Time to move on

[ceebeejay]

I think it's time to start looking for a new case. The family is great, the kids are great, but I have come to the point where I think I just don't have anything more to bring to the table with this case. I feel like a glorified babysitter. I know it relieves the parents and I am happy to do it most days, but I am starting to feel, for lack of a better term, unfulfilled. I worry it will creep into my performance.

When everything is going good, has anybody felt it was still time to go? I feel guilty about it for some reason.

[eLeVatioN]

Yes.

You can be the best person for the job, but the job isn't the best job for you.

I keep telling myself this is why they pay us the big bucks.

[caliotter3]

I have never reached that point about any individual case although I have reached those feelings in general due to my overall career stagnation. At this point there is little I can do about the problem that won't cost so much money and time that would be better used for other things in my life.

[mluvsgnc]

ceebeejay: I feel ya'! I just told my agency that I am not feeling challenged with my current case, and that I would like to take on something more complex. Well, lo and behold, I did a meet and greet with a family for a pt. with SMA type 1, who is ventilated, trached, GT, CPT and lot of other stuff- very different from my current pt. (who is trached and GT, but stable for most part). I haven't been this excited since I started working a year ago! I will be taking a vent training class through Children's Hospital, and have signed up for a PEARS class as well. My agency is paying for both, in addition to several orientation days with other nurses.

Point being, can you get another case? Maybe even keep the current one, but on a more part time basis?

[ceebeejay]

ceebeejay: I feel ya'! I just told my agency that I am not feeling challenged with my current case, and that I would like to take on something more complex. Well, lo and behold, I did a meet and greet with a family for a pt. with SMA type 1, who is ventilated, trached, GT, CPT and lot of other stuff- very different from my current pt. (who is trached and GT, but stable for most part). I haven't been this excited since I started working a year ago! I will be taking a vent training class through Children's Hospital, and have signed up for a PEARS class as well. My agency is paying for both, in addition to several orientation days with other nurses.

Point being, can you get another case? Maybe even keep the current one, but on a more part time basis?

Good for you! Great to hear they are paying for your training. I have to get over the fact that I just love these little guys, which is not benefiting my goals further. BTW, your post made me investigate PALS certification courses in my area and I was happy to learn it wasn't as lengthy as I thought.

[mluvsgnc]

Hi again ceebeejay-

In looking around, I found that PALS would be more beneficial in an acute care setting (hospital), as they have the equipment and meds with which to carry out such life saving measures (AEDs, vasopressors, etc. typically not found in the home) PEARS, however, is totally relevant to home care, as it focuses on recognizing an emergency situation (mainly respiratory) and stabilizing the pt. until more advanced measures are in place. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. :)

[nekozuki, LPN]

I keep telling myself this is why they pay us the big bucks.

Big bucks?

OP, I do like to say "I'd rather say goodbye to a case before it says goodbye to me." Instead of being miserable and having a noticeable drop in my job performance, I would get the heck out of there. Or, I would just mentally re-evaluate why I'm there. One case I have as a nice, relaxing, sane shift, if only to mitigate the insanity of any other crazy, overbearing parents and medically-challenging case I have at the time.

A few nurses I know have a stable case for part of their schedule, and the other half is designated as a continuously changing "put me anywhere" shift. Keeps the atrophy of skills away, and given that consistently open cases are always open for a reason, it's like simultaneously winning and losing the lottery with each shift.

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

I have three different clients through different agencies, and they each serve a different purpose for me.

One job is pretty brainless and a bit depressing, with large chunks of busy times at the beginning and end of the shift, but also lots of downtime overnight between diaper changes and med administration.

Another is very fulfilling on a personal level -- the patient and entire family are absolutely wonderful, very loving and super-hands-on with the patient's care and very appreciative of the care that I provide. This is also an overnight job that is busy at the beginning and end of the shift, with downtime at night in between repositioning, etc.

The last job is more of a home health visit than a private duty shift, although at two hours per visit, it's longer than a typical HH visit would normally be. This job is challenging on a professional level -- I have to think outside the box to find ways to work around the client's various physical, social, psychological, and medical needs, which are sometimes in opposition to each other.

If I were still working just the first job, I would be going stir-crazy by now. Adding the others has been a big help to my psychological and intellectual well-being, in addition to offering even more skill sets to add to my resume and marketability.