Anyone work in Surgical /"boutique" hospitals??

[pink2blue1]

I'm a new LVN but before I graduated I got a job offer at a Surgical hospital for a CNA position. Knowing we needed the $$$ I took it and worked there and my regular hospital. This "boutique" hospital does only elective surgeries, but we do everything from plastics, total joints, gyn, tonsillectomies etc. The only thing I think we don't do are brain and heart surgeries. They also do out patient surgeries. I work on the in patient floor. We have 21 REALLY posh rooms and at first I LOVED it, but then I realized, of those 21 rooms, only about 7 are usually full, if that. They consider 7 a busy day! Well it's just beautiful over there. Gorgeous HUGE private rooms that don't look like hospital rooms really. Fold out couches for the families. really nice.

Well once I passed boards, they decided they didn't want me as an LVN because I was "too new" SO fine with me, I have a job at an acute care facility just up the road. They did want me to stay and continue being their CNA, which I told them I did not plan on doing. So the night shift offered to take me and I was offered a job and pretty good $$$ for an LVN, but it's per-diem. I figured I could make and extra 1400 a month just doing 4 shifts a month. But since I started orienting on nights (last week) It feels a bit scary. There is no back up if a patient goes bad. We have to call 911. No Dr in the house, if we need stat labs, we have to call in a lab tech and some of the labs are sent out. I am a little afraid I have bitten off more than I should as a new nurse. Not so much because it's hard, but I feel my license will be on the line. I am just looking for nurses who have experience in hospitals like these.

In my 3 months over there I have already seen 4 patients be transfered over to the acute care hospital I work in. 1 because she was bleeding out (a hysterectomy patient) 1 for chest pain (ended up going to the cath lab once he was transfered) 1 to rule out PE and the other I forgot. I mean, I am used to working where there is a rapid response team, a code team and a Dr in the house most all of the time.

Any words of wisdom?? I haven't fully committed yet, I am still orienting and trying to feel the place out. It was great as an Aide, but knowing how hard I worked for my license, I am not sure as an LVN. Oh but the $$$ It's $10.00 more an hour than I make at the acute care place!

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Sounds more like a "Recovery Resort" than a hospital....nice hotel rooms, but no plans for adequate healthcare post-op? Sounds like a scary place to be a nurse, in my humble opinion.

The money is fabulous for a reason. They pay what they have to in order to staff the place. If people were tramping down the doors to work there because it was so easy or less stressful, they'd pay far less.

I like my license better than the extra $$, personally :)

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Sounds very dangerous for the patients. Is this place licensed by the state? I would run to HR and throw my letter of resignation on their desk.

[ZootRN]

I can't believe they are allowed to do that. No medical coverage for the post-op patients?? This is crazy and waiting for the big lawsuit to happen. One day the head surgeon may decide to do open hearts on outpatient basis at his office, but his license should be in line for that, not yours.