I recently graduated from an accelerated nursing program as a BSN this past December and was offered a position in a Level III ED hospital in a large Metropolitan area. However, due to personal health reasons I've been having a rough time with my new job. Without going into a long story, I've had major back surgery 4 times (2 discectomies, 1 spinal fusion, 1 reconstruction) since the age of 19 due to a herniated disc from a college sports injury. I've been active my whole life, but the part that gets me is standing on my feet for longer than 30-45 minutes without sitting down - I'm talking 8-9/10 level sciatic-type pain. I was able to complete all of my clinicals while in school with minimal issues with my pain, but since starting my new job and working 12.5 hour shifts I've been in so much pain.
Being a new nurse is tough as it is, but I've been excelling in my new position and really love all the activity of the ED - I've been in 1 code, hung TPA, and had 3 critical stroke patients just in my first week of work. However, every day at work I'm in so much pain that I just can't function normally. Every shift I've had in the first month and a half I've been able to sit for maybe 15 minutes consecutively in a 6-7 hour span, it's just that busy. Without further personal details, I do see pain management on a regular basis and there's not much more they can do for me outside of doping me up which is not an option for me. I feel I have to step away from this position since I cannot take the pain anymore. I'm not sure where to look for a nursing job where I can sit down for the majority of my shift. I really need to think long term here for my health since I have at least 35 years left of work before I retire.
Without any prior experience, what areas of nursing could I look into where I could sit down? I've thought of these areas that "may" allow me to sit, but I'm curious as to what others think?
- Public health nurse: County job - Circulating nurse?: can they sit down during their shift? - CVICU: I've heard many nurses can sit at the end of the bed of a Pt and monitor from there - Chart review: Non-clinical and many of them want experience (IDK if this is interesting to me) - School nursing: Not big in my area - many nurses are contracted through agencies not affiliated with the actual district
I really don't know where to look at this point. I will definitely miss the action of the ED, but my health is way more important and at this point there's not much physically more I can do. Thanks for any input!
I'm not a nurse but I have some idea's. What about a job share or a split shift? What if you worked 4 hours in the morning with a few hours break, then another 4 hours in the afternoon? Or some variation of a short schedule that can be offered to other nurses who desire that type of arrangement. I understand this may be impossible in a clinical setting but there has to be a solution. Anyone can become disabled or have physical limitations at any time. Who better then a hospital to implement a solution for the nurse. This would set a great example to your patients that disabilities can be worked around for the greater good.
At this point, whether OP should have chosen this job or not is irrelevant; nursing school costs time and money and it's already been spent. It only makes sense at this point to explore alternative positions like OP is doing.
I hope you are able to find a pain management team that is able to come up with new options for you. I haven't seen any nurse navigator positions that don't require years of experience. Maybe I'm partial to public health in general (I saw myself there for awhile, but haven't taken the plunge) but it seems like a good position for someone motivated like you are.
Thanks all so far who replied. After just having a recent visit with my pain management provider, they offered me a spinal injection next month, however long term they did mention to get off of my feet especially if that's my trigger.
I appreciate all of the advice for alternatives and also wanted to note that at no point did I expect to find a position where experience was a prerequisite. Nursing is my second career and in my prior I also had to work my way up in order to achieve more responsibility and build off of my skills in order to progress in my career. Being new into the profession it's hard to see where opportunities lie until they present themselves.
Just a quick clarification, aside from prolonged standing without moving the physical aspect of nursing is not where my limitations lie. Even then, I can push through times where I don't have that opportunity, but my quality of life after my shift is pretty uncomfortable. Without giving out personal info, I am a well built/tall male and former collegiate athlete that has no difficulty with lifting, pulling, pushing, etc. With the actual opportunity to sit for short periods, I have no issues with the requirements of the job. I continue to welcome any more alternatives that have not already been stated. Thanks all!
Have you considered working out patient surgery in Pre-Op or Post-Op for a small surgical center. Being a new grad I'm sure they will hire you and if you work for a small facility it gives you more time to sit down. I worked at a surgery center in both settings (depending where they needed me) and we had plenty of down time while we waited for patients to either be brought back to pre-op or waited for them to come out of surgery.
I am arguing with myself about responding. I'm not a mean person and don't want to be unsympathetic, but at the same time, this type of question irritates the heck out of me. Unfortunately it seems to come up quite often, in many different forms, among some new grad nurses here.
I guess I'm just going to say it straight out...why on Earth did you go to school and become a nurse if you can't stand for long periods?
I'm one of the many nurses that have worked my butt off for years; missed holidays, worked weekends, took night shift even when it made me ill, worked when I was having more pain than the patient and had to crawl in the front door after a long shift. I've raised 3 kids, dealt with horribly traumatic events, been a single parent, and been broke as heck. And now, finally, I've earned my stripes and have the sit down, no weekend, no call, no holiday job. But I freakin' earned it, the hard way and so has every other nurse that has put in his/her time and now can look forward to better positions.
