Do you miss bedside Nursing?

[MaleNurseYH]

Hi everyone,

I've been working at a local hospital for about 4 years. I started as a Full Time Med-Surg Float Nurse floating to various floors within the hospital for 3 years then moved on to Emergency nursing for about a year.

So far, my transition has been smooth in Emerg and I'm enjoying the type of cases because I'm utilizing my knowledge, skill and judgement.

The only downside is that I can no longer tolerate night shifts. I feel as if I have the "shift work disorder," where I sleep in 90% of the time on my days off.

I recently got offered a position working as a Case Manager/Care Coordinator. Most working schedules are M-F and 9am - 5pm.

I am in a serious dilemma because I'm afraid that i'll miss bedside nursing going into this role, but I will no longer work night shifts.

Do you miss bedside nursing? If so, where are you working now? Would you want to go back? Do you regret your decision leaving bedside nursing

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I accepted a job as a case manager at a major insurance company nearly two months ago. Prior to that, I had been a floor nurse for nearly 10 years.

I do not miss bedside nursing one bit. I actually would not be bothered if I never performed another procedural skill or touched another patient for the rest of my career. Although the truth may hurt some people, this is my reality...

If you're the type of nurse who thrives off patient interaction, stay at the bedside. However, if you can do without the patients and their families, give the case management position a try.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I left the bedside for a job in the admission-transfer center of our hospital..a minor management position. I'd been bedside nursing about 17 years or so at that time and felt I was ready for the change.

I immediately hated it and to my dismay found I missed the bedside and the patient interaction. I had to do it for six months and was able to transfer out to my current position.

I probably wouldn't have known that about myself had I not done it. So you'll probably never know until you try it. Another thing to consider would be your age and how much longer you have to work. I still have 16 years to go and can't imagine being away from the bedside just yet.

I understand the night shift thing. I did night shift for 13 years and my days off were a series of naps and I'm much more happier on days.

[Farawyn]

I miss bedside. I've been out of the hospital for 2 years now, and off the floors for 4.

I like SN, I like HH. I like being charge.

I don't like management, like scheduling and staff meetings and stuff.

[Slhengy]

I miss teaching patients but I don't miss bedside nursing. I have been in Quality for 6 years and would like to now be in a clinic or doctors office as an NP. I hated hospital work and still do.

[dishes, BSN, RN]

Is your hospital position unionized? Can you keep your seniority by working as a casual at the hospital, while working as a case manager? If the case management position doesn't work out it will be easier to go back to bedside nursing.

[nutella, MSN, RN]

I have left traditional bedside nursing years ago though in my positions I did have patient contact. In my job now I overlap a lot with case management, I mostly talk, some teaching, a lot care coordination.

I did engage in a "bedside" activity : Boosting a patient up.

I do not miss traditional beside nursing - to be honest : I feel I was getting too old for all the shenanigans.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

I miss it a lot...

I do outpatient/community psych with case management.

I really do love my job...but acute care is where my heart is. I miss RRTs, codes, dressings, IV pushes, bed baths...I also miss night shift. But I think this is where I am supposed to be right now.

Anyway - I'd take the new job. Like Tweety said, you might not know you'll miss it until you do miss it. Or you could be like TheCommuter and never look back! You always have your experience to fall back on!

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

What .. exactly do you feel you will be missing?

[MaleNurseYH]

My hospital is unionized but unfortunately there isn't any vacancies for casuals. I spoke with my manager to try and discuss different options to stay but it seems almost impossible to even go part-time. Thank you so much for your input!

[Libby1987]

I just left it (well not traditional bedside but hands on patient care) and I was pretty nostalgic about it and do miss it. I don't miss the technical stuff (it got pretty routine) as much as the interaction and not gonna lie, being hero of the day is pretty cool.

I will have little bits of it in a staffing crunch (everyone carries a hammer where I work, and I wouldn't have it any other way) but even this short while in I have turned a corner, mostly in my brain which is now focused on different things but also in terms of energy. Patient care and mgmt type work take such different types of energy.

[MaleNurseYH]

We'll I've been only in emergency for about a year. I've been mostly in all zones except for trauma. I've had experiences with codes, cardioversion, sedations, wired pacemakers, stemi's, and non-stemi's.

But I feel like if I leave without going into trauma in the ER - ill be missing out on the ICU experience like intubations, cricothyrotomies or any other ICU type cases.