What do you recommend for a home-based, injured RN?
Wednesday January 23, 2008
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I am a 43-year-old RN/BSN with 15 years of experience: nine years ICU/transitional care, four years in home health, and four years med/surg at a private facility. A little over two years ago, I was struck in the spine with a fire door while escorting a patient and family out of the building. I am left with CRPS, a severe chronic pain disorder. I have to reinvent myself and work from home. Fortunately, there are many online options for education. What do you recommend for a home-based, injured RN?
Gaye
Continuing your formal education is a smart thing to do for many reasons. Once you have a master’s degree, you’ll be able to teach online courses. It will also make you more marketable overall.
In the meantime, there are many, many things you can do from home. Some examples are telephone triage, advice line, and case management for an insurance company or private company or service. There is also legal nurse consulting and possibly medical transcription.
There are also opportunities to do writing, research, and peer reviewing for nursing, medical, and consumer publications and websites and for university professors. In some cases, you may be able to provide telephone support and other home-based services for social service agencies, such as the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Contact some nursing agencies to see what they might have available. Many agencies provide a broad range of employment options for nurses, many of which are nontraditional.
Be sure to visit the website www.exceptionalnurse.com (for nurses with disabilities) for additional support and information.
Consider viewing my Career Alternatives for Nurses® home study program for additional ideas, resources, and self-marketing tips. Find out more at http://www.nurse.com/CE/CD6 and http://www.nurse.com/CE/DVD1.
My best wishes,
Donna
Donna Cardillo, RN, MA, well-known career guru, is Nursing Spectrum’s “Dear Donna” and author of Your First Year as a Nurse: Making the Transition from Total Novice to Successful Professional. To ask Donna your question, go to www.nurse.com/asktheexperts/deardonna. Find a “Dear Donna” seminar near you: Call (800) 866-0919 or visit http://events.nursingspectrum.com/Seminar.
