[DreamyEyes]

I also posted this on the Outpatient/Office nursing forum. Any replies or advice would be appreciated!!

I am currently a CNA working at an assisted living facility. I plan on starting LPN school next fall, and I'm very interested in working in an outpatient setting/office, especially in pediatrics. I have no desire to work in a hospital (although I've heard LPN jobs in hospitals are limited, anyway) and while I have enjoyed working with the elderly so far, I do not think I would want to work as a nurse in LTC-I guess because I've heard too many horror stories.

What I'm wondering is, if you work at an outpatient setting, do you enjoy it? What are the pros/cons? And is it hard to get these kinds of jobs right after passing the NCLEX-PN? Thanks!!

[SAHMU4IA]

I have just started my first job (6 weeks now) and I'm at a University Clinic. It's probably too early for me to say, but I think that in-patient nursing is "my thing". I was lucky to be offered a job in a General and Internal clinic. All adults pts, and lots of acute. I get to use the full-scope of my practice and have lots of autonomy.
How did I get the job? I did my clinicals downstairs from this clinic and they just put my name out there. I didn't even apply. I was contacted through my school. The biggest bonus of in-patient? No nights, no weekends. Being a mom, that was all that would work for me.

[Xbox Live Addict]

I work in a plasma center, which is not exactly working in a clinic, but I do mostly work out of an office, and there are some similarities in work flow. I do physicals to assess donors for suitability, as well as assess and treat donors having adverse events. I only deal with one donor at a time, 30 minutes at a time, so in that respect, this is similar to a clinic. Also, the donors MUST be healthy, so they're not sick and helpless - one of the challenges in this job is splitting hairs over the donor's history, determining what conditions are safe and what conditions are incompatible with plasma donation (we have a SOP manual that describes what our company can and cannot accept in a donor, but we often have to interpret that according to nursing judgement.) I work under a physician, but he is rarely there, and he wants the nurses at the center to "not be doctor-dependent" and be able to act on their own, within the NPA-defined scope of practice of course. And within the company guidelines, we have a lot of autonomy. This is the best job I have ever held. I worked in nursing homes and psych for several years, hated it, and was stressed to the point of turning my license in to the SBON when I got this job. I am enjoying the daytime hours, not having to work nights, only working every third weekend, no holidays. I enjoy interacting with donors one-on-one, 30 minutes at a time, rather than having to be the "daddy" for adult men and women for eight, 12, or 16 hours at a time.

I will never work in an in-patient care setting again. The worst day at the plasma center is still more bearable than in-patient care at its best.

[sharona97]

I worked in an office setting the last 10 years of my career. i always wanted a challenge so I worked various departments. I love internal med and cadiology, stress labs, my skills were utilized and critical thinking in the specialty labs.

I've also had experience in specialty labs in the hospital which also was a challenge.

In both scenarios, it was M-F anywhere from 6:30-3:00 to 8:00 to 6:00. Office work can be tedious, but you get to know the patients over time in that doc's practice. And many times a truly sick patient will appear a the clinic rather than the ER. It made everyday a different day.

Good Luck and hope this helped.

[kstec]

I was able to do my last clinical rotation at a family practice clinic and they then hired me on as a MA until I passes my NCLEX-PN. I actually enjoy it even though as a nurse in our office, you do alot of paperwork. The MA's check in the patients and you help with procedures and give injections and again like I said alot of paperwork. You spend alot of time on the phone with patients triaging, phoning in RX's, setting up procedures and making referrals. All in all I enjoy it, but sometimes you feel completely out of the loop with your patients when you don't check them in or see them leave. The only ones that I interact with are the ones that have procedures done, need injections or patient teaching.

[TheCommuter]

One major disadvantage of LPN office work is the lower rate of pay (at least, in my area) when compared to LTC. If I were employed in a doctors' office or clinic, I'd be earning $5 to $7 less per hour.

[sharona97]

Originally Posted by kstec

I was able to do my last clinical rotation at a family practice clinic and they then hired me on as a MA until I passes my NCLEX-PN. I actually enjoy it even though as a nurse in our office, you do alot of paperwork. The MA's check in the patients and you help with procedures and give injections and again like I said alot of paperwork. You spend alot of time on the phone with patients triaging, phoning in RX's, setting up procedures and making referrals. All in all I enjoy it, but sometimes you feel completely out of the loop with your patients when you don't check them in or see them leave. The only ones that I interact with are the ones that have procedures done, need injections or patient teaching.

It takes awhile for everything to come full circle. You eventually learn more about individual patients and can tell if they are truly sick and need a visit that day or whatever. The zilion phone calls just come with the territory, along with callling in the rx's. It's a different setting altogether than a hospital and or LTC.

Only You can make the choice of what feels write for you. Congratulations and Good Luck in your career!

[NurseRivera]

Originally Posted by SAHMU4IA

I have just started my first job (6 weeks now) and I'm at a University Clinic. It's probably too early for me to say, but I think that in-patient nursing is "my thing". I was lucky to be offered a job in a General and Internal clinic. All adults pts, and lots of acute. I get to use the full-scope of my practice and have lots of autonomy.
How did I get the job? I did my clinicals downstairs from this clinic and they just put my name out there. I didn't even apply. I was contacted through my school. The biggest bonus of in-patient? No nights, no weekends. Being a mom, that was all that would work for me.

You mean outpatient?

[Lexxie]

My full time job is in LTC. Needless to say it is often stressful. I work weekends in an Urgent Care Center. I really like the variety of patients & not knowing exactly what kind of problem you'll encounter next. It's only been open for 6 months, so it's not quite up to speed as far as having on-site x-rays or blood draws, but in due time.... I'm excited about being trained to do all of that plus getting IV certified.