Do you ever miss bedside?

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Hi Everyone, I'm thinking of making a change from bedside/oncology med surg, to being a nurse for the county office of education (special Ed). It would be more of a management role and not a traditional school nurse. I'd be working five days a week...i currently do three 12's. My questions are:

1. Do you ever miss bedside?

2. How do you like working five days vs 3 12's

3. Any tips for me? Would love any feedback from those working in a similar position. I'm interviewing next week.

i'm super interested in the position and have wanted to make a change from bedside. I'm a little nervous...thinking if I accepted the position and for some reason don't end up liking it, that it may be hard to get back into a bedside position. Advice? Thank you!

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Specializes in Med-surg, school nursing..

Nope, nope, nope. I work PRN at the hospital I was at full-time for extra money. Not gonna lie, I absolutely dread the required one 12 hour shift/month. I love my job, my hours, my students, my co-workers, the autonomy.

I prefer the five days a week, mainly because I have kids. Working the 12's meant I wouldn't get home until they were already in bed, and if by some chance they were still awake, I didn't want to touch them with my MRSA, CDIFF, gross clothes. So now I get home before they do and I am there for homework and supper and baths and bedtime. Not to mention being off weekends, holidays, breaks...

I'm a nurse the the school, so I can't really speak to the type of position you will be in, sorry!

I also don't think it would be hard to get back into a bedside position, but I guess that depends on your location.

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
11 hours ago, JLA said:

Hi Everyone, I'm thinking of making a change from bedside/oncology med surg, to being a nurse for the county office of education (special Ed). It would be more of a management role and not a traditional school nurse. I'd be working five days a week...i currently do three 12's. My questions are:

1. Do you ever miss bedside? Never, ever, ever. But I do some camp nursing in the summer to remind myself of that - we have intps who are sick and a crap-ton of meds to give in the AM. And at bedtime. Just like in a hospital....

2. How do you like working five days vs 3 12's Most of my days aren't fully eight hours (we have a 37.5 full time work week for 187 contract days). 12s beat me up, especially the night shift, especially the changeover to the next AM. I always thought I'd get more done on my two days off but I never did.

3. Any tips for me? Would love any feedback from those working in a similar position. I'm interviewing next week. You will be dealing with parents who have (for whatever reason) been put in the position that the school is adversarial to their child (whether this is real or not). SPED is beautiful and challenging and frustrating all at the same time. And most often it's not the kids, it is the parents.... You'll need to walk softly, learn the legal rules, and never make promises. Also know that parents will take a mile when given an inch (and I was one of those parents so I own it very much). So if a parent is asking for something not on the plan or not in the orders - politely say that it may be able to be provided if the orders reflect the need. On the flip side you'll get to do the best kind of advocacy and you will make a difference often, if not daily.

i'm super interested in the position and have wanted to make a change from bedside. I'm a little nervous...thinking if I accepted the position and for some reason don't end up liking it, that it may be hard to get back into a bedside position. Advice? Thank you! I think within the first year or two you'd have no problem transitioning backward to inpt. Best of luck!

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I do love my school nurse position - can't beat the hours and time off; at this point in my life I am comfortable and will be here till I retire ? I am fortunate to work for a great district that pays us nurses on the teachers pay scale - I feel it is decent money for what I do and for my scheduled contract days (I think 187 days out of the year, I cant remember off the top of my head).

What I miss about bedside nursing is the skills part, learning new things, just having something different everyday. I come from acute pedi med-surg - so we had just alittle bit of everything all the time. Not complaining but I will be honest - there are some boring days as a school nurse where I just hand out ice packs and bandaids all day. Though it sounds like your role may be different???

I like the school hours of 5 days a week - my work day ends at 3:30p - I have time for appointments, taking care of personal business etc if needed.

Good Luck with your interview.

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I switched to school nursing from a hospital based outpatient oncology position when my youngest went to kindergarten.

I think it's all a matter of opinion and also it matters where you work and what your responsibilities are. I'll be the unpopular opinion here and say yes, I miss it. Every. Single. Day.

I miss using my skills, I miss starting the difficult IVs, central lines, being able to talk to the doctor without having to get consent. I miss having other nurses around me. I miss only working 3 days a week. I miss not having to pay $1500 a month for insurance.

BUT, I don't miss the schedule (weekends) or the drive (45 min compared to 15). I don't miss having to fight with coworkers who didn't have kids who had no one home to watch them when they were off of school, but just wanted that extra time off around the holidays.

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Specializes in ICU, ER, Home Health, Corrections, School Nurse.

You couldn't pay me triple my salary to go back to bedside. But even if things don't work out, going back to bedside isn't the only option out there. So go for it and good luck!

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Thank you everyone for the feedback!! ?

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DO NOT miss bedside nursing at all. I would not go back for a million dollars.

What I do miss though is being surrounded by medical professionals. Peeps that understand mild vomiting from a viral illness is not a medical emergency.

Educators are a tough group who have no idea what a school nurse's day looks like and think you are their personal PCP.

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.

My paid position is full time in a very critical IMC, as in only vented patients or vasopressors are in the CCU, we get everything else. I hate bedside, I have done it for 32 years, I'm done. I love the patients, but the management of hospitals is worse than I have ever seen. It is downright hostile. Should I win the lottery, I would do this volunteer, unfortunately this small school could never offer me even half what I make. Time to look at one of those positions every new nurse thinks they are entitled to after a year on the floors.

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Specializes in Case management, previously critical care.

I have done acute case management for nearly a decade now. I absolutely don't miss 12's or noc shift, but I occasionally need to take a few hours off for appointments because many businesses have the same work hours that I do. I have accepted the fact that I will always miss some aspects of bedside (I worked critical care) however, when I see how nurses are treated even worse now than when I started out 25 years ago, my work injury turned out to be a hidden blessing. Go for it; don't let fear of change make the decision for you.

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Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.
On 11/11/2019 at 10:04 PM, JLA said:

1. Do you ever miss bedside?

NOPE! I would only go back if my family is on the brink of homelessness and starvation.

2. How do you like working five days vs 3 12's

Love it! I'm in a K-3 building, so my days are relatively short. I'm done shortly after 2pm

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Don't miss bedside at all but full disclosure I never liked bedside. The rushing around, the snippy staff, the family unfriendly hours... I left ASAP for homecare and sometimes I do miss that. I liked the relationships that were formed helping someone during those tenuous first weeks home after major diagnosis. But I don't miss the weekends, the holidays, the paperwork, and the general unpredictability.

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