When You Hate the Technical Side of Nursing...

[westieluv]

I became an RN 21 years ago. Since then, I have worked off and on as a Med/Surg float nurse in a hospital setting, a LTC nurse, and a home hospice nurse, with some breaks in between to be home with my kids. Here's the deal: I LOVE, love, love the social interaction with my patients and their families. I love feeling like I am providing them with help and hope. What I hate, however, and always have, is the technical side of nursing: interpreting lab results, placing N/G tubes, starting IVs, assessing EKG strips, etc....all of it. I find myself envying the social workers and volunteers who don't have the technical stuff to do but still get to interact with patients and enjoy their company.

Can anyone suggest a solution? I am currently working as a Med/Surg float in a mid-sized community hospital, and it's the same old story: love the patients, hate the technical stuff. Where could I find a job in nursing that doesn't incorporate much, if any, technical skill stuff but still allows for patient interaction?

[fostercatmom, ASN, BSN, RN]

case management

[westieluv]

Really? Do you know how one goes about finding a job in case management?

[fostercatmom, ASN, BSN, RN]

Its not easy to break into, Its a lot of work- usually assigned 20-25 patients and depending on the size of your hospital you may have to get insurance auths, keep the insurance companies updated, tell the doctors when its time for pt's to go (nicely of course), plan all of the pt's discharge- call home care companies or skilled nsg centers, really be the patients advocate, even if you see the floor nurses not doing what they need do ( not cause they are not busy enough), you will solve family problems with the patients, with staff, with doctors and with insurance companies, you will have to beg borrow and steal for your patients sometimes, like getting a dialysis patient dialysis when they don't have insurance, and be prepared to discharge people to the street- literally.

All that and usually five 8 hour shifts a week, rotating holidays and or weekends, and usually no overtime.

Still want to? ok , as my british friends say "chat up" the case managers or social workers in your facility, apply apply, and apply some more, once you get your foot in never ever leave. I think it has to be the hardest to be hired for job you will be able to get. There just aren't that many jobs as compared to the number of floor nurses.

I loved doing it, never should have left, but now, that's even to close to the floor for me,- the ER has burned me out of pt contact, even though I love the ER too!

[westieluv]

Thank you so much for all of the information. There is a utilization review RN position open at the hospital where I work, and the job description sounds a lot like case management. However, they prefer someone with their BSN, which I don't have yet, and I just started working there a few months ago and they have bent over backwards to be nice to me and give me hours, so I don't want to appear unappreciative by trying to get off of the floor already. I am planning on doing an online RN to BSN program beginning in August, so I am hoping that later this year or early next year there will be a position in that area open again and by then, I will have proved myself as a reliable employee, I will be in school to complete my BSN which hopefully will be a plus to them, and it will all work out. I actually think that it would be challenging and fun to help patients, physicians, and other team members figure out a plan, and my strength in nursing has always been my people skills and empathy. My technical skills? Not so much...

Thanks again. You have given me a great idea and something to work towards. :)

[llg, PhD, RN]

Perhaps a position that focuses on patient education? ... such as diabetes educator?

[westieluv]

Thanks for the suggestion, I've thought of that too. The thing is, though, that I will probably have to complete my BSN before I can get into anything like that, so that's why I'm pursuing it.

Thanks again. I think it would be a lot of fun to educate people about diabetes, and there is definitely a knowledge deficit there, especially for newly diagnosed diabetics.