Is bedside nursing still a lifelong career option?

[NicStrRN]

In an environment of increasing pressure to pursue BSN degrees, many forums and threads seem to include comments regarding the increased aspirations of younger nurses entering the field. There seems to be a perception that bedside nursing is being used as a "stepping stool" to management or leadership, or advanced practice nursing. In some of the comments, there is a sense of condemnation and wonder about why this change seems to be occurring, with many nurses somewhat put off by a perception that younger nurses don't value the bedside anymore. Just a pondering, but could it also be that an increase in pursuit of degrees above an ADN is also relative to a perception that bedside work is not realistic as a lifetime career choice? When considering the vast changes in nursing care, is it possible that increasing acuities, comorbidities, larger body habitus of the population, and increased violence against health care workers contribute to a conclusion that the physical ability to perform the work will be limited over time? When I personally consider how many coworkers have been injured moving patients, or as a result of patient violence/behaviors, it seems fairly reasonable to believe that sustaining a career at the bedside for 30 years in today's environment may be very difficult. That's not to say it was ever easy, but certainly things have, and will continue to change.

[Elfriede]

It´s a ..... question of pay. I lose my best nurses from bedside to desk jobs. ..... time to revalue bedside work.

[Rags2Riches RN]

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at) it isn't. Nursing is saddled with increasing patient acuity and decreasing resources, schedule inflexibility, documentation is increasing (it seems as if every other week my nurse managers are rolling out a new paper to fill out to track if xyz is being done...so much for going green), and of course nursing is the dumping ground for all that is wrong. Housekeeping hasn't been around to clean patient rooms, blame the nurse. The patient's TV remote isn't working, blame the nurse. The physician won't make changes to the pain regimen, blame the nurse. Patient satisfaction is below benchmarks, blame nursing. Dietary delivers trays late, blame the nurse. Patient not compliant with treatment plan, blame nursing. The list goes on and on.

With that being said, I don't see an issue with nurses wanting to advance their career beyond the bedside. If current bedside conditions persist it makes sense to seek out other avenues.

[umbdude, MSN, APRN]

I don't think it has anything to do with ADN vs BSN. If you want to work in a large hospital, you'll need a BSN these days as a bedside nurse even if you want to stay in bedside forever.

You can be a life-long bedside nurse if you want. Nobody is going to stop you.

For me, staying in bedside is not an option. It's too physically demanding and got repetitive quickly. Also, I hate shift hours and working weekends.

[LauraJP]

I am older, a bedside nurse for decades. From my experience it's the management and corporatization of hospitals discouraging bedside nursing. Long ago I loved my career at the bedside. Then so many hospitals were bought out by larger corporations and it all became about the money. Cut staffing, load more work on the bedside nurses to make more profit. And the need to outdo other hospitals, achieve magnet status, have higher educated nurses, be better than surrounding hospitals to bring in more patients. Hospitals began only hiring higher educated nuses, the higher the degree, the more certifications, the better. Years of experience took a back seat to higher education. Bedside nursing in most hospitals has become exhausting and has lost it's luster as a career goal.

[No Stars In My Eyes]

LauraJP said:

I am older, a bedside nurse for decades. From my experience it's the management and corporatization of hospitals discouraging bedside nursing. Long ago I loved my career at the bedside. Then so many hospitals were bought out by larger corporations and it all became about the money. Cut staffing, load more work on the bedside nurses to make more profit. And the need to outdo other hospitals, achieve magnet status, have higher educated nurses, be better than surrounding hospitals to bring in more patients. Hospitals began only hiring higher educated nuses, the higher the degree, the more certifications, the better. Years of experience took a back seat to higher education. Bedside nursing in most hospitals has become exhausting and has lost it's luster as a career goal.

I second all that you've said. Too bad 'The Powers That Be" only have dollar-bills in their eyes. They are so happy to come up with more and more ideas to boost their "Business". But the patients and nurses are the ones to suffer. It's a sin!

[RK694]

I'm curious, why do you love it?

[RK694]

Um, you forgot to mention:

1) Bedside nurses are treated like paid slaves by management, some families, some patients, some physicians.

2) The pay is bad relative to the physical labor and responsibility

3) Bedside nurses are not valued and that is reflected by the fact that their input is ignored by management and administrators; they work absurdly long hours, often with no time to eat or even go to the bathroom; treat each other with contempt, hostility and cruelty, etc.

4) The State Boards treat nurses like criminals assuming guilt at the start of an investigation, as well as forcing nurses to hire expensive attorneys to defend themselves.

[RK694]

"Sucking out all the wisdom?"

[RK694]

"Good" money? Surely, you're kidding?

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Having a hard time getting past "stepping stool" :) We step in a lot of it along the way. I think the ability to survive 30 years at the bedside is individual. I managed to do it.... it was brutal.