[smbrn]

Two and a half months ago I started a job in an oncology practice doing infusion therapy three, ten hour days per week. I like the job so far but have run into a problem. There is nowhere to sit for the entire time I'm there, (none of the nurses sit, even for lunch). This has resulted in my having rather severe low back pain by the end of the day. According to a chiropractor I have osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, degenerative disc disease and spondylolisthesis of my lumbar spine. He advises me not to stand or sit for extended periods of time. I really don't want to quit this job but may have to. It is a very small work area and even if they could get me a chair to use while I do my documentation, there would be nowhere to put it. I'm sure I could demand an actual lunch break so that I could go sit down for a half hour but by the time lunch time comes, sitting causes more pain than standing anyways, so I don't know what good that would do me at this point. I have never had back problems in 25 years of working as a nurse. This only came up after I started this business of being on my feet nonstop all day. I can't even begin to think of what type of nursing I could do that wouldn't involve standing for long periods of time! I've been a hospital nurse almost my entire career. Advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[stillearning]

Your current situation can probably be remedied if you really enjoy oncology. I would advise a conversation with HR or employee health -- no employer wants to deal with an unnecessary workman's comp claim due to a low-back injury or stress acquired on the job! Chairs are a very minor fix for your employer.

However, if moving on is your goal, you might look at work that I call "butt time" -- work that let's you use your brain, not your back. Examples that come to mind include:

[*]In long-term care there are MDS coordinators, who sit in front of computers and fill out the Minimum Data Set -- a nursing assessment tool that determines the rate of reimbursement from the governmnet.
[*]In the insurance/HMO world, there are nurse jobs for care coordination, telophonic population management, chronic disease management -- all of it done from a desk and a head-set phone. Sometimes even at home.
[*]In hospitals, you'll find utilization review - nurses who look at the cost of care and are encouraging others to idenitfy solutions that will increase the movement of patients through the system -- more rapid discharge, out-patient follow-up, long-term-care placement. Usually it's in the finance or quality arena.


Good luck in your pursuit.