[nitenurse78]

I worked in a rural hospital20 minutes away, 32 bed facility, Joint commission accredited and it just happened to be a company related to a larger entity so we were provided with some pretty nice equipment ex: pixis machines that work with just our finger print, nice dynamaps with o2 sat monitors, several patient assistant devices and many working bedalarms... to name a few. Our small hospital had everything we needed organized and right there!
Now, I worked there for 6 years and decided it was time for a change. Since I live in a small town I decided to work even closer to home, 10 minutes away, for surprisingly a little more money than the larger rural hospital. Well, I found out this new hospital is not Joint commission accredited, it has very outdated equipment, broken supplies such as bedalarms with missing peices and dynamaps with NO 02 sat monitors. When I asked the DON about it she said they "aren't going to purchase anymore for the floor b/c they are too expensive, maybe we'll purchase one and lock it up and we can sign it out." There are many times I call for Respiratory and there is only one RT per shift for the entire hospital and he/she may be tied up in ER or a bad baby in L&D and I have no way to check my patient's sats. Many nurses say they've had up to nine or more patients a piece on the med surg floor. I won't be able to take that many. I am so curious about larger hospitals and how life would be driving an hour away in the AM to a bigger hospital. Tell me how big hospitals are? I don't want to waste my gas, but it looks like I'm going to have to if this hospital I'm working for now doesn't become a safer place. ...(highly unlikely)

[LoriLeahRN]

I work in a rural area, we have 3 RN's in the ED (I know, lucky us!) On med surg, there are 3 RN's and 3 techs, in CCU one RN for 2 pts and watching the tele for the floor. My first hospital job 13 yrs ago we had ONE RN in the ED, one for the floor with 2 LPN's one RN in the unit and one LPN in long term care. I lived in a city for awhile and really liked my job, but found most nurses were "pigeonholed" in their specialty. They didn't know how to cope with anything outside of their specialized area. I worked a tele floor there and we took some overflow from the orthopedic floor one night, nobody had any clue how to deal with the patient's broken hip. Kinda made me glad that I had that broader knowledge base. Of course, when I moved back home, I went back to work for the same hospital for a short time before deciding that I was gonna try driving a few miles to a larger hospital. Those nurses treated me like a country bumpkin, just assumed that because I'd come from a rural hospital that I knew nothing. So guess what, I went back to the country. Different hospital, though. I'm pretty happy there, though, people are a lot nicer.

[mynx54]

I'm happy you have found your calling. I work in a 500 bed hospital in med-surg and oncology. Rural nurses can run circles around any one of us AND any ICU nurse I have met. I might consider it in the future after talking with several hospitals to test the waters.

[adoptionacres]

I started as a new grad at a rural/frontier hospital. It is the best for overall experience. Specialized RNs who work one area are horrified at the mere thought of doing everything we do. I will never be the awesome L&D nurse who delivers 20+ babies a month, but I don't cringe when I see male parts, a vented ICU patient with art lines and CVP lines or the major traumas that come in out of our ranches and rural highways. It keeps me learning and growing constantly, always questioning myself and expanding my skills. I love it!

[wizap]

Originally Posted by grammyr

I have to agree wholeheartedly with you. I have talked with other nurses from larger hospitals and they wouldn't trade with me for any amount of money. After 7pm, all ancillary staff is on call. Some stay in the building and others stay at home. The only requirement for them is to be within 20 minutes of the hospital. On any given night, there is never more than 10-12 nurses in the entire facility. It can get kinda nerve wracking, especially with a delivery in the ER( we don't have OB facilities), but I wouldn't trade it for anything. It is for the most part a slower pace and you may not see as much of the "good stuff", but when it all breaks loose, we do allright. There is a teamwork in our facility that you wouldn't find in other hospitals. We HAVE to rely on each other.

You are so right on the money! Rural nurses depend on one another, we do become good team players, and we learn the weaknesses and strengths of our co-workers. I do not worry at all about being marketable in a city hospital, from what I have seen, it is only learning the new equipment...the skills are the same no matter where you work!!!!

[natalyia]

Hi Camelhappy1, are you still interested or know of anyone else interested in rural nursing in AB? I know of a company that pays well for rural nurses and for referrals. Send me a PM for more info.