Do you ever miss the hospital?

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Every now and then I start to miss it ... the acuity, being surrounded by incredible nurses all the time, the bonds coworkers form after mutually surviving the worst 12 hours of our lives, that look a patient has as they thank you for everything you've done today that reminds you why you ever went into nursing in the first place, and yes, even (some of) the physicians.

Then my SO is quick to remind me how much I cried after my shifts, and sometimes even before and during.

And I think about how I've been yelled at only once since I started school nursing this year (and "yelled at" is probably an overstatement---more like very very strongly disagreed with.) How my principal is so awesome and doesn't micromanage me like nurse managers tend to do. How I never have to say no to a weekend/holiday get together. How I can say "Yes, I am available every Thursday night at 7 to do xyz." How I can go out for dinner with friends on a "work night" and still get a reasonable amount of sleep. The excitement from a student who finally gets to go outside for recess because I've worked with him and his parents to get his asthma under control. All the waves, grins, and "Hi, nurse!" as I walk down a hallway.

I suspect I'll always miss some things about the hospital. But I know for a fact if I ever go back for some reason, I will miss MANY things about school nursing.

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Specializes in Acute Care, CM, School Nursing.

Yes, I do. I'll actually get the urge to place an IV, or hang blood, etc. Very, very odd, I know! LOL I also miss the pay... ;)

Then, I'll remember the stress, the crying, the exhaustion, and the sore feet. I quickly come to my senses! It's such a shame, how awful working on the floor is nowadays. Because I really do miss it sometimes.

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Specializes in Community Health/School Nursing.

Crying must be a common factor. I think the last 2 months I worked the hospital floor I found myself outside in the parking garage crying...wishing I would come down with an intestinal super bug that would keep me home for at least a month. I don't miss the hospital at all. I love my job. Although, you guys are right about the pay.....I do miss the pay but in reality.....we are not paid enough to give up our lives, sanity, family, and health. If I ever do start to miss the hospitals then I can always come on here and read over some of the threads in the general nursing discussions and remind myself as to why I left. :-) It just wasn't for me. I guess I'm just a cry baby. :dummy::woot:

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Specializes in Telemetry, Gastroenterology, School Nrs.

LOL... I cried too! I always dreaded going in and I couldn't wait for my long stretches off. I really did not like working at the hospital at all, so I can honestly say i don't miss it a bit! I do miss working in the GI office, which is where I worked prior to becoming a school nurse.

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No one little bit do I miss hospital nursing!! Okay so maybe I miss started a line or giving injections but the long hours, missed holidays with family, weekend shifts, nope don't miss it.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

Nope. Not once :)

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

If I had to go back to the hospital I'd quit nursing and go to truck driving school; they're making pretty good money now driving for the oil industry. The only thing I miss about the hospital is the paycheck.

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Specializes in family practice and school nursing.

I've been out of the hospital for so long I wouldn't know where to start. Sometimes when I am visiting a family member or friend who's inpatient I get a little nostalgic but then remember why I left the hospital in the first place. Although more money would be nice!

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Specializes in Medical Surgical Telemetry.

lol - I thought about this today as I did my "med pass"....I had to give out my 5 daily meds and it takes me about 20 seconds total to complete it. There is one student who I have to crush her pill and mix it in pudding - sometimes I get annoyed about the "extra" work it takes to give her her medication - then I snap out of it and remember the hours long med passes x 5 patients x 3 to 6 passes per 12 hour shift.....nope, I don't miss anything about hospital nursing.

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Sometimes I say I miss the ER ... .but then recently I re-read some journal entries of mine about ER shifts and realized that I truly would not want to go back.

I'm very glad not to be working in the hospital. But I have to say that I do not want to continue with school nursing. I think my heart is in hospice, which I still do part-time.

I've decided not to go back to school to get my school nurse credential. I'll stay the 5 years but then that's it. I love the kids but the bureaucracy drives me crazy.

I haven't cried yet. But still, not my favorite job. Funny . . . . there is a new thread about burnout on this forum.

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I always miss the hospital when I leave!! There are just parts of it I really enjoy-talking to patients and their families (when there was time which was rare), working with other nurses as a team and having the support and understanding (unlike a school where no one understands what the nurse deals with), the pay, knowing at the end of the shift I didn't have more work waiting for me the next day when I got there, the variety of areas you can try, getting to use all my skills with shots, IV's dressing changes, etc, being able to help a patient that complained (unlike in a school-you have a headache? Sorry I can't really do anything about it other than call your parent.)

The reasons I will never go back-drug seekers, pressure from management to do more with less staff, all the charting, 12 hrs on your feet non-stop (getting too old for that and my back/knees can't handle it anymore), the stress of keeping that many patients alive at once and feeling like a bad nurse because I can't do all that I should be able to for my patients, those dr's that like to look down on you, mean families that act like their family member is at a 4 star hotel, working holidays, the politics, etc. Did I mention drug seekers and having to kiss their butts for a good patient satisfaction survey?? lol

School nursing is much less stressful and I really enjoy working with kids. I also love getting the time off we get with this job. It's a much harder job than people realize and I do get mad when people/staff/kids ask me if I ever worked as a "real nurse" or actually laugh and say well you've got it made when I tell them what I do! If I got a "real" paycheck and had real respect I'd feel more like I "had it made!". We're at the low end of the totem pole in the school world for some reason. Maybe because it's such an "easy" job any monkey could do it!! That is until someone has lice, puking, or some weird rash and then we become very important for about 5 min. If we don't say what they want to hear then look out, our status is back to a monkey's butt. I take it all with a grain of salt. They can't help what they don't know. The amount of griping/complaining I get from management/parents/teachers is NOTHING compared to the hospital so I can take it. Every job has it's ups and downs-you just have to find the one that you can live with and hopefully enjoy in the process!

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Specializes in Pediatrics, GI, Homecare, PDN.

I don't miss it at all. Why make $30 an hour to take care of 6 patients when I can make the same amount taking care of 1 (in home care) and STILL be able to go to the bathroom when I want, take a lunch break and check my Facebook lol.

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