Little_Mouse

Thanks everyone. Actually I already accepted the position, but was wondering how the transition would go from bedside to telephonic nursing go? It's just so different: not being in a hospital setting but a corporate or even home setting and not being able to see your patients. I think the hardest part for me would be losing that "control" of the patient assessment, or ability to feel, see and--dare I say it?-- smell the patient! Lol.

Hi everyone, I recently got offered a telephonic nursing position (case management). I've been doing bedside for the past few years, mainly in med surg. Does anyone have any experience transitioning from bedside to telephonic nursing? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

"Therapeutic wait time". That's great..I don't remember learning that in nursing school . Lol! Great nursing intervention.

Yes! I thought I was the only one...I've been a nurse for about 3 years and I still have anxiety about work. What may be contributing to that anxiety is the fact I've changed jobs 3 times in those years and never really "settled in"...although I thought the grass would be greener on the other side. I've realized that bedside is bedside is bedside. And I don't like it very much. I think it's a lot of stuff to do, to know, and liability...I would like to work in something less stressful. Another thing I realized through my short nursing career so far is that I personally have a lot of anxiety in general, am very self deprecating and hard on myself in a lot of aspects of my life but even more so in nursing since I compare myself with my colleagues, even new grads. But that's all personal and ties into my work. For you, do you think your anxiety is something new or has been with you for a while? If it's new, did something happen in particular that you can point to where it began? So you feel burnt out? Maybe you need a new environment that's less stressful? Just something to think about. Good luck!

Just curious--what job did you leave your previous employer for?

^ omg that's great! Lol

Omg sooo cute!!! Just too adorable!

Nursefrances-- Ive also been interested in leaving bedside but the jobs seem few and far between. Ambulatory surgery sounds so interesting, but all opportunities I've seen need OR experience which is something I don't have...and I also find it hard to actually get in that specialty if not right out of nursing school (I only have med/surg/tele experience). How were you able to get that opportunity? Did you have ICU experience? I think those with ICU experience seem to have more flexibility/job opportunities due to the higher level acuity of care.

Sounds like there's a lot on your plate! Is it possible to resign from on of the jobs (like maybe the on call ambulance?) or least per diem in one or two of the part time jobs? Because you said you "love your job" I suspect you dont actually want to leave the field, but rather have waaaay too much going on right now.

No problem. Good luck! :)

FT med surg. Despite the lower pay, you will have a guaranteed position with pay and benefits plus gain an invaluable amount of experience that will make you more marketable in this difficult economy....eventually that pay will increase. The ltc job just sounds too unstable.

I had worked at a small community acute care hospital that only had an urgent care and not an ER. Since it is within a hospital setting that particular case it would be considered acute. But there are plenty of urgent care sites that are not associated with a hospital (stand alone) and I believe those would not be considered acute. Despite that, I think if you were looking to work at a hospital setting, urgent care can still provide a good experience like triaging and patient care.

Almost answering my home phone with "Hi. This is___ from ____ unit. How can I help you?" Also hearing phantom call lights and/or tele monitor at home... signing "rn" after my signature and using short hand at home like the "c" sign for with and "s" for without when I leave notes or even in my personal journal when I feel super lazy....and being more used to measuring things in mLs here in the States! I do not like using ounces.. Oh and ditto about the veins! I admire from afar...

I appreciate your honesty. I don't want to go into something if it may not be a good fit for me. I heard about this hospice company through a friend. She is a case manager but does field work (if that makes sense). She loves the job and loves working for this company. They didn't have any CM positions open and admissions RN was the only one available. Anyway, I am still looking for my niche; to be in something I can be happy..just like my friend. I just don't want to make any rash decisions

Hi everyone, I've been a floor nurse for a couple years now and totally burnt out from bedside. I'm looking into hospice. I applied to an Admission RN position at a hospice company and was just wondering what exactly are the duties and expectations? The company's website only has a generic description and doesn't provide much insight to it. I would very much appreciate any info. Bedside nursing continues to cause me too much anxiety...I feel like I've aged 20 years from the running around and 12 hour shifts... I only realize now that maybe bedside just isn't for me...

To be honest, I have to agree with the above. Sounds way too similar to the "recent" nursing situation. Too many new grad nurses, not enough jobs going around, particularly for those new grads. Have you seen the other threads? I got my RN licence in '09 and it took me 8 months to land a job. But it's still possible to get a job soon after graduating; I've met a few new grads recently at my new employer. Do what's best for you and the family. Times are tough. Hang in there. Good luck! P.S. As for the pharmacy not being all that it's cracked up to be...so is nursing. I know I'm not the only one burnt out from it. I question myself often, what have I gotten myself into? Well, a lot of factors go into my personal love-hate relationship with nursing but that's a whole other story...

I think this thread is getting away from the initial topic at hand. What do the Mods think?

