Elizabeth138

Thank you for your responses! My interview went great! I will be able to work 8 hr shifts, have only 1 patient, no weekends or holidays. It sounds like I would actually be a lot physically and mentally healthier. But the pay is $6 less an hour and that was after I talked them into another $1 per/hr higher!!! This is the only private duty nursing company in the area and they are brand new. In fact, it sounds like I'll be their first RN higher if I accept the job. We have A LOT of home health agencies around here, which is different than private duty. The home health agencies only have LPNs and CNAs doing home visits because they can't afford to pay RNs what they are worth. I think this private duty company doesn't realize how hard it is going to be to find RNs with the ventilator and trach experience that they require for what they are willing to pay. I hope to be able to negotiate a couple more dollars on the hour. Any suggestions on how to do that? Thanks again :-)

Hello fellow Nurses!!I have been a RN for 8 yrs, most of my experience has been in ICU and TCU. I have become burnt out with hospital nursing for many reasons. Working long 12 hr shifts that turn in to 14 hr shifts because of the large nurse to patient ratio, no to very little ancillary staff, poor management, need I go on....Well I have a interview with a Private Duty Agency in Jeffersonville, IN coming up on Tuesday September 4th. I already have been told by them that I will be able to work 8 hr shifts but not much more yet. We will be discussing the details of the job on Tuesday. Due to health reasons I am no longer able to work 12 hr shifts and have been told by my doctors that I need a less physical and less stressful job. Will Private Duty nursing provide this for me? I have been looking for months for a job that would be physically and mentally easier on me but there isn't much out there. What I can find requires me to have my BSN and I only have my ADN right now. I want my BSN but I need to work for a company that will help me pay for the schooling. Also, in general, how does the pay differ from Private Duty nursing and Staff nursing at a hospital? Any tips for my interview coming up?Thanks in Adavance, Elizabeth

Weeziebaby1, My heart goes out to you. I am also in a similar position. I have LUPUS, Sjogren's, and antiophospholipid syndrome. I am a RN and am also looking to change fields due to the high stress, fast pace, and physical demand of being an ICU nurse. My physicians have told me if I can't find an easier, less physically demanding, and reduced stress job then I might as well start planning my funeral?!? Most jobs that are less physically demanding (i.e. education, research, & case management) not only require you to be a RN but also have a Bachelors at the very least. I only have my ADN. I would love to get my BSN but that costs money that I don't have and there is no way I can attend school plus work this job without serious effects to my health. With you only being a LPN I can see your dilemma. I am now searching for jobs in many nearby states to see if the job market for those types of jobs are more plentiful and require a little less education. i hate the thought of relocation since my family and doctors are here but I have to do what is best for my family. If you can't find anything locally, start looking elsewhere. You may have to relocate and go where the jobs are. Best of luck, Elizabeth138

Does anyone work for or know anyone who works for SCRI? I am an ICU RN who is wanting to go into research. The more I read about the job, the more I feel it is an "exact fit" for me. I live in Southern Indiana and have been seeking a job as a Research Nurse but I have been unable to find anything locally. I am not completely opposed to relocating although It means my husband and I would have to move our 3 young children away from their grandparents. It also wouldn't be easy or cheap to move a family of 5. I've noticed that SCRI in Nashville, TN is hiring at least 1 Research Nurse and they advertise that they offer competitive salary and relocation assistance. From what I've read, they seem to be a huge organization so if I miss this chance to apply for this job I'm sure another one will become available. If I'm going to uproot my family, I want to know if this research institute is worth it. Do they treat their employees well? Do they have good benefits? Do they truly offer a competitive salary? Maybe my chance of getting a research position with them is 1 in a million but I would like to think I could offer them everything they want in a Research Nurse and more. Any thoughts or answers to my questions would be appreciated. Also does anyone know how difficult or not so difficult it may be to get my TN license? Thanks in advance, Elizabeth138

