New Grad Leaving Hospital for Office Job

Nurses Career Support

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  1. Office or stay or in hospital for future NP?

    • 21
      Hospital
    • 6
      Primary care office

27 members have participated

Hello everyone,Just need some advice on leaving a hospital job for office work. I just graduated a few months ago, and took a job in a hospital. At first I absolutely loved it, but now I hate it and no longer want to work in a hospital. I find the work demeaning and labor intensive - boosting, cleaning excrement, etc. My ultimate goal is to be an FNP, so I don't plan to be a RN for long before I go back to school. My concerns whether office work in a primary care clinic is good enough training to be an FNP? I feel like skill wise, I'll be doing less, but I will get to see more and work closely with other FNPs. I have been offered a job in a primary care office, and I need advice if I should do this or not.

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Anyone???

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

You won't learn anything valuable in an office. If you want to be a NP, you should be in an acute care environment. #1, I doubt you will be a competitive applicant for any program worth attending if you don't, and #2, you won't do well.

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Specializes in Oncology, Palliative Care.

I'm sorry if this offends you, but your post kind of makes it sound like you don't like your job because you have to work... 'cleaning excreatment'?? That's simple patient care... It sounds like you want the rewards of nursing without the 'dirty' work. This maybe the opposite of how you feel, but that's the impression I get from your post. I agree w/ the PP that an office job will not give you any of the needed experience & may even set you back.

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Besides the sometimes distasteful "tasks" you dread, you are gaining a trained eye that only experience can give.

You should take a close look at exactly what you will be responsible for in the office.

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

I loved office nursing for the most part, but I agree that it is not good preparation for the FNP role. Although some things you will deal with are the same and good training/prep the lack of acute care experience would be a hindrance.

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Is not that I don't want to work - there are literally tons of Nursing Jobs that aren't quite so messy. I just think nursing gets the short end of the stick. What other college educated profession has long 12 hour shifts where you can't even pee without asking permission? We're educated with 4 year degrees, yet treated like common laborers. As I said, I hate it. I became a nurse solely to become an FNP, so I see no reason why I should be miserable working in a hospital job that makes me want to cry when I can work in an office for a few years and then become an NP. My only concern is if it will prepare me. There's no question hospital work is good preparation for being a nurse, but does it make a difference for FNP? I mean, medical students and PAs are excellent providers, and they are not required to be nurses first. If NP programs are thorough, I should learn what I need in the program itself, yes?

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Specializes in Oncology, Palliative Care.

Well just based in the responses so far, it doesn't sound like an office job will prepare you. It also sounds like you should have gone straight into another program instead of working as a bedside nurse.... Did you not know nursing is a thankless, messy job going into it? I'll agree that it is much different than I expected, but it hasn't changed my attitude towards nursing or towards advancing my nursing career. If you honestly didn't know this is what nursing is all about, you might want to REALLY look into EXACTLY what will be expected of you in your roll as a NP so you k ow what you're getting into & what will be expected of you excrement-wise...

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I really didn't know nursing would be like this. I knew I wanted to be an NP - I've met many NPs who have served me in various specialties (primary care, mental health, dermatology, cardiology, etc) and they've all been competent and happy in their jobs. I decided to follow this career path but didn't realize how difficult the nursing part would be - it's very demeaning in my opinion. Nurses are constantly being injured on the job, have leg and back issues due to standing and lifting heavy patients, etc. And after having a patient diarrhea all over the bed while working in med/surg and me being the one expected to clean it, I just decided to throw in the towel. It's not worth it for the pay, really.

I still want to be an NP very much. I don't know what you mean by looking into excrement wise? I can't imagine an NP being asked to clean up a patient that pooped all over themselves. Besides, I would likely work in a primary care office - I just can't imagine being a primary care FNP would be anything like working med/surg as an RN.

My poll is showing 75% recommending the hospital. Really? Even though in the office I would be working WITH an FNP in the exact same role that I would be pursuing? I just don't know what to do. Does grad school for NP's not prepare us enough to diagnosis and treat without prior experience? MD's and PAs aren't nurses first...is their training program superior?

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Specializes in Oncology, Palliative Care.

MDs & PAs aren't nurses... Why would they need to be nurses first? That's like saying you have to be a CNA before you can be a nurse. It look like you've made up your mind, regardless of the advice you receive... So go for it! If you really HATE your job, you don't have anything to lose! After all, you have to think about yourself/your family & your ultimate goals. If this is what you think is the best way to get there, then do it. There's always time to rearrange in the future.

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I just meant that MDs and PAs diagnosis and treat without prior nursing experience, so shouldn't an NP program prepare an NP to diagnosis and treat without prior experience too?

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Specializes in Oncology, Palliative Care.

I see your point... The difference between doctors & nurses that I've always heard is that doctors treat the body & nurses treat the actual patient... I'm not sure that a prior nursing degree would be required to even go to school for NP if you were taught everything you needed to know in the program. Even after nursing school and all the thugs I learned, I've had to learn how to actually BE a nurse while working as a nurse... It stands to reason that being a NP would be similar.

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