MiamiNrs

Lucy4, thanks for taking time to respond to my post. The Kaplan program sounds pricey, but I also have reimbursement from my employer which would help immensely. I am definitely going to call them this week; looking forward to turning a new page in my nursing career.

Has anyone done the Case Management Course with Kaplan? Did you find it helpful in your job search and/ or fulfilling your job responsibilities? Also, how much did it cost?

I think you did the right thing. Nursing is too important a job for you to be fumbling your way through with no assistance. We are dealing with people's lives.

I highly recommend mental health days; they have saved my sanity and career quite a few times especially during my first year of nursing. I wouldn't even claim to be sick.I would just tell my boss I needed a mental health day and that it would be better for me and the patients. She was very understanding and helped me survive those horrible days.

Don't do it! You might feel like you desperately need a job right now, but I don't think you should even consider this one. It might end up costing more in the long run. I think the people who would make the decision to give a nurse 10+ patients are not nurses or haven't worked on the floor in such a long time that they have forgotten what it's like.

The same thing happens at my job. The same people who are so lovingly asking you to come in, will be the first ones to put your neck on the chopping block if you make a mistake due to being overworked. I never give up my days off to "come in and help my fellow nurses." If I mess up, my fellow nurses will not be standing in front of the BON with me. Nursing is extremely taxing on the mind and body. I need my days off to recuperate. I don't get a bad wrap for not being a team player, because when I am at work I give 100% to my patients and help the other nurses as best I can. I have seen nurses who come in extra and try to do 5 twelve hour shifts in a row. By the fifth day they were making mistakes, missing orders and were a lot more crabby and hard to deal with. The extra money is nice but I don't think it's worth it.

Are there any Case Managers in the Miami area who could tell me a good company to apply for inexperienced Case Managers.? My only experience is 7 yrs of bedside nursing on a Meg/Surg/Tele floor. I would be forever grateful if someone will help me escape my current situation.

Cthomp, I'm just curious how long you've been a nurse and what type of floor do you work on? I've been doing med/surg/tele for 8 yrs and I KNOW that I am burnt out. I've been thinking about going back to school or just switching jobs, but I am uncertain which route to take. All the talk about how hard it is to find a hospital position has me feeling trapped. Why would I leave a job that so many are dying to get into. I don't know what to do, but I'm sure I won't last much longer as a bedside nurse. I've been looking into clinic nursing, case management, and school nurse as alternatives to bedside care. I wish you all the best.

The most patients I ever had was 8 on a med-surg tele floor. The manager would try to get the staff nurses to sign up for extra shifts to "help out on the floor." We would show up only to be floated to other floors and still leave our floor short staffed. The nurses finally wised up and started declining extra shifts. I could use the extra money but I don't think it is worth my sanity/health/peace of mind.