Private practice

ERNurse752, RN · Jul 14, 2002

I don't work in a doc's office, so I don't know a whole lot about it...

But some docs do hire RNs, although many prefer LPNs and MAs b/c they can do many of the same things, for less $/hour.

Many also want you to have some experience first, before going to an office setting.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do! :)

James Huffman · Jul 14, 2002

Debbie is correct; most docs want to hire LPNs and MAs because we cost too much. ;-) I know of some who will hire RNs, but the pay is not a whole lot more than what they pay for the LPNs.

Whether you get to work with patients or do a lot of paperwork depends on the physician, the office culture and -- often -- how large a practice is involved. Often a solo practicioner or an office with just a couple of docs may be more amenable to your doing patient teaching and advocacy than a large clinic where the "roles" are often set in stone.

If you are interested in working in an ob/gyn office, you might want to be pro-active about this, think about what you would like to be doing in a medical office, and approach ob/gyns in your area. Give them an idea of what you can do, your skills, background, and what this could mean to their practice, and their patients. Make sure you show them that there is a bottom line benefit to their business: happy, educated, informed patients are likely to stay, and recommend the practice to others.

Jim Huffman, RN

http://www.NetworkForNurses.com

moonchild20002000 · Jul 15, 2002

Debbie5,

I worked for 11 years in an OB/Gyn office.Our practice is very large.Patient education was a large part of my job.Telephone triage was another thing that I did a lot of.I even took "call" with the docs at night and on the weekends.I would assist the docs in the exam room,do NST"s,draw blood,vital signs,deal with insurance companies,schedule outpt. tests,order supplies,do lab QA,followup on abnormal lab work,call in prescriptions,and of course a lot of paperwork! When you are an office nurse you just do what needs to be done.....you wear many hats.!I really enjoyed my job,I liked getting to know my patients and their families.The downside to office nursing is the long hours,some nights I did not get out until 7:00-7:30pm.A lot of practices don't pay very well.That was never a problem for me though,I felt like I was well compensated and respected.A lot of practices want only nurses with a lot of experience,it just depends on your area. Hope this helps!

REDWOMANRN · Jul 15, 2002

I WAORK IN A DOC'S OFFICE--WE ARE A PRIVATE URGENT CARE CLINIC AND I LOVE IT!!!

I WORK FOR THE BEST IN TOWN!!! HE IS NOT THE BOSS, HE IS PART OF THE TEAM!!

I ALSO, WORK WITH 2 MA'S AND 1 OTHER NURSE!!!

WE DO HAVE A PA IN THE OFFICE AND HAVE OVER 5200 PATIENTS.

YES, IT IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN IN THE HOSPITAL, BUT THE HOURS ARE 100% BETTER, ESPECIALLY WITH A FAMILY!! YOU DO IT ALL, BLOOD DRAWS, SCHEDULING TESTS, ANSWERING THE PHONES, REFERRALS, AND SOMETIMES I EVEN CLEAN!!!

BUT THE BENEFITS ARE WONDERFUL!!!!