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.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

It=cardiacfreak 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.

Nah, not eating your young--just giving her a reality check.

[eroc]

I have done LTC (very briefly), med-surg, telemetry, some ED, and currently open heart recovery (CVICU). I was a "nurse" the entire time. But let me tell you…ICU is a-whole-nother level of nursing.

But yes a nurse is a nurse, just the same as a doctor is a doctor from a Family medicine to a cardiovascular surgeon. I think the same mentality goes for what the CV surgeon who performs open heart surgery thinking of a primary family medicine MD.

[Golfer87]

I heard you had to be a nurse supporting soldiers in combat to be considered a real nurse.

Angels on the Battlefield: Nurses at War

Happy 4th everyone. :)

[realnursealso/LPN, LPN]

Blah, blah, blah. I don't listen or care what someone says about people being "real nurses". I was a real nurse the day my little patient died and the mom called me and wanted me to come tell her goodbye. I've been a real nurse for 35 years, and I'll be one until the day I die. Initials, credentials, and advanced degrees, don't make anyone more of a nurse than me or you. I always felt that people who make comments such as that are feeling a little unsure of themselves so they try to deflect their insecurities to others by trying to inflate their own egos. Carry on fellow nurse and ignore the stupidity. Happy Fourth of July!

[Wrench Party]

Oh....whatever. The hospital nurses I know are miserable and looking to get away from the bedside as fast as possible. I work in a clinic

and my job is never boring. I'm usually off by 6 p.m. on our "late day", I actually have this holiday off (and getting PAID for it), and I'm looking at public health or research as my next career move.

I have no problem with my paycheck or benefits, either.

[donsterRN, ASN, BSN]

You became a "real nurse" the minute you were licensed as one.

[Libby1987]

All areas are a whole different level of nursing.

I had a new hire, former ICU nurse looking for something less stressful, literally say, OMG you guys have to know everything!

Pretty much no one could just step into the shoes of another without a learning curve, nor could we live without any of them.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

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.

I completed clinical rotations in home health, psychiatric facilities, outpatient clinics, LTC facilities, and a United Cerebral Palsy personal care group home as a nursing student. This was in addition to the 8+ acute care hospitals where I completed clinical hours.

But yes, most of my former nursing instructors urged us students to obtain a year or two of acute care hospital experience. Since the med/surg nurses always looked unhappy and pedantic at the various clinical sites, I have not yet followed their advice.

[macfar28]

I actually hear this statement frequently when we have nursing students come on our unit. (I work inpatient psych.) Something along the lines of, "I mean what you do isn't real nursing." I always have a talk with them about the skills required for our unit and while we may not have fancy machinery and procedures, our skill set can be just as valuable and takes time to develop.

[eroc]

All areas are a whole different level of nursing.

I had a new hire, former ICU nurse looking for something less stressful, literally say, OMG you guys have to know everything!

Pretty much no one could just step into the shoes of another without a learning curve, nor could we live without any of them.

Yep, went to another level of nursing. Nothing wrong with that, as there is nothing wrong with wanting to practice in all scopes of nursing before assuming they are all on the same levels of practice. Until one does…who's to know.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

After working for a while on the LTAC/subacute wing of my facility, I ran without looking back to the LTC wing. 15 very sick patients a shift including IV ABX, hot-mess-ostomy situations, TPN, wound-vacs, etc. If that's what being a "real nurse" is all about, I'll just keep on pretending with my confused little old ladies.

[jena5111, ASN, RN]

In school, we have learned that care continues to shift away from inpatient and more toward the outpatient setting due to shorter hospital stays, higher overall acuity, and lower costs.