Esme12 and studentinnursing, Apparently people can PM me right now but I can't PM back yet. I spent a lot of time writing Esme12 a return reply to a PM last night, all to find out when I went to send it I couldn't!!! The reply was completely lost!! I just wanted to give you both a update. I spoke to a disability lawyer and it is in vast agreement that my husband needs to finish his education and return to work. He applied yesterday and is waiting to hear from an admissions counselor. As for me, he said disability wouldn't be out of the question for me but could take years because the government would fight against me saying I need to get a "desk job." The lawyer said disability doesn't care if they are hard to come by, he said they would expect me to find one and try first before I could win my case. He suggested Vocational Rehab for me and a case manager is supposed to call me with an appointment date this week. I'm actually very excited about this. It sounds like, since I have a disability, they will pay for my advancement in my education so it would be a lot easier finding a "desk job." This could be an answer to my prayers. However, this still dose mean I have to continue killing myself at my current job until my BSN (or possibly higher) is received :-( I may try to work just part-time though if I can end up doing some medical transcription work from home like studentinursing suggested. As for this current horrendous flare I'm going thru, one of my other docs has ordered a adrenal siliva rhythm test. Maybe that will provide some answers. Esme12, I looked up that condition you PM'd me too and that also looks like a distinct possibility. It sounds like I need a dermatologist now so I can perhaps have a biopsy done on the rash. All I can say is I hate being sick and I'm sick and tired of all the BS that comes with being chronically ill! No one understands how we feel but us and it's just plum awful!!

Studentinnursing,Do you also have Lupus?Was it the physical nature of the nursing internship that caused your flare?As far as insurance, they can't "not" give you insurance at your place of employment as long as it is offered and you pay your premiums just as every other employee does. But the downfall is if you have gone without insurance for many years and then suddenly have it again thru work, then it would be considered a "pre-existing condition." So any doctors appointment, hospital visits, labs, etc. related to your medical condition WILL be denied. But any medical visit related to a virus, strep throat, sinus infection, and such should be covered.Were you not eligible for Medicaid or any government insurance while you were out of work & going to school?In that since I was lucky. I have insurance thru my work and got sick and diagnosed while I did have insurance and still do. My biggest problem will come about when or if I'm able to find a new job my body can handle and I have to wait the 60-90 days post hire to start receiving benefits. If I don't use cobra (during my work transition) then my new insurance carrier will see it as a lapse in coverage and treat mine as pre-existing also. The last time I checked no one can afford cobra.I did call a disability lawyer yesterday and they spoke with me at length about my options. As of right now I "think" I can handle a desk job & disability doesn't care if you can't find one or not according to the lawyer. He says that with my medical conditions I "probably" could get it but because of my young age and the fact that I do have my RN, it would be a long battle. That means years without any income at all. My main problem is I am an RN and sat for the same boards that an RN with her BSN did but I only have my ADN. I'm having trouble finding a "desk type of job" because most of those are for managers, care managers, etc and the majority of those jobs require you to have your BSN!!! The lawyer, however, has referred me to Vocational Rehab and a case manager is supposed to call me this coming up week. It sounds promising :-)I don't know much about it but apparently it was designed to help people stay off of disability. It provides paid education to people with disabilities to further their education in hopes for them to receive a job that they can do physically although they do have a disability. If I can get off of the physical, stressful, and long hrs of being a floor nurse then I may live working with my disease for at least several more yrs if not indefinitely!! I have hopes that they may even pay for my NP. I'll just have to wait for my appointment and see what they say.Someone else on facebook had mentioned that getting a medical coding or medical transcriptionist degree might be a possibility for me also. I assume I would make more money being a RN and also having one or both of these degrees. Do you know anything about that? I also heard you have to have at least 1 year of experience in a doctors office or hospital before being able to work from home. Do you know anything about this?Please also do not take this the wrong way but I would never suggest to anyone to become a nurse who has an autoimmune disease before even going into that field. I developed my autoimmune diseases after the birth of my last child. I had already been a nurse for over 6 yrs before getting sick and I've now been a nurse for going on 9 yrs. If I were to have contracted this at a younger age then I would have chosen another field altogether. Nursing is very physical and extremely stressful with LONG hours. It's hard enough for healthy people to do let alone with someone who has a compromised immune system. Were you aware of your illness before starting school? Even if you do get to finish your internship and pass your boards, you have a LONG road ahead of you. Me and Esme12 have worked in this field for a long time, her longer than me, and look at the troubles we're facing? And as a new grad your job opportunities will be even far more limited than ours considering experience. I know you're down enough as it is, and I'm not trying to make it worse but that is why we all joined this site, to help other nurses in need.My husband has also applied back to college within the last few days and is in hope of finding a career path that can support our family once I'm no longer able to work. All of this was made possible from all the advice I have received from this website. It has been a Godsend to me and many others like me. I hope we all can continue to help each other. Good Luck, Elizabeth

