NurseMegP

Agree with RNperdiem above, this does seem pretty specific. I'd say that pain control is going to be your biggest concern but also watching out for any post op complications (blood clots, etc). If it's run like a med-surg floor then your typical day is likely going to be lots of assessments for said complications, helping therapy or case management with any questions they might have, and a loooooot of passing medications.

Hey been there, thank you for your response. I ended up having an interview with a bigger company and I would have had the ability to work from home in 1-2 years but the catch was I would still have to go downtown (10 minutes from my house without traffic, with traffic it's closer to 40 minutes) anywhere from 1 - 4 days a week so I'm sitting comfortably at my current job still. I didn't think about a contract, I mean I definitely wouldn't be providing childcare outside of my own kids but I figured when he's old enough to self-entertain (I'm thinking like 8 years old+) that I'd just be around and he could do whatever he's into at that time. Thanks again for the insight. Definitely keeping an eye out but I'm lucky where I'm at too.

Agree with Golden. 9 months is nothing and the experience that you will get from it will look good on future resumes. Best of luck.

I hated bedside nursing. I lucked out an got into a position doing Utilization Review after a little over a year of bedside medical/surgical nursing and I really enjoy it. As the PP said, you could always view nursing as "just a job" but if you hate it now I'd imagine it's not going to get better. I would recommend finding the path in nursing that you do enjoy and pursuing that (even if it means putting in a few years doing a less than desirable role). There are a lot of options in nursing so I hope you don't feel stuck. Best of luck!

Whatever you decide to do, I do agree that the phone thing, at least while you are a student, needs to be nixed. As a student, unless you are on lunch, do not touch it. Hopefully, you'll continue this practice through as a nurse because as someone else mentioned, while the nurses can get away with it, it is disrespectful (though this does depend on the scenario because at 3 AM when the call lights are the "q" word, and you're caught up on charting... who cares).

Worker's comp is it's own beast and a LOT of providers don't understand how it works (that goes double for the office staff under them). At least that's how it is in Ohio . Just try to learn as much as you can. Read the policy. Don't be afraid to be inquisitive! I think as a UR RN in WC it's made my job easier to know what the CMs do, the billers, the claims analysts/assistants. Good luck to you! I hope you're enjoying it!

Something that is really important is time management. Also the ability to work as a team is good, but in this role it's also good to mention your ability to work independently. Organization is important. Attention to detail is a plus. There is a chance that you may have been viewed as over qualified? I wish you the best!

Hello all, This is really a utilization review question more so than case management. I currently work as a UR nurse for a MCO in Ohio. This is only worker's compensation so I don't know how different doing UR for an insurance company would be. This MCO is small but does well. We are about 60 employees and my department is 5 people (1 supervisor, 4 UR nurses). I love this job and the work and the people. It's 6 minutes away from my house. Next week, I have an interview with a bigger insurance company for the position of Utilization Management. I don't know all the details yet on what the job entails, but this position would be in a downtown area, have a longer commute (about 30 minutes with traffic on a good day), and be for a large company. I was told in the phone interview that after about 1-2 years there is potential for work from home which is really the only reason I want to leave my job now. I have a 5 month old son and as he gets older I keep thinking how awesome it would be for me to just be able to stay home on days he is sick or school is cancelled in the future. Right now he stays with his grandma all day so it's not a bad deal either way because she loves watching him and I am comfortable that he is with her. My husband and parents both encouraged me to at least interview with this bigger company. My main thing is that if I want to advance, as I said, my current company is just too tiny for there to be any upward or sideways movement. If I work for a bigger company, I have that opportunity potentially and eventual work from home. Does anyone do UR/UM for an insurance company? Do you enjoy it? Can you give me a general idea of how the process works with private insurance? Right now my day consists of treatment requests, approvals/denial appeal management, education, working somewhat with billing, staffing with CMs and claims analysts. It's pretty laid back. I'm very organized and independent with my work although I do share an office with a person who I'd now call a friend and she and I often bounce ideas off of each other or talk cases through together and I do think I'd miss that.

You could always look at doing CM/UR for a different company? I work as a UR nurse for a smaller MCO and while the CMs and claims analyst people here are busy, we're fairly steady in what we do in UR. Probably what I do now is a lot like what you did starting with your current company. I would really suggest looking into a different company if you want to keep the M-F hours but there are maybe opportunities for you in some of the other nursing "auxiliary" fields like informatics or research. I think about going back to bedside but the consistency of my schedule now (830-5, no weekends or holidays, ever) is incredibly important to me. I hope you find what works for you!

It could be that they're looking for a magical number of 3-5 years experience but maybe because you have 3 as an LPN and 2 as an RN your automatically getting rejected because it may look like only 2 years RN? Also agree with the above advice on wording your resume to be similar (not exact!) to what they have listed in primary responsibilities. Also any mention of great ability to multitask should be on every nurses resume imo :) !

I know this post was pulled from the grave here but I had to say in regards to the comments about at least 3-5 years of hospital experience that it is NOT necessary. I had about a year and a few months of med-surg and then went into utilization review and my mental health is so much better for it. Med Surg wasn't my jam to begin with but I enjoy computers, I like having a steady schedule, and I absolutely knew that at some point I'd want to leave bedside. So, just because you don't have 3-5 years it doesn't mean you can't look at opportunities out there. It never, ever, ever, hurts to apply for a job you think you'd like more than what you're doing now. What matters is how YOU feel. There are draw backs to leaving the hospital with only a year or so experience but nursing is awesome in that you can change and still have the same degree.

I actually just accepted another position as well! I'm sad to be leaving my co-workers but I am confident there are other good people out there and excited to make new friends :) it's bittersweet, but I am sure I'll be happier on a normal schedule. Best of luck to you!

Tele as in telemetry or telehealth? What is your current job duties? If you're not bedside with the patient, it's going to be hard to sell (probably not impossible though!) Use your strengths and if there is a weakness like "lack of bedside care" turn it into "I haven't had much hands on care but I still acquire patient interaction through ____" Start looking into the certification courses and maybe get that part done. You may want to go bedside for a year too if possible?

Really? Just because they're a student you're assuming their a certain age and then calling them entitled? Yikes. I have my phone on me while I'm at work, I check it when I'm at lunch. I'm 26. I check my phone far less than my 45, my 50, and my 38 year old co-workers who will show pictures of kids or funny things on facebook while we're at the nurses station. This is thins I would never do because I have a very strong work ethic and if I felt the need to fiddle on my phone I would take a break and go into the nurses lounge. Don't judge people based on their age. Nurses should know that best.

My thoughts are to get in touch with a school advisor of sorts who might know more about the school's programs and perhaps certain courses that will help boost your GPA without looking too much like fluff. Ratemyprofessors website is an awesome resource to find out if a course sounds easy but is going to be a huge pain. Also, I would go for it! If you don't, you might always look back and think "what if?" Either way, best of luck to you!