OMG! Peel me off the ceiling!!!

natalie_ca

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I'm in the process of getting back to work. I'm renewing my nursing license this week. I have a work assessment booked for August 26th to see what I am able to do physically at work at this point in time. Once that is done, the report will be sent to the long term disability company who will talk with the hospital about job positions. I was off so long that I had to give up the position I was in. But because I was permanent staff when I went off sick, the hospital has to find me another permanent position, even if it requires bumping someone else out of theirs which would have cascade effect for some others with less seniority. No one would lose their job, but they would have to move to a different position.

The other issue is the fact that I need a certain amount of hours between 2004 and the end of 2008 in order to renew my nursing license in December for the year 2009. If I don't have 1125 hours, I lose my nursing license and have to take a year long refresher course
Which I financially can't afford to do because I declared bankruptcy and don't qualify for student loans at this time.

The girl at the insurance company just called me. There is some kind of work trial at the largest teaching hospital here. It involves working in medical records recording information. The hours I work will go towards my nursing hours. It's sit down work, so it's not going to be taxing on my body, which is good.

The work trial starts next week, with the information session this Thursday. Since I am renewing my license this week, it seems they are willing to take me on in this work trial even before my license is processed. So that will give me some hours towards next years license renewal.

I'm racing against the clock. I need 368 more hours by December 31st and I haven't even done the back to work program which starts off at a couple hours per day and gradually works up to 8 hour shifts.

I'm going to see if I can do my back to work program in the evenings, the work trial during the day, and I'll look into a temporary placement agency and take shifts on a Psychiatry ward where it's not as physically hard as in medicine and surgery where I usually work.

I need some vibes though. I see the finish line but I'm a few noses behind the lead horse.

EDIT: I just got off the phone with the girl in charge of the work trial. I am going to meet them on Thursday at 2pm and then next week I start this program. I'm going to try and do 30 or 40 hours. Fit in the gym on weekends and one evening during the week, and once I start my back to work program I am going to see if I can do it in the evening if the work trial is days. If the work trial will let me do evenings, then I'll do the back to work program during the morning.

I'm tired just thinking about it all!
 

belongstoevie

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Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

I'm tired just thinking about it all!
Me too, wow!! That is a lot of work. You can do it!!
If nothing else, you have all of us here cheering for you!!


That is great news, it's a good first step! You know that lead horse isn't very far ahead!

I'm sure you don't need to hear it from me, but just be careful not to push yourself too hard and wear yourself out!

That all goes the way you want!
 

sarahp

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Wow, that is fabulous news!!! You must be so excited to be preparing to work again!


Good luck with it all!
 
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natalie_ca

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I'm excited and terrified all at the same time.

Taking 4 years off of nursing is not the same as taking 4 years off an office job. I deal with people's lives and they depend on me to know my skills and be able to observe them for any change in their health. So needless to say I'm feeling quite rusty.
 
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natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by mistressotdark

what great news my friend...
are you going to be at st b?
Yes. The work trial in the medical records is at HSC. My actual back to work program will be at St. Boniface.
 

gailc

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You must be excited!!! Its going to be a challenge but you will be up to it.
I hope it really works for you.
 

glitch

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Good luck to you in your new adventure!
The medical stuff has changed so much in the past few years that its going to be tricky but you can do it!!
 

carolpetunia

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Linda, I wish you every bit of good luck and good health in undertaking this program -- I can guess (being in a similar position myself) how scary, yet exciting, this is for you. I hope you find you're capable of even more than you expect!
 

calico2222

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Good luck hon! I know you can do it though. I swear, I had to go to the hospital a few weeks ago for a sinus infections and I would much rather have you taking care of me than the babies that are out there now. (no offense to young nurses...I'm just getting old. Not that you are old Linda...well, I'll just shut up now!)

anyway....good luck!
 
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natalie_ca

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Thanks everyone!

Originally Posted by calico2222

Good luck hon! I know you can do it though. I swear, I had to go to the hospital a few weeks ago for a sinus infections and I would much rather have you taking care of me than the babies that are out there now. (no offense to young nurses...I'm just getting old. Not that you are old Linda...well, I'll just shut up now!)

anyway....good luck!
I know what you mean. When I was in the hospital when I first went off work sick, I wished I were looking after me too!! LOL Some of the nurses that came into my room terrified me at their incompetance.

There was one incident with one nurse who had to draw blood from my PICC line in the morning. A PICC is a really long IV that a specially trained nurse puts in. The catheter part that is inside the body goes up beyond the shoulder instead of only an inch inside the arm. A PICC line requires special care and a special procedure to draw blood from it. One of the nurses was completely incompetent. I swear I thought she was going to end up shooting a syringe of air into the line with what she was doing. I actually talked to the ward manager about her. She stood there with her mouth gaping while I went through what the girl did. I also asked that I be reassigned to a different nurse if that one was on again that night because I didn't want her accessing my PICC line again. The manager said she was going to review the girl's skills where PICC lines were concerned.

I don't claim to know everything, but I do know that when I graduated from my 2 year diploma class that I had way more technical skills and patient experience than those who graduated at the same time as I did from a 4 year degree program. I couldn't believe some of the basic things that the BN grads didn't know how to do upon graduating and were actually seeking me out to ask for my help.
 
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