Bedside to telephonic nursing

Nurses Career Support

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Hi everyone,

I recently got offered a telephonic nursing position (case management). I've been doing bedside for the past few years, mainly in med surg.

Does anyone have any experience transitioning from bedside to telephonic nursing? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

I have been interested in a job like this?! I would love to

learn more. What company are you working with?

I actually been doing both , it's not too bad it beats working in the hospital, I say give it a try.

A friend of mine left bedside nursing to do telephonic nursing and she loves it....I say go for it!

I transitioned from LTC/Rehab about a year ago. Love my triage job. Requires an imagination, good communication skills and the ability to manage the computer while doing assessments.

Thanks everyone. Actually I already accepted the position, but was wondering how the transition would go from bedside to telephonic nursing go? It's just so different: not being in a hospital setting but a corporate or even home setting and not being able to see your patients. I think the hardest part for me would be losing that "control" of the patient assessment, or ability to feel, see and--dare I say it?-- smell the patient! Lol.

I moved into Telephone Nursing by accident seven years ago. WOW!!! I love it! Like you I was not sure what to expect. I quickly learned how much visual assessment of a patient plays a role because on the phone there is no visual.

I turned that around by visualizing what I would expect to see or not want to see. SOB, Are you lips or finger tips blue tinged? etc.

When I first started my unit was small and we had a book that we referenced for our triage questions. Later my hospital purchased a triage program. There is alot I like and a little I dislike with the software. It is a very good tool. I perform a lot of education in my job from medication to disease progression and diet/exercise.

I also work PRN at the floor still, ER, Tele, Oncology, etc. It has help me alot in keeping up with medications, changes in procedure preps and changes in patient care. But, the other nurses I work with, 13 in all, do not and they do just fine.

Remember you are still working as a nurse. You will have good and bad experiences, always rely on the basics. When I first started I found myself seconding guessing if I had told the patient the right thing or if I had missed something. I also worked alone at night for awhile too after first starting and learned to rely on my drug book and a couple of nursing books I had. You will grow into the job and like any type of nursing you will have a period of transition and learning. Enjoy the process and GOOD LUCK at your new job, I hope you love it as much as I love mine!

Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Don't be surprised if your 'honeymoon' period doesn't last long. Even though the hours (and maybe even the salary) is much better, many nurses who switch from bedside to jobs with very little actual patient contact a sense of loss. Many of us don't realize that we get our positive feedback and gratification from patient contact.... this is what makes the job 'meaningful'. When this is no longer available, it can trigger a 'grief' process, just like other significant losses. I have seen this frequently over the years.

So - if it happens to you, don't worry. As you become more accustomed to your new job, you'll re-group and adjust to new sources of satisfaction and meaning. It just helps to be aware of this phenomena and realize what is happening so that you can better cope with this unexpected 'downside' of your job change.

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