briteside

Was curious if anyone has worked a seasonal position with NCH in Naples. If so did you use their housing and was it clean, safe, etc?

Hi all you brave nurses out there. I'll try to make this short and sweet. I have been a nurse since 2003. I worked on a medical oncology floor in a hospital until 2008 when I decided to try travel nursing. After only 1 month I fell and broke my arm. Turns out I have multiple myeloma and after chemo and a stem cell transplant I am now in remission. Luckily during this time off I've been receiving disability but that money only goes so far and it's becoming harder and harder to make ends meet with monthly bills, medical bills, etc. I know I have to return to work, and really want to, but am terrified of returning to nursing for some reason. I have been offered a job by a temporary nursing company in one of the bigger cities about 2 hours from home but just can't get myself to commit to anything. I know I'm not ready, or may never be ready, to return to oncology nursing but my hesitation to return to nursing at all is puzzling. I know I'm scared about the physical aspect of the job but more importantly the stress factor and the thought that I've forgotten something critical that could endanger a patient. I try to remember that I may know more now since I've been a patient and have gone through so much but it's not enough. When this happened I promised myself I would be kinder to myself and take better care of my body but nursing is all I knew how to do. I know there are many areas of nursing to consider but with MM one never knows when it can rear it's ugly head. The larger lesions I have are in my arm which I broke and in my collarbone which causes me concern in regards to moving/lifting patients. My physician says I can lift 50-100 pounds but I would hate to hurt myself and end up not being able to use my arm/arms. Returning to school would be ideal but would take many months or years to complete. Are there any other nurses out there that have faced this same dilemma? I would love to hear how you got past your fear and returned to nursing or how you moved on through more education. Oh my......this didn't turn out so short and sweet but it felt good to get my worries out there. Thanks for taking the time to listen.