I just don't understand why the OP or the other new grads (a minority) that complain about the physical and/or mental challenges in nursing. What is wrong with people??
This isn't about you...and no one experience is the same. How you got into nursing and what you endured during your nursing career doesn't need to be the same for others.
The OP is struggling between physical limitations and being active in seeking how to remedy such issues while on the job.
I don't understand why you responded because it gave ZERO positive feedback.
The mentality that people should "earn their stripes"*, whatever that means, in nursing is just plain wrong. Nursing is a business...employers wouldn't think TWICE about firing someone when they no longer fit the bill. No one should live to work...but instead, work to live.
No employer care that you slaved away to earn your stripes - so again, this isn't about you.
*I was told to start out in a specific area of nursing to "earn my stripes" but why on earth would I do that? That calls for burning out sooner, possibly ruining my nursing career, the desire to leave nursing altogether, or worse, become a disgruntled unhappy nurse (leading to eating my young). But this isn't about me
I know you said school health nurses are mostly outsourced through agencies in your area but it may be something worth looking into. Of course, it depends on the school and how busy their clinic gets, but I imagine it would still be a considerable improvement of time spent on your feet. Also, look into some community positions: clinics, health department, corrections, rehab centers, etc. Another option is insurance companies. A lot of those positions allow nurses to work from home most, if not all, days. And I have heard of new grads getting into those positions with less than a year of nursing experience. It's all in how you present yourself and your resume. You also said nursing is your second career so maybe your prior positions can lend a hand in that area. If you haven't already, also try doing a Google search of something like "nursing jobs easy on my back" or something like that. Google has the answer to everything
I hope this helps and I wish you well in your career.
I wanted to throw it out there that I work in a group home for intellectually and physically disabled persons, its very relaxed, wear what you want to work, and I sit probably 80% of my shift. Now the downside is you won't get skills really, I primarily do just assessments and oversee the CNAs, but its a small group home, 5 long term residents that live here full time. If you have something like this in your area it could be an option.
After 11 years at the ED bedside, I moved into trauma education. There was more sitting in that role, but I still responded to traumas and mass casualties, spent time standing in the trauma bay, and stood while teaching (until I was too pregnant, then everyone made me sit down, haha). I recently transitioned to hospital epidemiology/infection control, and there is a lot of walking — walking areas to check the environment of care, to see patients with infections, going to units to help educate, etc. Not as on-my-feet as my trauma position, but still not 100% desk. I am so sorry for your pain. I have a chronic hip injury from my Army deployment and I have significant pain some days, and I am also recovering from pregnancy-related heart failure (the endless palpitations are one reason I left my trauma job, I pushed a stretcher to the helipad on a slightly warm-ish day and paid for it all afternoon with bad palpitations ... that was my sign). Even for those of us with experience + degrees + certifications and stuff, it's not always easy finding the good fit. My position right now is just about the right balance of sitting and walking to not trigger me into palpitations that leave me breathless. But nursing is often a physical occupation, especially when we're new. I could not care less if you "paid your dues" before finding yourself a perfect job. That's nonsense. If you are hired for something, it's because you fit the role and you are wanted.
I miss my trauma gig, but that's life. I also miss the bedside, but that's life too. I also teach online in an RN-to-BSN program, but that came about last year when I finished my second MSN. I love that job, there is literally no need to even get out of my jammies. ?
The 8s might help. How many shifts would they want you to work? The ED is just such an unpredictable environment, even working triage (which you should not be doing as a new grad, honestly) doesn't guarantee sitting, though I had a friend who needed some weeks of time off of a foot after surgery and that's what she did, and it worked out okay.
If you like the ED environment, you might look for something like a Performance Improvement (PI) nurse role. I worked in an ED where we had an ED PI nurse who was required to occasionally staff the ED, but she spent more time in the office looking at performance measures. It's not rocket science, they would probably only want a year of experience out of you first.
My initial reaction was similar to dream'n, but after reading the post the OP wasn't particularly whiny, was just looking for options to meet his limitations. No "woe is me, the world is unfair" to be found, move along people. I work in a mixed ICU, we do open hearts, LVADs, neuro, CRRT, the usual mixed bag. I can honestly say with the current charting requirements for the position I am sitting at a computer documenting 40-50% of my shift. I am permanent charge so my number is slightly skewed, when not in charge probably about 30-40 % of time is documentation.
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all in a days work, LPN
9 Posts
I'm not a nurse but I have some idea's. What about a job share or a split shift? What if you worked 4 hours in the morning with a few hours break, then another 4 hours in the afternoon? Or some variation of a short schedule that can be offered to other nurses who desire that type of arrangement. I understand this may be impossible in a clinical setting but there has to be a solution. Anyone can become disabled or have physical limitations at any time. Who better then a hospital to implement a solution for the nurse. This would set a great example to your patients that disabilities can be worked around for the greater good.