I am/was a pediatric nurse practitioner. And in many ways I loved it. In some ways, I didn’t. I wanted to continue working when I lived in Washington but the schedule never worked out, etc. However, now I’m back in Florida and I could feasibly work one full day a week.
My previous employer has offered me a job…..working one day a week.
I’m just not sure if it is the right thing to do.
Because I would only be working one day a week my previous employer doesn’t want to cover my malpractice insurance (which is required by law in Florida). And the job is a 45 minute drive each way.
I guess I keep comparing my life then (when I worked for him) and my life now. I love working "for the shop". There isn’t a thing I don’t like about it. However, when I was a PNP there was plenty that I didn’t like. I got cussed out at least 5 times a day, usually more. Why? Mom says she checked the internet and her child has XYZ disease and needs ABC medication and that I better call it in to her pharmacy asap because she is way too important to waste her time bringing her kid in to be evaluated for this emergency illness that she says must be fixed right this very second.
Rinse and repeat.
Plus… this is Florida. You see a kid, determine he has a virus and no amount of antibiotics will do a darned bit of good. Mom calls you stupid and many other names. Mom leaves and thirty minutes later her attorney calls and informs you that if a prescription for antiobiotics is not called in immediately that he will be serving you with papers for malpractice. (In Florida they can do that…. it is the easiest state in the nation when it comes to filing lawsuits…which is why it will take me 2 months salary to re-coup what I’ll spend on malpractice insurance.) This scenario has actually happened multiple times. Yes… they’ll lose in court but you’ll have to pay several years of attorney fees and they know this. It is basically legalized blackmail. Get a group of NP’s in a room and they will all tell this story time and again.
The flip side of the coin is that there were plenty of families and kids that I just loved working with. I loved developmental pediatrics and I also had a knack for working with adolescent girls (reviewing the things they need to be doing to have a healthy lifestyle, appropriate weight management, etc). I also liked working with new moms…answering the nagging questions, helping with breastfeeding, etc. I would miss all of that if I never worked again.
And then what would I do if anything ever happened to Dana? If I’m out of the market for too long its not like you can just go back. What would I do to support AG and myself? I’m a lousy waitress. And every office I ever worked in eventually banned me from answering the phone. I could set a world record for how many people you can disconnect in a 5 minute period. Doesn’t lead to happy families.
Then I wonder if I’m just scared. Been out of the game for too long. Maybe my dread is actually fear. But what if it is that little voice? You know the one. The little voice that each and every time you ignore it you end up regretting it. And then afterwards the little voice just keeps saying "I told you so." And it refuses to shut up.
Maybe it is just too soon. We’re not even settled yet.
Maybe I’m overthinking this thing. (Who me? Overthink something? Would I do that?)
Who knows. If I return it could be great or it could be misery. I would clear very little from each week’s salary once taxes, travel and malpractice insurance is accounted for….very little. If I thought it would cover some of AG’s therapies then I think I’d feel better about it. But it is basically a job to tread water with….just keep my skills up in case I need to "fall back " on them.
I’m rambling again. I need to stop thinking about this before it starts making my brain itch.
Tough questions. Good luck figuring it out.
I hope I’m not overstepping my bounds but LISTEN TO THE LITTLE VOICE!! It’s very clear to me from this post, being a part time PNP is not where you want to be…and if god forbid, something ever happened to Dana, you’d take a review course and get right back in the saddle OR teach…I wouldn’t worry about anything like that anyway, you’ll be fine!
You could give it a six month trial period. That amount of time will cover your malpractice costs, and give you a good taste of what it’s like again. You may hate it more than you love it. Or not. Perhaps you can talk your boss into paying 1/2 of your malpractice, to help out. It’s one of those things only you can really decide, but if you give yourself a set amount of time to try it out, and then really allow yourself to either continue or stop after that trial time, then you will have answered that little voice and can silence it. Best of luck!!!
~Suzy
I’m with Debi, listen to the little voice. We all reach a point where we have to seriously think about the future, all the what-ifs and the what would I dos. Not fun in the least but I guess it means we are “real grown-ups”.
Check out other nursing options too by all means. I am sure something will come along at the right time.
I know your pain right now. I’m job hunting too, and I know what I don’t want to do, but not so sure about my skills for other things from being out of the workforce for so many years raising my son (also apraxic, so you know how that goes). I’ve been fortunate that all therapy has been done through school in recent years, and only now is he getting some behavioral therapy through family services at home once a week. But throw in other things like taekwondo, Cub scouts, and then trying to find the right job to be there for him? It’s tough. We’ll just have to wade through all the options carefully, won’t we? 😉
I’d listen to that voice, too. If this doesn’t seem right to you, it probably isn’t. Nurses and NP’s are so in demand everywhere, that I can’t believe you wouldn’t be able to find something else later on, when the timing is better.
The little voice is telling you something. There are other ways that you could stay involved possibly. Could you work/volunteer somewhere educating teenage girls as needed. Could you find something volunteer in breastfeeding. Look at the aspects of the job that you like as research ways you could work within them. Also, here in MI we have NP that work in the ER, are there other areas that you could work, not just private practice? Good Luck, and pray about it. God will lead you down the path that is his perfect plan if you pray and listen. K
I know this must be a hard choice! I agree with the little voice thing. heck, look at me with a degree in accounting and years in that field (BORING…and the whole ‘office’ thing)and I got a CDL and driving a SCHOOL BUS…and loving every moment!!! It’s some weird dream of mine (I’ve had for about 6 years) and I took the chance to act on it finally and just really an awesome thing. You know…life is just way too short. Best of luck with your decisions!!