Please define "bedside" Nursing.

Nurses General Nursing

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What is your definition of bedside nursing?

Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Bedside nursing IS direct patient care. Non-bedside is administration, research, and teaching, and probably others I've overlooked(although all go to the bedside sometimes).

Most of what you say is right, bedside nurses work in direct pt care in hospitals or long term care. We do assessments, personal care such as bathing and toileting, give oral and IV meds, take vital signs. That is just a snippet of our day. The reason so many leave the bedside is the stress: heavy work load accompanied by poor staffing ratios and an abundance of people who don't have to do out job telling us how to do our job. Adminstrators, JACHO , insurance auditors, etc. The documentation has become ridiculous and while I understand the reasoning, it takes away from that "bedside" time. I have never worked ER so I don't know if the nurses help remove pts from ambulances...be careful if you are picturing nursing as something you have seen on TV or in movies!

Specializes in Telemetry, ICU, Resource Pool, Dialysis.

I'd add in office/clinic nursing, possibly dialysis, school nursing, home health, case management... Most nursing jobs do involve "direct" patient care, in other words, "having contact with patients." But"bedside nursing" really refers to hospital/staff nursing, LTC, nursing home type of jobs.

As for new grads? Dialysis sometimes hires new grads, home health sometimes, too. Although I would recommend getting some "bedside" experience in your pocket. It's not always pleasant, but it does offer tons of learning experiences in procedures, disease process, time management and people skills. These will serve you well and broaden your horizons in the future.

Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

Bedside nursing is at the bedside. Direct patient care. Like the previous poster said, don't expect nursing to be like what you see on T.V. I think you should shadow a nurse for a couple of days, find out what we really do at bedside.

I wanted to add that despite the negatives I cited, I still love bedside nursing. I have tried other positions and always regret leaving the bedside! If only my old feet and legs can hang on, that is where I plan to stay!

Oh no, I don't expect Nursing to be easy...and I'm not naive enough to expect it to be like what I have seen on TV or in the movies. Haha..don't I wish? ;)

I pretty much expect to be miserably stressed out and on the verge of a nervous breakdown the first few years of nursing. After suffering it out a few years, I expect to become more comfortable and knowledgeable. However, I still assume the instense stress will still be present...along with "lovely" coworkers who make it that much better ;).

Bedside nursing has changed considerably over the past 30 years. Staffing and paperwork (computerized now) has made it even tougher. Acuity has geometrically increased while the skill level of the nursing staff and support staff has dropped dramatically. Attitudes have suffered due to the pressure to "do it all" with deliberately planned understaffing (quit calling it short staff, that applies it was accidental) so you can never deliver superior nursing care.

Bedside nursing has become the position to avoid because you stay in a constant state of depression because you have been set up to fail. That is why you read the negative stories.

Thanks to all who have replied:redpinkhe

I am only a pre-nursing student, but reading all that you go through is helping me to start making plans (even if only in my mind) for what I want out of nursing. I have the utmost respect for all of you:nurse: :bow:

Keep it up, the world would be a horrible place without all of you.

Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.

To me bedside nursing is more hospital/LTC based nursing.

I too thought I would work at the bedside. I worked in a hospital for a year and a half before becoming and RN (I work as a CNA and then as a nurse tech) so I did a lot of bedside work.....then I became an RN and I just hated every second of it. I could no longer stand to be in the hospital, at the bedside. So I left and am HAPPY! There is so much more to being a nurse and you just don't know how it is until you are THE RN yourself. You can't prepare for it and you DO NOT know how you will react to it until your the RN.

I really don't know how any nurse can stay at the bedside for long with the way things are.

It's sad to think that they set nurses up for failure...or other hospital staff in general. It makes me ask myself: Why do I want to be a nurse?

And honestly, the ONLY answer I can come up with is: I want to help people on an intense level.

I know a lot of people who make more than nurses...but I just don't view their jobs as admirable..no offense. I have always wanted to do something that I felt was worthy..and Nursing seems to be it.

Specializes in CMSRN.

I have been out of nursing school for 2 years and love being a bedside nurse on a medsurg. Our staffing is not great but much better than most I hear. The silly "busy" work frustrates me but taking care of the pts I enjoy immensely.

There are people out there who enjoy it. It is just a matter of going for it and finding what you want. You may absolutely hate it or love it while at the same time pulling your hair out. (Too intense of a job to be neutral though).

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