Want to be a nurse in Doctor's Office...which degree? ASN or BSN RN?

Nursing Students ADN/BSN

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I have ruled out hospital RN jobs due to many factors. I am interested in working in a doctor's office as a nurse. Which degree should I go for? What are the majority looking for?

Thanks!

and I would not feel bad for not wanting to work in a hospital with small children! I have two under 3 and there is no way I could do those hours and work holidays right now, it's some of why I left LTC. I get paid less sure but the time with my family is way more important to me.

Specializes in kids.
Could you be a school nurse? They have a page under the specialties section where you might be able to learn more about how to get that type of job.

I have a friend from church who has been a school nurse for 20 years. Now that her kids are out of school she also picks up extra shifts at a hosptial.

She would still need some acute care experience in order to hone some of her independant critical thinking and assessment skills.....not just bandaids and bellyaches in schools ;)

Specializes in Oncology.

LOL You can't dedicate 3 12-hour shifts because of your family? You won't be able to work all day every day of the week besides weekends, either then. who will take your kids to school and pick them up? Take them to their appointments and go to their school functions? I work in an outpatient clinic and work over 50 hours a week every week, for which I get paid 40 and deserve to get paid 10000. I get tired of others who say every office job is easy, too. I worker harder than ever now in the clinic. You can't control if your patients take their meds or do what they need to do when you're not working with them 24/7. And then when they have problems or have emergencies of their own creating who do they come to with zero notice, expecting you to jump?

Idk if any was had mentioned it yet but if u do decide to become an RN home health nursing is an option if your are has these type programs. My cousin did it for awhile he did have 1 year experience in hospital though

Specializes in ..

MrsPolly, I respect your motivations and reasons for wanting to become a nurse and to have your sights on working in a physician's office. You're weighing your family obligations and career goals together. Seeking information is a good thing; and you seem able to hear the messages from experienced nurses telling you that jobs in doctor's offices are not that easy to come by. There are numerous other threads on this board started by starry-eyed wanna-be's who can't seem to understand that they probably won't become the Surgeon General upon graduation from nursing school ("But, I really WANT to be the surgeon general... surely they'll bend the rules for me!!!")

It would be nice if we all found some passion early in life and worked exclusively toward that goal. The reality is most of us have been through several 'false starts' before landing in a field we're happy (or at least semi-satisfied) with. So, you're exploring all the possibilities--a good thing. There is nothing wrong with considering different fields to see how they would fit in with your life.

If you really want to be a nurse, there are plenty of daylight, Monday through Friday jobs out there. You'll probably have to put in a couple years to gain experience before landing one. Is that something you could do if it worked into your long-term plan? Working night shift isn't all bad--especially if you know you'll be doing it for a year or two. Or, working weekends? That's IF you get hired, at all...

One of the huge problems right now is there are few nursing jobs out there, especially for new grads. Nursing schools have been graduating tons of students in the last few years, older nurses aren't retiring at the rate that was expected, and few new positions have been created. So, each year many grads fail to find jobs. If you don't find a job in your first 6 months after graduation, your prospects become worse and worse as the fresh new grads are hired and the 'stale' grads get passed over again, and again.

Don't give up on a dream because others have thrown cold water, but don't be so starry-eyed that you can't be realistic. You seem to be on the right path: explore, know your interests and limitations, and get advice. Then, make an informed decision. There are no guarantees in life, but proceeding this way will give you the best shot at success.

LOL You can't dedicate 3 12-hour shifts because of your family? You won't be able to work all day every day of the week besides weekends, either then. who will take your kids to school and pick them up? Take them to their appointments and go to their school functions? I work in an outpatient clinic and work over 50 hours a week every week, for which I get paid 40 and deserve to get paid 10000. I get tired of others who say every office job is easy, too. I worker harder than ever now in the clinic. You can't control if your patients take their meds or do what they need to do when you're not working with them 24/7. And then when they have problems or have emergencies of their own creating who do they come to with zero notice, expecting you to jump?

Yes, at first glance I thought, "3 12's a week, I can handle that!" But then upon further thought, I realized I'd miss out on gymnastics practices and baseball games and family dinners 3 times a week. Not to mention missing out on every-other wknd and holidays as well. In a more typical work week, I would be home each night with my family. I would be available to help with homework and make dinner and not get home as they are all headed to bed.

For instance, as a teacher, I would have the same schedule as my children, I would be done working by 3-4pm, I would have every holiday and weekend off with them, not to mention summer break, christmas break and spring break. Oh and I have a husband to help with school drop off and pick, if it's needed.

