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!

I am not 100% against hospital nursing, in fact, it was my first thought when I started looking into nursing as an option. I love the idea of the more challenging environment. I think I would love to work in OB or Pediatrics. I don't want to be stuck taking blood pressures and weights for the rest of my career, but I figured there may be some challenging options in nursing in the doctor's office side of things. It may just be wishful thinking on my part.

To be honest, I was all about hospital nursing until I really started reading the comments on this site. :unsure: I have read so many people talk about how miserable hospital nursing is. From the long hours, understaffed crew, mistreatment from doctors/co-workers/patients to how hard it is to find a new grad position and how stressful the shifts are. I am at a serious cross roads here!

UGH!!!

Specializes in ICU.
I am not 100% against hospital nursing, in fact, it was my first thought when I started looking into nursing as an option. I love the idea of the more challenging environment. I think I would love to work in OB or Pediatrics. I don't want to be stuck taking blood pressures and weights for the rest of my career, but I figured there may be some challenging options in nursing in the doctor's office side of things. It may just be wishful thinking on my part.

To be honest, I was all about hospital nursing until I really started reading the comments on this site. :unsure: I have read so many people talk about how miserable hospital nursing is. From the long hours, understaffed crew, mistreatment from doctors/co-workers/patients to how hard it is to find a new grad position and how stressful the shifts are. I am at a serious cross roads here!

UGH!!!

And all of that is true, not all the time, not in every place. so do not be discouraged. If you read a lot of these posts, you might already have realized that it will take more than just "wanting to be a nurse" to actually BE a nurse.

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I am not 100% against hospital nursing, in fact, it was my first thought when I started looking into nursing as an option.
Nursing homes in most states tend to staff with 8-hour shifts. Due to Medicare reimbursements, many of these facilities need RNs on site to work the medication carts, supervise, and/or perform the skills that are not within the LPN's scope of practice.

If you are willing to work in a local nursing home, you could easily obtain a day job (Monday through Friday from 7:00 to 3pm or 6:00 to 2pm).

And I gave same :)

It's the truth that it's not too common to find RNs in doctor's offices anymore, as I told you. Mostly, they hire anyone they can train to take a blood pressure, slide the little knob on the weight scale, and type data into a computer.

Itsnowornever mentions a pain management clinic as using RNs, in large part I am sure to the IV meds that are given. Otherwise, there's just little place for nurses nowadays.

The reasons you gave to work in a doctor's office are the same ones that any med assistant (meaning, someone who hasn't needed to go to nursing school and pass the licensing exam) has. I am just suggesting that you might not need to go through the struggle of nursing school when a MUCH shorter, MUCH cheaper certificate can be earned instead of a nursing degree/license.

Just food for thought.

Pain management clinics (at least here in So Cal) are small surgical clinics, so the RNs are doing PACU/Recovery work. A friend who works in one say she's busy with assessments and recovery from anesthesia all day!

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Pain management clinics (at least here in So Cal) are small surgical clinics, so the RNs are doing PACU/Recovery work. A friend who works in one say she's busy with assessments and recovery from anesthesia all day.

That's true - freestanding outpatient surgery centers, dialysis centers, and day spas that offer cosmetic procedures are a growing market, too.

They require more skilled nurses than the traditional doctor's office jobs. When I started in ambulatory care it was common to hire licensed nurses and there were plenty of jobs. You took a little hit in pay but that was offset by the regular hours, no weekends, holidays, etc. Now I rarely see anyone but an MA in those positions.

I know a NP who did a direct entry program and loves working at Planned Parenthood on normal hours. I know a different direct entry MHNP who works normal-ish hours 4 days a week at a small family practice with MDs doing the non-psych stuff. Just another thought.

Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

Clinic jobs for NURSES are far and few between in my area. They tend to hire MA's and call them nurses. Where I go its all MA's with about 3 RN's on staff to cover triage and procedures that an MA isn't allowed to do by law

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!

Specializes in PDN; Burn; Phone triage.

Most of the hospital-based outpatient clinics still hire LPNs around here. The infusion, dialysis, pain, ambulatory surgery, and cancer clinics all tied to my particular hospital all hire RNs but the jobs require anywhere from 2-5 years of acute care experience, often in a specific area such as heme/onc or ICU/PACU. IR is another one that does 8-hour days but they also require pretty extensive background in ICU/PACU.

I did pediatric private duty right out of nursing school. If you're worried about your skills atrophying, it's probably not the job for you -- but I basically made my own hours and the pay was enough to help supplement my husband's breadwinner income to make it worth going to work.

Pain management clinics (at least here in So Cal) are small surgical clinics, so the RNs are doing PACU/Recovery work. A friend who works in one say she's busy with assessments and recovery from anesthesia all day!

Ah. I'm the nurse manager for an ASC, and we DO use RNs (and LPNs) but I wouldn't consider hiring ANYONE who couldn't show me several years' worth of acute care experience. RNs in recovery need to know what to do, what to look for in someone "going south", and I'd never take someone fresh out of school for that. If someone does, well...I hope it works out for everyone. We're a small center and can't afford to have a newbie RN; it's the RN everyone will turn to for direction in a patient crisis.

Anyway, by now the OP must realize what's ahead of her, at least generally speaking.

Ah. I'm the nurse manager for an ASC, and we DO use RNs (and LPNs) but I wouldn't consider hiring ANYONE who couldn't show me several years' worth of acute care experience. RNs in recovery need to know what to do, what to look for in someone "going south", and I'd never take someone fresh out of school for that. If someone does, well...I hope it works out for everyone. We're a small center and can't afford to have a newbie RN; it's the RN everyone will turn to for direction in a patient crisis.

Anyway, by now the OP must realize what's ahead of her, at least generally speaking.

Yes, thank you! Not exactly what I was hoping for, but I do understand. Sounds like I have two options on either end of the spectrum....

1. Be an MA and do menial "nursing" but have a regular schedule and low-stress environment

2. Go for the RN and work the obligitory 2-3 years FT at a hospital to gain enough experience to then possibly move on to other areas.

I appreciate all your comments!

Specializes in Peds, School Nurse, clinical instructor.

Most of the offices in my area hire MA's or LPN's. If you need a job soon, go the LPN route, you can always do an LPN to RN bridge if you want to continue on.

Specializes in Emergency, Pre-Op, PACU, OR.

I agree that you might be better off with an MA training versus nursing school, I believe you will get a much broader range of job opportunities than you would as an RN, if you don't mind the lower pay. As an RN, you might be able to get hired into clinics, e.g. GI clinics, spine clinics, etc. Those might not have your desired 9-5 but usually do not include weekends and holidays. Some OR nurses seem to have a nice schedule as well, but getting into an OR job as a new nurse is not easy. I don't know how much experience is expected for the clinic jobs.

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