Ptsd And Nursing

[ClairBear226]

My first nursing job was onc/ med/ surg. I had originally planned on ER (which turned out later to be an unrecognized trigger - good thing I didn't). Hospice wasn't something I originally saw myself doing, but it ended up being a very good fit. The nice thing about an ADN is there's a lot you can do with it. I've had friends that have done travelling agency nursing - even overseas. One friend of mine grew up as a farmer's kid, and never got out of rural Illinois, only to travel the country as a traveling nurse. I met her in Hawaii when she was working there. Another worked on a cruise ship as a dialysis nurse. I know someone that is a field RN on a fire department, and 2 that have done flight nursing. One worked with a helicopter team transporting critically ill patients, and another was a guy I actually dated once. He was AF, and flew with patients between Germany and the US that needed in flight medical care. There's a world of possibilities out there for nursing. You never have to be bored.

 

[Girl3]

Don't question a noble calling. If you can say - would Florence Nightngale do this - yes? Then you are OK. If you say no but Amy Winehouse would - then help is needed.

 

[ClairBear226]

And if you have a slightly cracked sense of humor, no worries. You'll fit right in. ;)

 

[Girl3]

CB - I sense that last remark might have been aimed my way? Me - cracked sense of humour? yep. The shoe fits.

 

[ClairBear226]

LOL, just a little. :laugh: Anesthesiologist? The peeps behind the scenes that the patient never really remembers. Not sure if that would make it easier or not. ;)

 

[Girl3]

My patients always remember me. I take time with them - ask about families, pets, etc. But I am cracked. And people like Kris1984 make the kind of nurses I love to work with - real people who have lived through real experiences.

The previous hospital I was at - I was the only doctor named in the top twenty hospital employees by patients filling out those crazy questionnaires. Adminstration couldn't figure it out.

 

[ClairBear226]

Yea, "normal" people are dull. Who needs 'em? We're lots more interesting. ;) I'm impressed. Patients that remember their anesthesiologist. Don't see that every day. The only thing I remember about the last one I had was that he wouldn't listen to me when I told him I have one and ONLY one good vein - left AC. After mulltiple sticks at the right, he finally heard me. And then gave me a little Ativan to take the edge off. Later learned I turn into quite the comedian on the stuff. Go figure. :D Fortunatly don't remember anything. Thank you, Versed.

Actually listening to people is half the battle, isn't it? Maybe that's an edge that us PTSDers have over the rest of the medical field. We know what pain really is, we recognize it when we see it, and we listen with our heart and our ears.

 

[Kris1984]

You guys gave me a good laugh :)

 

[ClairBear226]

Glad to be of service. :D

 

[angel2write]

This is a helpful thread- I've started considering going back to school lately. To become a nurse. I had half of an RN degree before I got pregnant & stopped. Now I'm kind of hoping that I've dealt with the PTSD enough to successfully manage school. I'm a little more afraid of working. I'm afraid the stress will do me in. But I love taking care of people and seem to do better with the broken, wounded and hurt. So I'm hoping it will work.

Gosh, I just hope I don't put a lot of money into school and then find out I can't work.

 

[ClairBear226]

Angel, even with what I do (hospice - which most people would find really depressing) I usually find it helps to work. There have been days when I've been triggered as a direct result of what I do, and that's really, really hard to deal with. I've sat in parking lots after a call and cried and shook until I could get myself together enough to drive. But those occurances are pretty few and far between usually, and working is something that keeps me grounded. When I'm with a family, they have my full attention. Even at my worst, I've never had a flashback in front of a patient, never lost my cool on the job because of the PTSD, and I've had the PTSD longer than I've been an RN (16 years) . Somehow I manage to pull it together and get the job done no matter how I'm feeling. I'm working tomorrow night, and at the moment, I'm seriously dreading it, because I've had a really lousy day in PTSD- land. But I know once I'm in it, I'll be fine. I can't speak for all nurses that have this. I can only speak for me. But nursing is a career with a lot of very diverse opportunities, that is relatively recession proof. You need to be a strong willed person. But if you're tough enough to handle PTSD, there isn't a lot you can't handle.

 

[Kris1984]

Angel you can do it! This has been one of the most rewarding choices I have ever made!

I won't lie though, dealing with a large group of catty women in a classroom environment can be super stressful, but I always keep the goal in sight. I have been triggered by these women, but I have never been triggered in a clinical environment, makes me wonder which is more stressful..... sadly! I am sure you got to experience this when you went through school the first time. I have come really close to some of my classmates though and those few are very supportive and helpful to me, so it is not all bad.

Good luck and don't let your disability define you, you can be whatever you want to be!