A New Job

Today I officially accepted a new job as a RN case manager and said goodbye to my wonderful job as a Labor & Delivery nurse.  I was writing a much longer post, but decided the letter I wrote to my co-workers sums it up.  Read the April 7 post, The Athletics of Nursing, if you want a closer understanding of the physical demands of my job and what set me on this new path post-injury.

Dear friends and colleagues,

As I'm sure you heard, 2 months ago I sustained an injury that detached my hamstring tendons completely from my hip.  I required surgery to repair it and have had a great outcome, recovering as expected.  However, the reality of recovering a major tendon repair like this is that it is considered excellent if after a year, my hamstring operates at 80%.  Due to the physical nature of our jobs, I have had to think long and hard about the risk of re-injury at the bedside and how that would impact my family. Considering all factors of health, family, finances, and work-life balance, I have made the very sad decision to leave Labor & Delivery.  For the past 5 years, I have been so fortunate to work with such an amazing group of people. The dedication, team work, and camaraderie of our unit has made it a joy to come to work every day, even on the hardest days. Facilitating the beginnings of life is intrinsically rewarding and has provided me much joy!

I am remaining with the University Health System and have accepted a position in case management.  L&D will be a hard act to follow, but I am optimistic that I will find joy helping people navigate the healthcare system, all while being gentle on my healing hamstring.  Keep up the amazing work you do. You make an extraordinary difference for our community and I will truly miss you all!

Love,

Kelly Martin RN