There are options out there, I am just exploring them all. Finding what fits for what's most important to me and my fam!

Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.

Mrs Polly, I taught preschool for years before I became a work at home / stay at home mom. I then decided to become a nurse. I've considered returning to teaching. I considered it because I could jump right back in and apply for a position in a head start or state preschool. Those positions start at about $20+ per he and it would be quicker for me to do this than become a nurse. Also, teaching would provide a more mom friendly schedule. I'd have evenings off cart my kids around to practices, etc. of course, my teacher friends have to bring their work to their kids practices. Work as an LVN/LPNin my area pays about the same as the above described pay or the same as a 1st yr k-12 teacher. To become a k-12 teacher, some post graduate work is required.

To me, LVN offers more room for growth into higher pay positions via lvn-RN programs. And RNs make much more per hour than teachers. But RNs commonly work part time, like 3 days per week.

I think you might want to talk to other moms in your area. Ask about completing the education while raising a family and how they feel the profession allows work-life balance.

MrsPolly, I respect your motivations and reasons for wanting to become a nurse and to have your sights on working in a physician's office. You're weighing your family obligations and career goals together. Seeking information is a good thing; and you seem able to hear the messages from experienced nurses telling you that jobs in doctor's offices are not that easy to come by. There are numerous other threads on this board started by starry-eyed wanna-be's who can't seem to understand that they probably won't become the Surgeon General upon graduation from nursing school ("But, I really WANT to be the surgeon general... surely they'll bend the rules for me!!!")

It would be nice if we all found some passion early in life and worked exclusively toward that goal. The reality is most of us have been through several 'false starts' before landing in a field we're happy (or at least semi-satisfied) with. So, you're exploring all the possibilities--a good thing. There is nothing wrong with considering different fields to see how they would fit in with your life.

If you really want to be a nurse, there are plenty of daylight, Monday through Friday jobs out there. You'll probably have to put in a couple years to gain experience before landing one. Is that something you could do if it worked into your long-term plan? Working night shift isn't all bad--especially if you know you'll be doing it for a year or two. Or, working weekends? That's IF you get hired, at all...

One of the huge problems right now is there are few nursing jobs out there, especially for new grads. Nursing schools have been graduating tons of students in the last few years, older nurses aren't retiring at the rate that was expected, and few new positions have been created. So, each year many grads fail to find jobs. If you don't find a job in your first 6 months after graduation, your prospects become worse and worse as the fresh new grads are hired and the 'stale' grads get passed over again, and again.

Don't give up on a dream because others have thrown cold water, but don't be so starry-eyed that you can't be realistic. You seem to be on the right path: explore, know your interests and limitations, and get advice. Then, make an informed decision. There are no guarantees in life, but proceeding this way will give you the best shot at success.

Thanks so much for everything here! You nailed it on the head! I am in self-discovery mode lately...trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up! I am definitely a realist. No starry-eyed syndrome here. If anything, I am way to practical and sensible. I find it difficult to just take a leap of faith. I need to know details and work out all the cobwebs in my brain.

Your post was very kind. Thanks!

Specializes in Emergency/Trauma.

For instance, as a teacher, I would have the same schedule as my children, I would be done working by 3-4pm, I would have every holiday and weekend off with them, not to mention summer break, christmas break and spring break. Oh and I have a husband to help with school drop off and pick, if it's needed.

There are options out there, I am just exploring them all. Finding what fits for what's most important to me and my fam!

I'm a mom with elementary school aged kids, and I have several girlfriends who are teachers with kids. I work 3 12's (6-6), and am home by 630 those nights. The other 4 days, I'm there them completely.

My girlfriends who are teachers rarely leave their class before 6pm(and that's 5 days a week, not 3), and if they do they are taking a ton of work home with them. They also end up spending most weekends working, either re-doing the class, creating lessons, or grading.

Hour for hour, I have way more time with my kids, and work way less.

edited to add: i forgot to say though, the guaranteed weekends, holidays, and summers as a teacher are pretty amazing.

I'm a LPN and I'm having a hard time finding a job in a doctor's office because they all want MAs (one local office was going to pay MAs $9.50/hour and LPN $12/hour). Doctor's offices aren't going to pay a RN and don't want to hire them because they're worried the RN will get bored and leave. I've applied for every LPN opening in an office (I have 5 years experience in offices) and even some MA openings. When my kids are grown then I'll have more flexibility to work hospital hours and will possible pursue my RN then. Right now, though, my husband and kids are my priority. My babies are 11 and 8 months so I want to be home with them in the evenings and weekends and holidays. Good luck!