I am glad you shared this. You sound a lot like me actually, but you really stuck to your personal beliefs and preferences...you stayed genuine with who you are and did not falter despite what other people may have thought, especially when you stated, I admit that I fell for this false belief and that's why I'm still working in an acute setting and miserable! I tried to convince myself that working at a more prestigious hospital is what I want, but it's not. Unlike you, I haven't really contemplated what I want and actually stick to it and stay genuine. I get too caught up in what other people think of me--parents, friends, other nurse colleagues--if I were to leave the acute care setting and "settle" for something not fast paced or a hospital with a big name. I'm going to really take an introspective look at my own personality and beliefs in order to feel content and happy with my work because frankly, I have a hard time leaving work at work. I think if I don't make a change it'll just continue to bleed into my personal life and I can't have it affecting my patient care either. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for sharing since at least I don't feel alone in this. The sad part is that I've only been a nurse for about 3 years...and have changed jobs nearly every year (a sign of burnout, no?) And although I realized that bedside nursing is not for me, as you have mentioned, it is difficult to get out of it. I recently started a job in a different unit, thinking that the patient load would be a little easier (expecting mainly walkie-talkies) but it is still bedside and still the confused, demented, pressure sore covered pts are there (I'm sorry to say that, since I know they are still human beings, but with time constraints and what not it's hard to provide the care they really need in a short amount of time)...so it's still just running around like a chicken with its head cut off, along with fear of making a mistake and-- at times-- almost overcome by self doubt and feeling that I wasn't able to provide good enough care...Maybe it's just me and my ability (or lack of) to handle stress or even my personality (reserved)...but I would love to get away from the bedside somehow. But in the mean time, I still have bills to pay and need medical insurance so this will have to do for now... I wish you luck. Know that you are not alone and that you do have a support system here. Remember to take care of yourself and take things one day at a time. (I need to make sure I follow that advice as well! lol)

Thank you so much for sharing this. I've been a nurse for only 3 years, but haven't kept the same job for that long for a lot of the same reasons you've listed above. I really just haven't found my niche yet either. I yearn for a job where the stress doesn't drive me up the walls and have me feeling like I didn't do enough. I really am burnt out from rude doctors, management, and families...I'm thinking bedside isn't for me anymore. But like I said, I haven't quite found my niche yet. Anyway, glad to hear I'm not the only one. Your article helped to calm the waters for me..for now (although I continue to search for job openings). :) Good luck. Thanks again.

What do you use to give change of shift report and what do you find more effective?

Hey Everyone, Not sure if you've heard of this, but I saw it on the news this morning and had to check it out: Watch the clip from the documentary Alive Inside. I don't think I had cried so much after watching a 6 minute movie clip. I could see my patients in him. It reminds me of why I became a nurse...and I needed to watch this today as a reminder. Here info about the documentary from the website: Alzheimer's and dementia are a reality for an increasing and often unseen population. Though well intentioned, many nursing homes are not equipped to fully meet the needs of these residents. We are left with several questions without any real or comforting answers: How do I want to age? What can we do for our loved ones? Can we do better? Alive Inside investigates these questions and the power music has to awaken deeply locked memories. The film follows Dan Cohen, a social worker, who decides on a whim to bring iPods to a nursing home. To his and the staff's surprise many residents suffering from memory loss seem to "awaken" when they are able to listen to music from their past. With great excitement, Dan turns to renowned neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, and we follow them both as we investigate the mysterious way music functions inside our brains and our lives. Besides telling a moving story, it is our hope that this film will encourage widespread adoption of personalized music programs in nursing homes and outpatient therapy in homes. We hope that our film will inspire and educate the millions of people burdened by diseases that affect memory, and create a grassroots demand for this kind of low cost treatment, which could help not only patients but also caregivers across the globe. Like many films that concentrate on a simple story but echo into larger stories, we feel this film raises questions about how we as a society care for the elderly and afflicted. Alive Inside focuses on one man's journey, but it raises many deep questions about what it means to still be Alive Inside. It questions when we stop being human, and what it takes to re-start a life that has faded away. It asks questions about how we see our elderly, and how we are going to treat an epidemic of these degenerative diseases. http://www.ximotionmedia.com/

I realize that after working my butt off for 2-3 days in a row while working nights (so I barely see the sun...and I hate the fact that I have to sleep during beautful sunny days, especially here in CA!) I make sure to enjoy my days off as much as I can.... a toast to days off :cheers: For a better work tomorrow

So I have two... One is for a single patient The other is a 2 patient brain sheet. The latter I just completed right now! I needed a new one since we have a new system in place. I work in Med/Surg and sometimes we get vent patients, but it's not often. You'll see a lot of large blank spaces. The first large blank space is open for the patient's label, which on my unit, includes the name, MR#, DOB, and date admitted, so that helps a lot. The 2000/0000/0400 are blank underneath for VS (I work NOC) And the large blank space is for general info for labs and radiology results, etc. I like to have some space since I can be a messy person at time and just write whatever...I can't be neat and tidy all the time! 1 patient brain sheet.docx 2ptsheet4.10.12.docx