Is Phys. Office nursing "Really Nursing"?

well, maybe if she knew that one day you are going along doing a "routine" exam on a patient and in walks a 72 year old that has been out picking blackberries and got into a nest a yellowjackets. Forgot his Epi pen and he is the color of this background that I am typing on. He proceeds to code and.....hey that's when you have to change gears and put those "not really nursing" skills to use. BTW, he made it, thankfully but in an office, you never know who will walk in. You always have to have your skills honed......best to you.

I am a new graduate who has a job offer at an adult outpatient pulmonary clinic at a very prestigious medical institution that focuses on ambulatory care and sees patients from all over the country. I also have an offer to do a new graduate program at a step-down unit in a hospital working nights. I plan on going to graduate school to become an FNP next fall. Since in the long run I plan on being an FNP in an office anyways, would the clinic be so bad (no nights, holidays or weekends)? I am worried about working at this hospital because I know they have to use a lot of traveling nurses so does this mean they have a high turnover with employees? This clinic on the other hand sounds like a great place to work. What should I do??? I know I will lose skills like IV, catheter placement, treatments, etc. but as an FNP I don't think I will use those skills anyway. Any advice would be great!

Hi, I too want to get my FNP. But for now I am still getting my ADN. (have been an LPN for 23 years.) Look, bottom line, there is no rule that says all new grads have to work nights. Also I will tell you IF the docs. at the office are worth a hoot, you will learn a lot. I say take the office job-if the pay/bennies are acceptable. Let me know. Email me!

Office nusing allowed mE to really distinguish between pt's and really sick patients. GREAT EXPERIENCE!

I ended up at $17.00

I have been an adult medicine nurse in a community health center for 3 weeks now. I must say so far it has been really great. True you don't do trach care, tube feeds, IV meds, monitor gpegs drains, foleys...all inpatient stuff, that I did in school and assisted as a tech for 2 years. Do I miss it....sometimes but realize nursing is not only about that. and there's quite a bit that I do not miss....eg the smells, lifting pts, bedpans, enemas, bladder irrigations, pt on go-lytely......

remember the prioritizing questions on Nclex RN......I have to employ this everyday...who patient do we see first?...which phone call do I return first....?
alot of autonomy.

we do lots of shots....immunizations, shots for std's, TB plants, Nurse visits...for employment shots and screens, TB reads, and people who have to have injections who can't do it themselves, ear irrigations which is yeuky....oh well. Lots of med refills, teaching for newly diagnosed problems.....I also have to do Peds on the one evening I do. not fond of this.....I love kids too much and hate when they cry as they are given shots...

I love that there are no nights and weekends, 11 paid holidays and 3wks vac.........my hours are 9-5 and 12-8 on my evening. my start pay is $26 per hour but I am salaried. So I get the same check bi-weekly. no overtime.

I may later on get a per diem in a sub-acute setting just like maybe one weekend a month to maintain inpatient skills.

I agree ,there are skills lost in office nursing. I think it depends on where you work, which department subugates you to different skill types. When I've worked for a surgeon, I did pull drains, When I worked peds sometimes I had to cath the pt, etc.etc. The day is long and at times pretty much the regular physical type of day. I worked hard and long and enjoyed my weekends off. I thank the poster who disagreed about it's ok to hire people off the streets to do this job. We all work hard and families should come first , I say this because I put my career first and had a latch-key kid who called mom QD at 3:30. Now I regret staying there at the office until 6:30 instead of being home with him. But that's just me. I am working towards the LPN-RN bridge program, and I'm taking my time. What's meant to be, will be.

I vote for "nursing is nursing"...
And to answer your question, I'd say it depends on what office you work in. If you work for a GP, then you may not get that excitement you're craving, but there is still a boatload of specialty tasks and other things you will be doing and learning.

Now, around these parts, I don't think I've ever seen an RN in a GP's office. It's usually LPN's, EMT's or MA's.
Most RN's here work for specialists... cardiologist, pulmonologist, neurologist, etc.
Pay is about the same as new grad in the hospital.
The difference is, working for specialist here, you'll be expected to hit the hospitals first thing in the AM, pre-round for the docs/pa-c's and pretty much be the right hand person... write up the verbal orders/vent weanings, etc, standard/sop orders you've been taught to do for certain patient types and such. Most docs train/allow minor procedures like arterial line insertion and what not, and you're fully expected to be available to assist/suture/wrap up any central line insertions or similar tasks.
Office time is usually only about 2 days per week when the docs do office hours.
Basically your job is to pick up the slack, get the day's ball rolling and keep the flow going so the docs don't have to start at zero when they come in to round on their patients. You have 8 hours a day to get it done and usually there is not much expected in the way of overtime or working ones self to death.

It's a great job to work while pursuing your practitioner degree as it's darn near that kind of job. That's what most RN's do here and they end up NP's still working for the same doc and paid accordingly.

I'm really considering it myself... hours, days, holidays, no weekends... sounds right nice!
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Well who ever thinks office nursing isn't "nursing" is out of there minds. I am a former cardiac/post open heart nurse who now works in a a family practice office. I feel like i am a more rounded nurse now since working in this office. I get the joy of working with peds,ob/gyn, young and older adults. Yes it is very different from working at the bedside, the stress levels are different, but i can say it is the best decision i have ever made! I do suggest working in an hospital before going to an office just b/c it will help develop your critical thinking skills and give experience with dealing with different diseases/conditions.

I'm still in school and since the moment I decided to become a nurse I've never pictured myself in a hospital setting. I'm really interested in patient education and I like the interaction that nurses are able to have with patients in an office.

Last year when I was in the hospital in labor with my son I asked my nurse if she would ever consider office nursing. Her comment was something to the effect, "If I want to be bored all day..." and that has just made me so nervous ever since.

This thread has made me feel so much better about things.

Thanks.