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Thanks so much for everything here! You nailed it on the head! I am in self-discovery mode lately...trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up! I am definitely a realist. No starry-eyed syndrome here. If anything, I am way to practical and sensible. I find it difficult to just take a leap of faith. I need to know details and work out all the cobwebs in my brain.

Your post was very kind. Thanks!

Wasn't your other thread about not liking smells and not wanting to clean up urine feces and vomit. While It may not be everyday you will have to do these things.....you will have to do these things. Nursing is hard. Nursing school is hard and will interfere with family time. RN's are not in Dr.'s offices anymore. There are MA's or LPN's at best. These positions are far and few between. The is no nursing shortage right now, regardles of what you hear on the TV. https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/no-nursing-shortage-752411.html

Nursing is a 24/7 position holidays included. It would not be appropriate in the current job market in an interview to dictate your needs for your schedule, ask for the preferred shifts, and not work holidays for that is what we nurses do....we work holidays, weekends, and we work nights.

Contrary to popular belief. There is NO NURSING SHORTAGE. Click on the link provided.........even if you go to school for nursing there is NO guarantee for a job and certainly not an availability for the job of your dreams. Working in PEDS or OB are jobs that usually require bedside experience before being considered for a position in these areas.

A recent article I saw here on AN states..........

Survey: No jobs for 43 percent of newly licensed nurses

More than four out of ten (43 percent) of California nurses, who were newly licensed as registered nurses in the previous 18 months, say they could not find a job, according to a recent survey paid for by the California Institute for Nursing & Health Care.

"Newly graduated RNs finding employment remains a pressing issue. After years of investment in building the workforce and increasing educational capacity, the economy continues to impact hiring and undermine the progress that has been made," says Deloras Jones, executive director of the California Institute for Nursing & Health Care.

Lack of experience was the main reason cited by nurses for not getting a job (92 percent), 54 percent said that no positions were available, 42 percent said a BSN degree was preferred by the employer, and 6 percent said they were told that they had been out of school too long.

Other findings include:

* Among those working as RNs, 31 percent reported that it had taken six months or more to find a job; 40 percent found a job in under three months

* 77 percent of newly licensed nurses employed were working full-time

* Among new grads without RN jobs, 25 percent were either volunteering in a health care service or working as a non-RN in a health care setting

* 80 percent of nurses without RN jobs were interested in participating in a non-paying internship for reasons that included: increasing skills, exposure to potential employers, improving their resume, obtaining college credit applicable to a BSN or MSN degree, and deferring student loans while enrolled in an academic course.

Search here on AN there are plenty about this subject......

The big lie

without a doubt, the main source of frustration experienced by recently graduated and licensed but still unemployed nurses is what could be called "The Big Lie."in other words, the television commercials that encourage young people to become nurses -- and then abandon them for months (or years) without employment; and the educators who tell them that the associate's degree is perfectly adequate to guarantee employment, that they will have their pick of jobs when they graduate, and that there is plenty of time to get a bsn later on. who knows whether it is greed, ignorance, or wishful thinking that underlies the fairy tales told to nursing students about their future job prospects? whatever the motivation, the disillusionment of our new grads is palpable. the jobs they expected after all of their hard work just haven't materialized, and some grads are getting pretty desperate.

Will work for experience

The strongest motivator for the working population is money, but for some newly licensed registered nurses, getting valuable clinical experience seems to be taking precedence over the paycheck. without that experience, the financial future of these nurses will remain precarious because they will be unable to find jobs.

"i am willing to take a 50% pay cut or even work for free so i can get the darned experience," said one frustrated new graduate who has been unable to break out of the unending cycle of "no job without experience, and no experience without a job."

she was not alone. other readers wrote:...........for the rest of the article, medscape requires registration but it is free.

medscape: medscape access

Has the nursing shortage disappeared?

it's that time of year again. graduating nursing students are preparing to take the nclex and are looking for their first jobs. this year, many are finding those first jobs in short supply. reports are rampant of new graduates being unable to find open positions in their specialty of choice, and even more shockingly, many are finding it tough to find any openings at all.

these new rns entered school with the promise that nursing is a recession-proof career. they were told the nursing shortage would guarantee them employment whenever and wherever they wanted.

so what happened? has the nursing shortage--that we've heard about incessantly for years--suddenly gone away?

The short term answer is clearly yes, although in the long term, unfortunately, the shortage will still be there.

The recession has brought a temporary reprieve to the shortage. nurses who were close to retirement have seen their 401(k) portfolios plummet and their potential retirement income decline. they are postponing retirement a few more years until the economy--and their portfolios--pick up.

