LAVH: when and how to return to work>

I am a psych nurse working with adolescents and young adults with eating disorders and comorbid personality disorders. I am a manager but I also am very hands on, the unit has loads of stairs and the girls can be very very demanding both emotionally and physically.

I m having a lavh/bos on 24th March

I need to concentrate a great deal, I deal with difficult family members and medics every day, funders and government people also and I do a lot of therapy with the girls too.I also manage the staff.

On top of this I have an hour's drive to get there and even at my best am exhausted by the end of the day before driving home for an hour- I have been told to take at least 6 weeks off - which I am doing- but I am wondering about a phased return and managing the long drive, the stairs, the concentration levels etc etc-- any advice?

A phased in return after 6 weeks sounds like a good plan considering what you do for a job. Then you can tailor your hours to what your body can handle. I have been involved in other return to work plans (not for me though) and they can be very creative such as two half days the first week, 3 half days the second week, and so on until you can manage 5 half days a week. Then you can start adding full days as your body is up to it. Talk to your HR and see what they think. I know that my school board's HR is very accommodating towards people and returning to work after surgery or illness.