Esme12, Another member (Morte) was able to PM me the other day once I completed my registration, so hopefully we can start communicating this way. If you can try to PM me when you have time, we'll see if it's working or just a fluke. I do plan to get a membership but it will have to wait a few more weeks.I found something on-line that I filled out regarding disability lawyers. They asked for basic info regarding my situation and were going to send it on to local lawyers. They also gave me the names of the lawyers so I can follow-up with them myself. I plan to make follow-up calls tomorrow. I also see my pain management doctor tomorrow and I'm going to ask if they can refer me to anyone good and cheap. I would assume they have A LOT of people on disability there. Thank you for the links you provided, they are very helpful. Are you familiar with the "ticket to work" program? I've seen a thread or 2 about it. In all my life I have never been so stressed and just plain unhappy. I hate going to work because I know how I'm going to feel after only being there for an hour or so, just plain horrible!!! My newest symptom is this chronic sunburn like rash that have my doctors stumped. It looks like a bad sunburn and itches. It's on my face, neck, and upper chest. After only being active for 15 minutes (whether at home or work) it turns nearly purple and my skin feels like it's on fire! I've been on high dosed steroids for weeks now with little to no improvement. Once it really starts flaring up at work and my profuse sweating begins, I go from feeling "okay" to "blah..."This is when I realized that I'm hurting myself and my family probably more by working in the long run than if I was to stay at home. I never thought I would reach this point and this soon in my illness but I'm sure I still don't have all of my diagnosis' yet. I was put on call today then later called into work. I got there about 12:40pm. I was hoping to feel much better today since I wasn't going to be working a full 12 shift. But it never fails....just within an hour of working I was bright red (nearly purple) and sweating so bad I was having to wipe the sweat off of me in front of patients in their rooms. All my patients, they're family members, and my co-workers continually told me how "bad" I looked. I can't keep doing this, it WILL kill me!My hopes are to get disability and I am in hope that they have programs that will pay for me to go back to school. With an advanced degree, my door will open for less physical jobs that my body can hopefully handle. If I can get my NP, I can work set hrs at a doctors office, clinic, or ER. My husband has also agreed to go back to school and finish his graphic design degree but that's only if we can get his education paid for. He'll also need to work, doing something, while in school or we won't be able to afford to just live because I'm sure my disability won't keep us "afloat." Do you have any idea of what disability pays? I also have 3 young kids. I know you or someone else had said something about me being able to receive disability money for them also.I need to figure out how to post pics of myself on here also so I can get peoples input of this rash I have. As always....thanks for being so helpful. I know I can survive this with people like you supporting me and giving me advice.

I'm glad they decided to "review" your case but please be forewarned that they may try hard to get you to quit or find anything possible to write you up for if you do get hired. Since becoming ill, I've never been so scrutinized in my life. I was written up just last week for "disrupting the unit!" All I had been doing was speaking with other co-workers and my Charge nurse about how quality of care is being effected due to their choice of unequal staffing and patient assignments. That is just one of many instances that my work has done to me since becoming ill. They used to refer to me as a very valuable asset and one of the top nurses at the facility, now I'm a "disturbance." Were you able to speak to your current employer and ask them about rescending your resignation?I wish you the best, Elizabeth

