Do you miss bedside nursing?

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For those of you who took the plunge and moved away from bedside nursing, do you miss being at bedside? What are you doing now?

I manage a team of case managers. I honestly think at my age I couldn't physically do it anymore, on my feet for 12-13 hours, lifting heavy patients, that on average are now about 100lb heavier than when I left the bedside. I don't miss walking into patient rooms to family members glaring at me, when this was the first time we'd laid eyes on each other, and already they're ready to get angry about something, anything, you know those people. They like to mention the word "lawyer" a lot when you're in the room, and you can tell from looking at them they don't have a pot to pee in, much less an attorney on retainer. I don't miss the smell of poop, nor do I miss cleaning it up. I certainly don't miss working weekends and holidays.

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Not even a little. Ever. None of it. Especially not the gossipy twits who live to talk behind their colleagues backs about things that are totally none of their business.

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.

I don't miss working in the hospital. At all.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I miss taking care of people, but I found ways to do that beyond the bedside. I do NOT miss the office politics, the hard physical labor, the constantly changing priorities, the weariness, or working weekends and holidays. I especially don't miss the wacky families---they were the biggest PITA I had to deal with in long-term care (they didn't bug me as much when I worked in the hospital, mainly because the patients went home in a few days).

My favorite jobs were in assisted living, where I got to do assessments and oversee the care of the residents while avoiding the more unpleasant tasks most of the time.

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Interesting thread.

I was just in Rite Aide talking to a CNA I worked with when I first became a nurse 21 years ago. We talked a long time about how much nursing has changed in the last 20 years. She is still working where I started out, in acute. There is not the same cohesive unit anymore; no older nurses who trained in the 60's and 70's and taught us all very well about how to take good care of patients. And paper charting!! Beloved paper charting!:inlove: We both hate computer charting with a purple passion. We both talked about how much we dislike having a computer between the provider and the patients. We both talked about how many doctors and nurses are leaving bedside and clinic nursing due to electronic medical records.

I work hospice now. Most of our patients are in home with just a few, at times in LTC.

I miss the "olden days" 20 years ago. I would never in a million years work bedside now.

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Specializes in Dialysis.

I will never work hospital again. Too much crap, I will stay in my clinic and visit with the patients

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Specializes in Flight Nursing/Critical Care/Education.

I have worked from ICU bedside to Lifeflight and don't miss the bedside at all. Do I miss the people I worked with? Of course! Now I teach the next generation and LOVE what I do! Had I only taken this route years ago...

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I gave my all to patients for 30 years. Nursing got sooo much harder over the years. I was worked like a mule and was actually limping home.

I got into working from home for an insurance company.

I cannot see a single thing to miss.

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Specializes in ER.

I'm there with been there done that. I do UR for hospital system but work at home. Anytime it gets even slightly stressful, I remind myself of the crap working at bedside. Honestly, this is the easiest money I've ever made. I work in pjs for crying out loud. I'm more surprised the cm/ur firld is not super saturated.

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Specializes in Dialysis.
I'm there with been there done that. I do UR for hospital system but work at home. Anytime it gets even slightly stressful, I remind myself of the crap working at bedside. Honestly, this is the easiest money I've ever made. I work in pjs for crying out loud. I'm more surprised the cm/ur firld is not super saturated.

Because there are only so many jobs available. None in my area. I have tried repeatedly with multiple companies. I'm envious, but in a good way ;)

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Specializes in ER.
Because there are only so many jobs available. None in my area. I have tried repeatedly with multiple companies. I'm envious, but in a good way ;)

You will get it!!! I probably applied close to 100 openings over the span of year or two nonstop before crossing over. It's game of timing and luck

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