non-clinical nursing?

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm a (relatively) new grad BSN/RN and am looking for work. The catch is that I don't want to work in a clinical setting. Why not? I've worked at two different inpatient facilities in the last year. I just couldn't handle the pace and patient load (couldn't do competent care AND complete necessary tasks in a timely manner). I was giving it my all and wasn't ready to give up, but in the end my supervisors made the decision for me to leave. Now that I look back at it, even if I'd had more time added to my orientations, I can't imagine ever really feeling comfortable with that pace.

I looked into a third place that was much more manageable in terms of patient load and responsibilties (a unique facility), but I'd have been the only RN supervising LVNs and CNAs. I'm not comfortable being the only RN there to deal with emergencies. I could keep trying to find a "good fit" but am afraid of failing again and changing jobs too often. I'm very reluctant to try another clinical job.

I really enjoy working people, problem-solving, and learning new things. I like getting things done. I've always been interested in health care and public service. I did very well in school. Public health, epidemiology, and research were some of my favorite courses. I can't say I loved clinicals, but I did fine. However, it's nothing in comparison to having the multitude of responsibilties and distractions flying at you that the average nurse deals with non-stop.

People always say nurses have so many options. Our instructors were very insistent that nurses don't have to work bedside. Nonetheless, most non-clinical "nurse" jobs require a strong clinical background. Nurse educator ads require years of related experience. Public health and research are areas that I'm interested in as well, but the job market is tight and I can't afford to be out of work for six months to a year trying to find work in those areas. I don't want to "waste" my education, but I'm tempted to just take any stable job at this point. Any advice?

I agree with one of the earlier posters that you should try a hospital with a new grad residency program. These programs give you a great orientation and really nurture you for up to a year. It does sound like you had a crappy orientation. Good luck.

I agree with TeleNurse, there is a huge gap between school and actual workplace, between the ideal and reality, between theory and fact. My first job was a staff RN on a busy 64 bed telemetry unit, very bluntly, it was hell. I learned very quickly the value of time management and organizational skills. Without this, all of the knowledge in the world is useless on a busy floor. I think just plain ole experience makes it easier to do the job. You learn things that make you move faster, become more comfortable, I even got to where I thrived on being too busy to keep up with things. You also get more confident in your skills, take assessment for example, an experienced RN can walk in a patient's room and just from looking at the patient and talking to them they can tell if something is wrong. Perhaps the science of nursing is the knowledge base and the art is how to use it effectively in the real world. Most nursing jobs want you to have some clinical experience, it just says that you can do the job. You may have to find a hospital that has a good orientation or residency program and "bite the bullet" for a year just to get the experience on your resume then move on to something that is not so clinically focused. Good luck!!!

If you enjoy problem and solving and research, you may enjoy medical legal nursing. After 30+ years of nursing, I am currently employed as a Nurse Paralegal in a large defense firm. My nursing experience and knowledge is well respected and sought after not just in med-mal, but in many other areas of law as well. Our broad education and attention to detail make nurses excellent candidates for many employement oppotunities outside the traditional clinical roles

Specializes in PACU.

I am not a new nurse or even a nursing student yet, but if you have read any of my post it seems to me that you struggle with the same things i struggle with. you have to reall ask yourself if you want to do bedside nursing or things closely related to it, if you do i see many ads in papers and things for new grads. like months of orientation. if you dont want to do bedside it's like a million other things you can do with your license. don;t give up and dont be afraid to take that time to learn new things. You will find something perfect for you, you just have to work hard and be persistent. good luck to you!

I can relate to much of what you are saying. When doing clinicals, I absolutely hated passing meds at the nursing home. It was run, run, run with little human interaction. It's not my cup of tea. I spent a day with a nurse that did homehealth and I loved it. We would go from home to home, interact with the client and have time to think about the client's subjective info. A dementia assisted living home was another great place where you could have a relationship with the resident. I think you are correct in trying to find employment utilizing your strengths. Not everyone needs to be or is cut out for say the ER. Just look at your past experiences as steps toward the employment you will eventually find and enjoy. Good luck.

I agree that clinical nursing is very important in gaining the skills and experience that will be needed in some administrative positions. When you are ready to find something in non-clinical nursing, think outside the box. There are all kinds of positions. I happen to be an auditor but because I am auditing clinical charting and medical necessity it was imperitive that I have that clinical experience. The same with insurance verification, case management, utilization review, and many others. I think to be successful in a non-clinical position you really should have clinical experience because you will draw from it.

I work at a rehab hospital. It's not as hectic as the hospital where I externed as a student. The pts are lower acuity and usually pretty stable (of course, things can change in an instant). They stay for an average of 15 days, so you get to know them better. I also don't get new orders all day long (some days I don't get any). My pt load is usually about 8, but sometimes as high as 11 if we're short.

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