Published
Hello AN!
As a relatively new nurse in NYC, I have been lucky to be consistently employed. I started out part time in an SNF (5 months), then was hired full time in LTC (6 months). NOC shift 5 nights a week was hard to adjust to (all work, no life) and even though I grew to love my team and residents I left to work in a clinic (7 months to present). The hours are great, no holidays, no massively redundant paperwork and I get to spend more time with pts, see them come back, getting better etc.
By all counts I am quite lucky! But now I feel like I am missing out on alot of nursing experience. I am the only nurse there (the rest are MAs) and d/t the low acuity I feel like alot of the things I learned in school are slipping away (emergency mgmt, critical meds, IVs etc). I read journals to try and stay updated. I volunteer and am planning to get my MSN (CNS) not really for a pay bump but just to learn more things (I love nursing).
I guess what I want to ask is, nurses that are working in drs offices, clinics, home care, school nursing etc.. do you ever envy your inpatient counterparts? How do you deal with those feelings? As you know, NYC is a tough place for new grads (job opening wise). As a student, I had hoped to get my start in med surg. But after 100+ applications I grew disenchanted with applying to hospitals. Now I'm a "stale grad". For those of you who have worked in out patient settings longer:
Are you happy with your career? What are your future plans?
Thanks in advance.