scorpio24

Hi all! I am a RN who has been out of clinical practice for quite a while now. I suffered from burnout and felt that nursing was not what I thought it would be. I wanted to spend my days caring for patients with my head, hands, and heart. However, it became obvious very quickly that so much of my day was filled with pill popping and paperwork that there was very little time left over for what I consider to be TRUE nursing care. That is when I began looking into other career options that would allow me to still work with my hands and people so I have chosen Massage Therapy. I would like to use this certification along with my RN to find a career that will allow me to focus more on health and wellness. When I try to search for information about being a RN LMT, the resources are scarce and while there is a National Association of Nurse Massage Therapists, they are currently not active and not accepting memberships. I am wondering if there are other RN, LMT's out there and if so, could you tell me more about your career and how you have combined the two? What are some of the most common positions available? Also, I am currently in VA but can and will be willing to move elsewhere once I pass my MBLEX.

Hi there, I've been a licensed RN since 07' but my clinical practice has been sporadic for many reasons. One of the major reasons being that I do not feel like we use holistic methods. That being said, I have recently enrolled in a Massage Therapy course and I am very excited to REALLY begin using my hands for healing rather than passing meds and filling out paperwork. I too have looked into the NANMT and found that they are currently not accepting memberships. Do you have any further information as to when they may actually be back up and running. Also, it is very interesting to hear that you are opening your own wellness clinic, could you elaborate on what services you will be offering? I would like to incorporate both in my future, but it is actually hard to find jobs that are specifically for Registered Nurse Massage Therapists. Would you have any advice on future job options where I could possibly "wear both hats" instead of keeping them separate. Thanks for your post, it is nice to know that there are others out there!

to everyone who responded on my post with "productive" responses....thank you. i would like to add that i understand that i need criticism and not everyone is going to "like me". that's not realistic, that would be childish. i meant more along the lines of directly regarding patient care, or can you show me a skill i'm unfamiliar with, medications, etc. i can certainly see how you could get very frustrated with someone asking you trivial things day after day. i personally made it a point to write things down on a little pocket notepad if i thought i would forget. that way i wouldn't have to ask but once or twice. also, i always tried my best to help others: rn, lpn, tech, doc, etc. don't get me wrong, i'm not saying all nurses are like this. like i said in my original post there were a few people...not just nurses....that were amazing and taught me skills and knowledge you won't find in a textbook. this however does not mean that they "went easy on me". my preceptor would tell me when she wanted me to do things on my own and that was that...i did it on my own. others would come in and chew me out for something, but at the same time they would be giving me the answer i needed and send me on my way to complete my shift. it was constructive criticism and it actually got me through some of my worst days. i could see that this was for my own good. what i was referring to is when they flat out say "figure it out on your own" or "i don't have time for this". i mean we did team nursing and like others have said the patient's belonged to all of us, so not at least pointing a newer nurse in the right direction to find info or help is technically not providing good pt care...in my opinion. furthermore, i think it takes years...not months or one year or even two for new grads to even begin to gain a level of knowledge and confidence that experienced nurses have. i know that we can all agree that you can pass ns and read all the books you want but at the end of the day you don't have a clue what being a nurse is until the first day you step onto that floor. one day the "new" nurses will be the "old" nurses so share the wealth of knowledge that you have...you will make a difference in the ones who are ready and willing to soak up any knowledge you want to give. thanks again for helping me think all this through and get different perspectives on the subject :)

rhiarn75....i must say, this response is almost identical to what one of the few, but most amazing nurses that i met in my er experience would say to me. she always gave it to me straight and didn't hold back, but all the while encouraging me to do my best and push on. i always knew that she was a "real" person/nurse....to say it frankly....there was no b*llsh*t about her. she was the type of nurse that i aspired to be. i like criticism...especially when it's the cold hard truth, how else will i learn my lesson? sometimes though, i would like a pat on the back after you've bitten my head off haha. no, seriously...i think out of the posts you really described what that experience was like and how er nurses have to be to survive. you have honestly reminded me of the good that came from it. i just may return to nursing, although i don't think you will be seeing me in an er again anytime soon. thank you :)

All I have ever wanted to do with my life since the age of 7 was to be a nurse. I accomplished this goal and took a position in the ER. The experienced nurses warned me..."ER nurses eat their young". This was a concept that I came to understand quickly. It is actually one of the biggest reasons that I have not been active as an RN for over a year now. Don't get me wrong, there were the FEW that made the biggest difference in my life because they took the time to teach. I am sort of jaded by this experience though, I thought that nursing is supposed to be about caring and helping others...at least that's why I became a nurse. It seems that more experienced nurses do not want to take less experienced nurses under their wing. Instead, they become easily frustrated unwilling to explain or flat out tell you that basically you're an idiot for not knowing something. I am still on the fence as to whether or not I will return for a significant amount of time or just long enough to go back to school. Any thoughts or feelings on this topic?

So I am 24 years old and graduated with my RN in May of 2007. My mentor/instructor from school offered me a job in the ED where she worked and I agreed. ER was never an option for me...I just knew that I had the job in the bag and knew that my boss would look out for my best interests. After a year, I was suffering from burnout and decided to leave to pursue travel nursing. What I didn't realize was that you have to have experience in the specific field for which you are applying. Shortly thereafter, events in my life led me away from nursing. I have not worked as a nurse for about 13-14 months. I honestly always wanted OB, but the opportunities just weren't there when I graduated. I'm not sure of how to get experience to get back into nursing and change fields. Also, after being out for a while I feel "rusty" and cannot find any refresher courses in my area. Just looking for some wisdom from those nurses who have been at it for 20 + years. Any advice you can give me is GREATLY appreciated.