Vocational Rehabiliation services

[sodapopgirl, LPN]

I am an LPN who graduated with honors from my nursing program in 2012. I have had two nursing jobs where I was involved heavily in direct patient care, and I just couldn’t handle the job mentally. I have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and schizoaffective disorder bipolar type. I take my medications, and I’m currently seeing a counselor and a psychiatrist regularly. I feel that I have reached a good point in my mental health journey and have been at this point for a while. I work well alone, and can handle minimal interaction with people. I lose concentration often and need things put into written form for me. As an LPN, especially living in a rural area, I find it impossible to find an LPN position which deals mainly with case management and behind the scenes type nursing. They seem to all be direct patient care.

I applied for help with a vocational rehabilitation service provider, and I am pending approval for the service. It seems like there are two routes to go with this. The first route is to try to find me a job near my area without gaining any more education. The first route also doesn’t offer any transportation services or resources. LPN jobs also don’t offer what I need in terms of my disabilities in order for me to get and keep a job. If I don’t find an LPN job that can work with my limitations, which is highly probable, then I will have to settle with finding a job that doesn’t require any education, and if I am honest on the application which I will be about my skills and my education then the fact of the matter is that most employers will not even consider me for employment because I’m overqualified.

The second route is to send me back to school for my RN which would open up more doors for employment. This route offers a vehicle, tuition, uniforms, insurance, internet, gas reimbursement, lunch money....I want to go the second route. I just don’t know how to persuade them to feel like the second route is the proper route to go. Aside from having the actual funding to send someone back to nursing school for their RN, I would think that they would look for any and every excuse possible to deem you not appropriate for the second route if they can. I know that they are there to help, but I sometimes feel like these agencies try to get around actually helping you because they’re afraid to spend the fines if they have one anybody who could actually make a difference. I know that they are there to help, but I sometimes feel like these agencies try to get around actually helping you because they’re afraid to spend the funds on something so grand.

If any of you have personally experienced something similar or just like this, or maybe you know someone who’s been through something like this please chime in and give me your perspective. I really feel that if I can’t go in to this vocational rehabilitation meeting and really advocate on behalf of myself as to what I need then I’m going to end up being a hotshot driver making diddly squat for the rest of my life.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I'm a retired/disabled nurse with bipolar I who had a great deal of trouble maintaining employment during my career. Like you I did better in jobs where I wasn't dealing with people all the time or doing direct patient care. I was an RN, though, so I had more opportunities than you do as an LPN, which is why you should probably continue with your education through Voc. Rehab. Just be aware that it may take a little time once you get that RN license to find a job where you have an office to escape to; most case-management and informatics nurse positions require at least some floor experience and often a BSN.

FWIW, I was in an unenviable situation when my nursing career was over and I tried getting a job outside of it. No one could understand why a nurse with a long career and an active license wanted to work as a peer support specialist or a receptionist. Naturally, I didn't get hired because on paper I was overqualified. I ended up going on Social Security disability because I really wasn't able to work at all, it just took time for me to realize it. You are obviously at a different time of life, with lots of years of work ahead of you, and I think going through Voc. Rehab is probably your best bet even if you want to learn another type of work entirely. It's up to you, but if you want to stay in nursing I'd definitely go for the RN. Good luck to you.

[Crystal-Wings, LVN]

Voc rehab is a joke. I'd steer clear of them if I were you. Have you considered extended care private duty nursing? You work in people's homes with one patient for 8 hours.