Second Guessing My Decision :( Mistake???

justin daniel wilema · Apr 13, 2011

My wife just had a baby and I noticed all our lactation specialists were generally RNs, some APN. This could keep you in a hospital for inpatient consultations and a clinic when you weren't oncall, and let you do the mother/baby stuff you enjoy. Not sure how much more additional training they get to do this.

Maybe an OB/GYN clinic?

Otherwise, I'd just advise you to put your family first in all things.

Justin Daniel Wileman

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Apr 13, 2011

This is certainly a difficult situation!

While this job certainly seems like a bad decision now, I'd urge you to consider both the pros and the cons of each. Which one gives you better opportunities for your career? Which one allows you to best support your family? Do you dislike the work at the hospital, or is it the family conflicts that make it hard?

Try making a list of the pros and cons, including your personal feeling, future career, and family obligations.

If you do decide you have to leave, is there a hospital in your area that has eight hour shifts? Also consider looking into school nursing, which would allow you to work essentially the same schedule as your children.

Ashley

netglow, ASN, RN · Apr 13, 2011

Too bad you didn't stick out the Dr. office. What were you doing there? Triage? or just basically rooming and vitals, draws, etc. When you work for a doctor, once you get the basics down you need to widen your job scope. You let them know what you'd like to do for the patients and if they are cool with it off you go.

Dependent on the Doc/s you can really get to do a lot. Some want a triage nurse to basically figure it all out and let them know what you think before they return a patient call or have you do it with their instructions. Often times you can really use your assessment and yes diagnostic skills in working with the doctor to treat patients. Instead of just being a med monkey at a hospital, you can be the one to figure it all out if you work for the right doc.

Mrs. SnowStormRN, RN · Apr 13, 2011

I feel like I am reading my future. I am pregnant now, and because of my pregnancy havent started working (due in Jun, graduated in Dec) so scared I will be an idiot by the time I get back out there (despite being a LPN before finishing RN school, spent most of that career working in mental health). I am fearful now, because my husband is military too. I remember when he deployed to Iraq I had to leave my LPN job due to hours. I hope it works out. I dont like MedSurg either and I want to work in Mother/Baby as well. I did MedSurg as a LPN and really never grew to like it. BUT I will say MedSurg is a key to many doors, it looks great on a resume and may be your grand oppurtunity to work in the field you desire. I wish you much luck! keep us updated.

Sl1011 · Apr 13, 2011

Too bad you didn't stick out the Dr. office. What were you doing there? Triage? or just basically rooming and vitals, draws, etc. When you work for a doctor, once you get the basics down you need to widen your job scope. You let them know what you'd like to do for the patients and if they are cool with it off you go.
Dependent on the Doc/s you can really get to do a lot. Some want a triage nurse to basically figure it all out and let them know what you think before they return a patient call or have you do it with their instructions. Often times you can really use your assessment and yes diagnostic skills in working with the doctor to treat patients. Instead of just being a med monkey at a hospital, you can be the one to figure it all out if you work for the right doc.

I'm pretty sure I could work there again, but I'm not sure what I want to do. And I just started a new job... Can't quit so soon. We rotated weeks on who did triage calls (I was the only licensed nurse there). I took Pts back, vitals, pfts, ekgs, prep for sx and procedures, vision/hearing tests, injections, breathing treatments, and some other stuff. We had our own lab so I didn't do draws.

Anyway.... I just don't know what to do right now.

itsmejuli · Apr 13, 2011

When I was young with children my husband was in the military. My priorities at that time lay in whatever was best for my husband and children, my family came before everything. I made sure that I worked in a job with which I would have no childcare issues nor problems if my husband deployed.

Its never too late to start a career or return to a career. But having a family is precious and not an experience that can be regained if lost.

Sl1011 · Apr 13, 2011

When I was young with children my husband was in the military. My priorities at that time lay in whatever was best for my husband and children, my family came before everything. I made sure that I worked in a job with which I would have no childcare issues nor problems if my husband deployed.
Its never too late to start a career or return to a career. But having a family is precious and not an experience that can be regained if lost.

I'm just wondering how hard it would be to get a different job if I go back to a family practice?? Like right now, my pulse is racing, I'm snapping at everyone, and I'm on the verge of tears from worrying how I'm going to figure everything out. I'm thinking for child care reasons and keeping myself fairly stress free, I should have stayed. I was just trying to jump on an opportunity to further my career in the future. I don't know how far I'll get at a doctor's office

jjjoy, LPN · Apr 13, 2011

I think you had valid reasons for seeking out a hospital job as a relatively new RN. It *can* be tough to land an acute care nursing job if you not only have been away from the bedside for a long time, but never worked there at all as an RN. And you have valid reasons now for wondering if the family practice position was better for the time being given your family circumstances.

I'd like to think in such situations there is no *one* right answer. Whatever you choose to do will have it's costs and rewards, many of which you can't really predict because there are so just so many possible variables that come into play as time goes on.

I'm sorry it's such a struggle right now to juggle everything. Best wishes in working things out!!

netglow, ASN, RN · Apr 13, 2011

Work for a specialist...hint. They make mo money honey.

Sl1011 · Apr 13, 2011

Work for a specialist...hint. They make mo money honey.

suggestions please??? :) :)

MassED, BSN, RN · Apr 14, 2011

I was in your shoes -hubs in the military, hours for daycare with kids that never worked, no family around to help, crazy hours in a hospital. The only option (for us) was for me to work Per Diem at the hospital and work around my husband's schedule. That was on a med-surg floor. Hated it, but learned a lot, much of which, I believe, is crucial to a new nurse. Where I work now, you can tell those nurses that have had floor experience from those who have never worked a med-surg floor. Like "what's a CBI?" "Can you really insert a Coude catheter without an order?" Peritoneal dialysis set up is snap. But all of these things can cause great anxiety in a nurse who has never worked on a floor.... just a few tidbits for thought.

Now, things are different since he's retired. I work full-time, the kids are older and in school.... life's grand. But it sucks when you're in it. IF you can get back to the office job, take it. Everyone wants that job, by the way. Boring is stability. Daycare issues will cloud your brain at the hospital and get in the way and create a perfect storm for errors. Take the easier job for now. Move on when the kids are older and your world is a little more stable. Take it from me, who has been there.

Those jobs WILL be there. You can take some courses on EKG's, CPR, ACLS, PALS, TNCC, etc etc etc till the cows come home to prove your able to work on a floor after you've been an office nurse for awhile and want to move on. It sounds to me like you do quite a bit in the office, anyway. I wouldn't look to the other side of the fence just yet. The grass may seem greener, but from my standpoint, it looks like you're in the best backyard!