I'm so sorry to hear about that. I have LUPUS and several other autoimmune diseases and go to pain management. If I wasn't on the meds I'm on for my chronic debilitating joint and muscle pain, then I wouldn't be able to get out of bed! I'm currently looking for an easier, less physical job and I'm afraid my meds are going to be a problem when getting hired. Although, from what I understand, that is illegal employers can always barely stay within the letter of the law like Esme12 mentioned. If they hadn't already given you the job and just told you they had moved on to other applicants, then I would say you wouldn't have a case. But since you were offered the job then it was rescended, I would say you have a legal case against the company. It wouldn't be a "fight" to get the job since you're right, you would be zeroed in on there & it wouldn't be a pleasant work environment. It would probably just be a descrimnation law suit. If I was you, I wouldn't go that route yet. I wouldn't lawyer up unless you were denied a job from more than one organization for the same reason. I have turned in my notice before at my place of employment and was able to rescend it and they were more than happy that I decided to stay. I hope that could be the case for you. With you just being on methadone for pain and being denied a job, my hopes for my own relocation are slim. :-( I'm on Oxycontin for daily chronic pain, Roxicodone for breakthrough pain, and Adderall for energy. This is what I have to take in order to just feel somewhat normal again. I have NO impairments from the medicine, just as you do not from the Methadone. Keep us posted on your job search and know that you have other nurses here that are here to support you. Good Luck, Elizabeth

Esme12,I now no why I felt so compelled to join AN and post my thread....I think God had it in his plan for me to meet you!! My primary doc told me from the beginning to get a lawyer but I figured they would charge me a large fee I didn't have. I also had NO idea that I could receive disability money for each one of my 3 kids also?!? We've also had a lot of financial hardship related to my illness (lost our home and filed bankruptcy) and it's still a daily struggle to make rent, pay utilities, and just put food on the table. Food pantries have become a Godsend to us.I am also receiving the same treatment at my current job that you did after your "cat was out of the bag." I have started receiving write-ups for nothing. My first was for tardy's. Most places of employment have at least a 7 minute window before and after your shift is supposed to begin but my job is only allowing a 7 minute early window. I literally clocked in 1-3 minutes "late" too many times and was told that if I clocked in "late" one more time (even by 1 minute, no matter the reason) then I was going to be terminated. I work a 7a-7pm shift and had clocked in too many times after 6:45am. Literally the clock-ins were 6:46am and the latest being 6:53am!!! I had never had ANY complaints from the previous shift of being late, I felt as though I was being zeroed in on. I explained that my fatigue and pain is so bad in the morning that it is harder for me to "get going" and asked if I could use my FMLA towards the "tardies" and was told "no!" I was told that even if I have to get to work an hour early and sleep in the car until clock in time, then that was what I needed to do in order to meet their clock in requirements!! I now have my husband literally scoop me out of bed in the morning so I can make it to work on time. My boss was expecting me to walk out and quit that day! She already had arranged coverage for me. I did just go ahead and leave early that day since I was so distraught. Since then I have clocked in "on time" and some of my occurrences have dropped off. I also was denied coming back to work on a full-time basis due to this and they would only let me hold an official part time position after coming back from FMLA leave. So they let me work full time hrs (since they needed a full time person) but I'm paying part time benefit rates!! This has all passed now within the last few weeks and I'm off of probation but I'm still waiting to get my full-time status reinstated!I also got wrote up last week for "disturbing the unit," apparently I'm not allowed to voice my opinions to fellow co-workers and the Charge nurse about unfair and unsafe nursing assignments. Needless to say, I need to "get the hell out of dodge!"How is it constitutional do be denied a job for your disability? I thought all places are supposed to be an "equal opportunity employer?" I could understand if it turned out that you didn't meet the physical requirements for the position during your probationary period and then were "let go." But to deny you upfront or pull you out of orientation after reviewing your health history doesn't seem legal?!?I am in the middle of a flare up now and my LUPUS rash is overwhelming and I'm experiencing an even worse intolerance to heat right now causing me to overheat easily but within the last few days they have made it against policy to use a small desk top fan, stating that it is an "infectious disease hazard!" Today my patients were asking me if I needed to sit down? My BP sky rocketed and I felt as though I was going to have some kind of heat stroke. I have shoulder length hair and it was pulled back into a pony tail and all my hair was soaking wet with sweat today, all the way down to the tips of the pony tail! When I asked about getting a doctors note for a fan, they said that I probably wouldn't be allowed to continue working there with that "restriction." Needless to say, I do completely sympathize with your work horror stories.How long have you been ill? Mine came hard and fast!! Do you share my same diagnosis? Is LUPUS and my clotting disorder one of the approved disability diseases?I just seem to have no good luck and I'm scared of not being able to take care of my family. You mentioned that I could stay at home with the kids while my husband tried to find employment but I'm also scared of falling asleep while being home alone with the kids. As you know, this disease takes a HUGE physical toll on you and I can fall asleep out of nowhere sitting straight up on the couch. My boys are a little older (almost 6 & 7 yrs old) but my daughter is only 20 months old. My husband has been a lifesaver this way!! Since he stays home, I can rest. I'm just so confused and lost. How do I go about finding a lawyer also? Thanks for all your help and support, Elizabeth

