After the Storm

[prettyn88]

I am dying to know if nurses in physicians' offices make as much money as hospital nurses. It does not seem like they would because they already get shorter shifts, holidays off, weekends off, more settled atmosphere. I am weighing my options and would like to know what you all think.

[tigerlily1234]

Around here, hospitals pay more than physicians' offices. They also have more in the way of benefits (health insurance, etc.) than most physicians' offices, unless you work for a large group of physicians, and even then insurance is usually not offered. The hours may be longer and the work harder, but I believe you would gain more experience working in a hospital than in a physician's office. Whatever your choice, good luck to you!

[elkpark]

In general, pay in nursing is correlated to the stress/annoyance of the job. The "cushier" the job, the lower the pay. So, physician's offices, with M-F daytime hours, no weekends or holidays, low stress, etc., don't pay nearly as well as most acute care/hospital nursing positions.

If you are speaking as a new graduate starting your career, please consider getting at least a year or two of acute care experience before going for something like a physician's office job -- you can always look for a cushier job after that, but if you start in a situation like a physician's office and decide later that you want to (or need to) move into a better-paying, faster paced, acute care position, you may have significant difficulty doing that because your lack of experience will make you a less attractive candidate to those employers.

Best wishes!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

I agree with previous posters.

FYI, in this area, most physician offices employ LVN or 'assistant' types - not RNs.

[prettyn88]

Thanks guy! I'm a nursing student and I graduate in 2011 so I was just thinking about my future!