Many nurses have seen their spouses and partners lose their jobs and have increased their hours to make ends meet for their families. some who left the profession to care for children or for other reasons have rejoined the workforce for similar reasons.

in addition, many hospitals are not hiring. the recession brought hiring freezes to healthcare facilities across the country, and many are still in effect. help wanted ads for healthcare professionals dropped by 18,400 listings in july, even as the overall economy saw a modest increase of 139,200 in online job listings.

http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/co...sappeared.html

Looking out for our new nurse grads

Be a nurse if you can

a popular website about the nursing profession claims, "there has never been a better time to be a nurse." "be" a nurse? perhaps, but "become" a nurse? perhaps, that is less certain. in spite of continuing to rank among the best careers and best jobs in america, the nursing profession is struggling to welcome its newest members with open arms and paychecks.

Not too long ago, the threat of a growing nursing shortage prompted thousands of prospective students to choose nursing as a career, and nursing schools rapidly filled to capacity. nursing was frequently referred to as a "recession-proof" career, and the outlook for finding a job after graduation was rosy.

Experience and employment: the vicious cycle

Now, the bloom, as they say, is off the rose. it seems that many of our new grads are stuck in that perennial dilemma: they can't get a job without experience, and they can't get experience without a job. this situation was not anticipated by thousands of nursing students who were told, often repeatedly, that a global nursing shortage practically guaranteed employment for them.

Consider, for example, the situation faced by new graduates in California. a survey of hospitals by the california institute for nursing & health care found that as many as 40% of new graduates may not be able to find jobs in California hospitals, because only 65% of the state's potential employers were hiring new graduates and generally planned to hire fewer new graduates than in previous years. overwhelming numbers of new graduates submitted applications for the few available positions for new graduates.

What happened to the jobs?

Most experts blame the crumbling economy for ruining the job prospects of new graduate nurses around the country, but as usual these days, the truth is more complex.

Uneven distribution. the demand for nurses was supposed to exceed the supply by the year 2010. the question of whether we truly have a nursing shortage right now is a fair one. the answer, it seems, is "it depends." apparently, it depends on where you live and where you are willing to work. neither the distribution or supply of nurses, or the demand, is uniform. some geographic (mostly rural) areas have a shortage of nurses, whereas some urban locations are witnessing an oversupply of nurses. new graduates seeking jobs in these regions will face a very competitive job market.

Economic recession. the shrinking job pool is widely believed to be a consequence of the declining us economy. temporarily at least, economic pressures and job losses in all industries have induced thousands of experienced but aging nurses to forego retirement and even increase their working hours to support their families. according to buerhaus, more than 75% of new nursing jobs between 2001 and 2008 were filled by nurses over the age of 50.[

Combined with a lower hospital census (as a result of fewer elective procedures and loss of health insurance coverage), this has led to downsizing, hiring freezes, and even hospital closures. when the cash flow diminishes, hospitals traditionally look to cut the nursing budget, the highest cost center in the hospital. the most expensive item in that budget is orienting and training the new graduate. transitional programs for new graduates, such as internships and residency programs, have been sharply curtailed, and many hospitals stopped interviewing new grads altogether. it doesn't help that newly licensed nurses have a reputation for having the highest turnover rates. as many as 26% of new nurses leave their first nursing employer within 2 years.

Shifting settings of care. healthcare is largely moving out of the hospital and into community-based settings. job growth for rns is expected but not necessarily in the hospital. significant job growth will occur in nursing homes, long-term care, home health, and even physicians' offices. acute care hospital job growth will be the slowed.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/744221 again medscape requires registration https://allnurses.com/nursing-career-advice/question-current-nurses-758303.html

I am not stepping on your dream. Praemonitus Praemunitus : Forewarned is Forearmed

I wish you the best.

Esme12, Yes I did post a different thread about the "not so clean" parts of nursing. However, what I said was that everytime I mentioned nursing to friends/family that was their first comments, about how "gross" it was. I was totally prepared to have to handle those things, but I was starting to worry that it would be all the time, with the kinds of comments I was getting. So, that's why I asked. I thought, "who better to ask than those of you in the actual field."

The rest of your post highlights one of the reasons I am shying away from nursing. Among other reasons, I don't like the job prospects I am hearing from all of you here. I have done lots of research on the topic.

I think we all need to remember that the almost every industry is facing really hard times right now. There aren't any areas I can really think of that are dying to find qualified workers. So, while I get that nursing is hard to break into, I think most other areas are hard for new grads as well. I am just going to pick the field that suits me best and do all I can to stand out....and then cross my fingers and toes!

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