Nursegirl75,Thank you for the heads up about Kaiser. I'll try to find their website. I wouldn't even know what to do on a break, since I never get one or even a lunch!?!Thanks again, Elizabeth

llg, The problem with seeking disability is that I have to be unemployed for at least 6 months before even applying. Then the process can take years. I do still currently work as an ICU nurse but it takes A LOT out of me, I can't work more than 2 shifts in a row and if I do work 2 in a row then I sleep for at least 14 hrs the next day I have off!! We currently don't have the income to send my husband back to school and, of course, I make too much for any kind of financial assistance with his tuition. See how difficult this is? I work at a newly established (within the last 3 yrs) physician owned hospital and the benefits are horrible. There is no retirement, short-term or long-term disability, and the insurance is fair at best. We also provide primary nursing care....no aides, no IV team, no phlebotomy, aka no help. So far the only reason I have stayed is for the FMLA I qualify for although no one ever has enough PTO to use it and my health insurance. I would gladly go back to school and earn a higher degree but we don't have tuition reimbersment and nor can I afford the tuition. My hopes are to find a field that offers shorter, less physical days and can help me further my education. Thanks for taking the time to respond to my thread, Elizabeth

Morte, I am new to this site and just fully activated my account so hopefully you can PM me now but it did say something about needing "15 quality searches" or something to that note in order to use the PM system. Please try again or feel free to reply to me here. Thanks, Elizabeth

Hello all! I am new to this site so please bear with me.... I am 31 yrs old and have been a RN-ADN almost 9 yrs. Most of my experience lies in heart and lung CCU and ICU with an 8 month working stent as a Nurse Supervisor in a nursing home (not recommended). I have 3 children, the last child being a girl and she is 20 months old. After having her I never "felt right." Long story short....in layman's terms, I had an allergic reaction to the carrying and birth of my daughter!! I have been diagnosed with LUPUS, Sjrogrens Syndrome, and Antiphospholipid Syndrome (my blood clots VERY easily). All of these are VERY serious autoimmune diseases that have already nearly killed me. I was an in-patient at the Cleaveland Clinic in Ohio for nearly 2 weeks until I had at least 1 answer regarding my health. I don't even live in Ohio!! I live in Sellersburg, IN. They found that I had blood clots everywhere. By the time I got to them, I had blood clots in every branch of both my lungs and I am very lucky to be alive. I now see about 8 specialists and it's a daily struggle to even get out of bed. My docs want me to go on disability but I'm not ready for that. I want to give it all I got and plus some!! I'm the sole supporter of my family of 5. My husband is a stay at home dad because daycare for 3 young kids is outrageous! He doesn't have any type of professional degree either to help support us, so it's all on me. Floor nursing will kill me, according to my docs, and now I believe them! If the physically demanding part of the job doesn't then my constantly compromised immune system will working in that environment. I've been looking for office jobs or sit down jobs for at least a year and have had NO luck. They are all very rare or are hired internally. Currently I'm looking into a Legal Nurse Consultant or possibly wound care but there are hardly no listings for those jobs either. I personally think I would be a wonderful Legal Consultant because I am so obsessive about giving good and thorough patient care. I don't mind taking some courses (as long as their affordable) or even re-locating if needed. I'll do whatever I have to do to provide for my family. When researching Legal Nurse Consultants, it mainly mentions taking classes and starting your own business. I don't want the stress of that. I would just like to work for a law firm or insurance company. I am open to any and ALL suggestions. Please help!