Are you really not a "real nurse" unless you work in acute care?

[tenderfootjoe]

I am an RN in a peds clinic, and it seems nurses who work in outpatient settings are not looked at as "real nurses" by their acute care RN counterparts. Is there a future in outpatient nursing?

Also, what are some ways I can "stay current" with my nursing skills as much as possible while working outpatient? I may want to work outpatient my whole career. However, I do want to stay up to date/marketable just in case I one day decide to move into the acute care arena.

[Dranger]

Nurses are nurses, however there is a reason why the pay is often different with acute vs outpatient salaries.

One of the pros about nursing is variability and transition in jobs. It's getting harder to find a critical care nurse 30 years at bedside. It's a tough job to sustain forever.

[Libby1987]

Nurses are nurses, however there is a reason why the pay is often different with acute vs outpatient salaries.

In my case it's because I don't work nights, weekends or major holidays. In general most M-F 8-5 positions don't pay than mine.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

I don't think NURSES say it, but how many threads have you read here along the lines of "OMG, no hospital will hire me without any experience, I'm a new grad! How am I going to get my dream job of L&D without the experience that no one will give me?" Posters will point out that there are jobs for RN's outside of hospitals and you can almost hear the groans.

Students don't do clinicals in dialysis centers, insurance companies, home health, schools, clinics or LTC's. They are pretty much taught that only REAL nurses work in hospitals. Sad but true.[

QUOTE=Emergent;8578312]Where did you hear that? Nursing has many specialties. Anyone who told you that is full of it.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Students don't do clinicals in dialysis centers, insurance companies, home health, schools, clinics or LTC's.

Some do. Ten years ago, I had clinicals in a low income housing's health clinic, spent half a semester with a school nurse, spent half of my peds rotation in an outpatient office setting, spent time at a dialysis clinic during med/surg 1, spent the first half of fundamentals in an LTC, spent the second half of med/surg 1 in a rehab hospital. About the only thing that I didn't cover in your list is at an insurance company. Maybe my program was ahead of the time, but this is where the future of nursing is and where the future of nursing education needs to head.

[Amistad, RN]

I went from inpatient nursing to clinic. A lot of my inpatient colleagues are also looking for jobs away from the bedside for various reasons: burnout, different hours to meet the needs of their families, etc. Clinic nursing in no way is a "fluff" job. I still work just as hard as I did in inpatient oncology to advocate for my patients' best interests. I just use a slightly different set of nursing skills :) I did not get any flack from inpatient nurses for moving to a clinic environment.

[Amistad, RN]

I will say my "clinic nurse" job may sound less impressive to non-nurses, but I couldn't care less about that! :)

[johsonmichelle]

Students don't do clinicals in dialysis centers, insurance companies, home health, schools, clinics or LTC's. They are pretty much taught that only REAL nurses work in hospitals. Sad but true.[

Actually you are incorrect, I had some of my fundamentals clinical rotation at the LTC. For pediatrics , some of the clinical rotations are at the daycare.

[frenchtoastwaffles, BSN, RN]

The first half of my fundamentals class is in an SNF

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

[cardiacfreak, ADN]

I once overheard an acute care nurse call LTC nurses bottom feeders. I quickly spoke up and told her that I had worked LTC for almost 10 years before working in a hospital. She tried to back peddle her way out of the statement, and as the charge nurse I made sure her next assignment was mostly LTC residents.

It it may have been petty on my part and looking back I shouldn't have done it because as the youngsters say I was a NETY. She never made any more bottom feeder comments around me.

[Libby1987]

Calling any law abiding citizen a bottom feeder is a reflection on the person saying such a pretentious mean spirited thing. And I'd venture a pretty discontented person, happy people don't say or think things like that.

[caseyuptonurse]

I think we are all nurses as long as we went to school and got our licenses. I think it's ridiculous to say someone is not as much of a nurse as someone else due to their specialty.

For example I work in rehab and I know that many people that are not in nursing stick up their nose and say why wouldn't you work in a hospital instead, you probably don't do anything challenging.

Each specialty has its own challenges.

I actually like my job and have a beautiful schedule. No need for me to dread not being in "acute care" when I'm happy with my work.

I'm also a newer nurse and most of my school colleagues entered into acute hospitals right out of school and hate it. They all asked me why I "settled" and didn't try to get acute experience. My answer, "I love my job."

Who cares what everyone else thinks as long as you're happy.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

If you hold an active RN or LVN license, then you are a real nurse regardless of what specialty you work in...or don't work in.

There's always going to be someone quick to denounce a specialty/workplace as not being "real nursing." The secret to happiness is to ignore them. If you're happy doing what you're doing, then keep doing it :)