Too Little Too Late.....Too Bad

I don't have any quick answers, but I do have hugs and admiration. You are one of the finest people I know. Surely, there's a niche (as opposed to "an itch") for you somewhere.Maybe it's time to put some of your wonderful insights to paper and see if you can make writing pay. Whether you write about nursing or something else, you have the sense and the ability to say things people want to read. I'd love to see you launch a whole new (and much more body-friendly) career doing what you do so well.Hugs, hugs, and more hugs.

That's tough!Just remember that leaving your current job doesn't mean you are giving up or failing anything or anyone.

Viva..this is a blessing in disguise! Everything is a blessing in disguise, perfectly orchestrated, for the sake of your growth! You my dear, are recognizing the beauty in challenge. Long may you shine!

V,I'm so sorry to hear that you've had to go through all that. It sounds like it's definitely time for a change. I've been there before --- I feel your pain! What helped me most when I was at a crossroads was being able to network with my fellow nurses and share their stories of change. They inspired me to explore all the opportunities out there and showed me how to think outside my world.For example, I have a friend who was an operating room nurse who found her way into nursing research for kidney transplant. She networked with nurses in that particular department and they encouraged her to apply. Lucky for her, it was fit and she loves it. Nursing research still has an element of teamwork (working closely with physicians), however, the intensity and physical demands aren't there. She does a lot of writing, reading, and has more patient interaction. She manages her own schedule. I've heard her actually WANT to go in on the weekends to catch up on some things because she loves her job so much! Crazy, huh?Other ideas for less physically taxing jobs...*Case management for an insurance company*JCAHO (maybe it's your turn to walk around with a clipboard!)*Your Professional Nursing Organization*Working in the corporate office of a health system - some hospitals might need nurses to help with improvement projects or be consultants*Work for a medical device company - sales, nurse consultant, nurse educator*Nurse recruitmentGood luck finding a more fulfilling role. I have faith that it will all work out for you!Take care...

I second the idea that you could write for a living. I've always enjoyed everything you've written here, and look forward to more. In the meantime, I feel for what you're going through. It's difficult. It doesn't make you less, it just makes you feel you have to figure out what to do "when you grow up," which is a work in progress for lots of us, throughout our lifetimes. Me included.I'm sending you hugs and cookies too.

So sorry to hear that. I had a similar experience.... Please understand that it doesnt sound like your hospital is singling you out... But instead going on seniority. I have a job i love... And at times census drops and i cant get my hours. I have chosen to have an agencey back up. This allows me to have a home base hospital which i like and be able to supplement my income during slow times. It also allows me to experience different nursing areas... Through my agency i have done ltac, rehab, medication research, med surg, ocupational health, and others!. . It might open your eyes to what is out there best of luck!

Thanks, all, for your kind words and great suggestions!!I've really set my heart on hospice---and now that there's an opening in my local area for which I've applied and already had my first interview, I'm hoping I'll be called back for a second. I really, really want to do this. Luckily I know many of the nurses on staff there, and they've told me a number of times that I should become a hospice nurse; maybe now is the time. Keep your fingers crossed, and if you pray, please talk to God about it on my behalf........right now I need all the help I can get.

I don't have any words of wisdom right now. IMHO the profession is in a crappy place right now, and more and more good people are becoming casualties. Rogue sounds like she has some good ideas for you. Just know that I read you and respect you.Best wishes Viva!

Awesome news Viva. You will come out ahead!

a prayer will be said for you. i always have loved reading your blogs, stay strong, god bless!!

Have you thought of being an MDS nurse in LTC. There are many changes coming soon & we will again all be on a level playing field - we will all be "newbies". It would be a great time to jump aboard & is much more of a sit down job.Best of luck to you.

Update: I guess my concern about working those seven shifts is a moot point now. My ortho doc lowered the boom at my appointment this morning and told me, in essence, that I'll never be able to go back to floor nursing.......at least, not if I want to preserve what function I have left in my knee joints and live a relatively comfortable life. "You can't tolerate eight hours of running up and down a hall answering call lights anymore," he said. The damage I'd already done was too much; while I could certainly do water exercises and cycling, along with most activities that don't require squatting or kneeling or crawling, I'm apparently never going to be able to go back to a job that requires prolonged standing and walking either.So, this is it: even if I weren't already thoroughly disillusioned with my heretofore 'near-perfect' job, I'm finished there. Tomorrow I'm going in to give my two weeks' notice and pray that it doesn't disqualify me from drawing unemployment benefits; of course, no longer being able to do the work is the best reason I know of to quit a job, but I'm sure the state's going to have something to say about that.But I can't worry about any of this right now. All I can do is pin my hopes on the hospice job, and if that doesn't pan out, I've got a dozen other applications and CVs out there........one of them is bound to pique SOMEBODY'S interest.Thanks to all of you for brightening my day, and for your wonderful advice; some of the jobs mentioned were ones I'd never even thought about but can't see that I'd have a problem with, so this gives me plenty of other options. Those are always welcome!!