luck! Just keep hanging in there and fighting the good fight if that is the specialty you want. Also congrats on having a job - it seems there are too many posts about lack of jobs lately and difficulty getting the training you need to transition to a new specialty...

If the original discussion was about how to support patients in a spiritual manner if they so wish - then let the patient take the lead. If they want to wait for someone of their own preference to come and sit with them then you, as the nurse, have the time to go search for someone. If on the other hand they have an immediate need (and you have the time :wink:) then ask how you can help and follow their lead. You are not impacting your own beliefs, you are providing patient-centered care and supporting them. Your personal beliefs have nothing to do with it. If they pray to Jesus, for example, but you don't so what, let them lead the prayer, bow your head and wish them great comfort from what they are doing. You are providing support! That's it....

I have found that those of the majority (aka Christian in the US) religous belief are more likely to share (as a bonding item). Those in the minority (may have experienced prejudice) are less likely to share. Sometimes these questions are from a positive desire to learn :), sometimes not ....

What I have found is that those who are among the majority (aka any of the Christian faiths) don't mind the question. Those who have possibly been put in uncomfortable situations (aka experiencing prejudice) are reluctant to share. Sometimes the question comes from a real (positive) desire to learn rather a negative desire to single someone out.....sometimes not....:-(

The oldest person in my class, who happened to be male, was 52, but several of us were over 45 at the time. Maybe we need to start a thread about the differences between perceptions of newbie nurses who are young or older. I definately experienced age discrimination because my chronological age was greater than my nursing age such as "you should know that, you're a nurse!" Best of luck to you in school! I so much more appreciated the learning now than I did in my early 20's! Sarah

Check out your local blood center - I have a great job reviewing info of healthy people for eligibility and starting blood draws (like IV's only one way - outbound!)

"I think this is a great topic because I am also new to nursing (5 months) and I'm having problems with the people I work with too... I worked for 10 years in business and always seemed to get along with co-workers but nurses seem to be a different breed. You just have no idea what you can say to another nurse without it getting chopped up and passed around and it comes back to bite you in the butt. " As someone who worked over 20 years in Information systems and applications development - the hardest thing I had to learn about nursing was how to fit in to the "nursing culture" - I'm still not sure if I've mastered it :-) now I work in a blood center with a real environment of process improvement instead of looking to find fault and get one in trouble - much better place! RN in Feb '05