Have you ever been looked down on because you don’t work in the hospital?

[happyhippo]

For those working in outpatient primary care offices, have you ever being looked down because you don’t work in the hospital? 

Background: I have been a nurse in a level 1 trauma center stroke/neuro unit for almost 2 years now. I never knew what it was like working as a nurse before the pandemic but I can tell you that I am burnt out.

I love being a nurse but...

I feel more and more burnt out and underappreciated every day.

I question about being a nurse more often than I should. 

I dread going to work everyday.

I feel extreme anxiety before work and it interferes with my sleep, my mood, and just my overall wellbeing.

I get cranky with my family.

I tried to work on my hobbies outside of work like painting and etc but none really helped with my anxiety.

I just feel extremely trapped. It took me a while to finally decide to leave the hospital and move to outpatient.

I got hired as an outpatient primary care nurse but the office is a mix of concussion clinic and acute care walk-in. After I got hired, I feel like I dropped a big weight from my shoulder. I could finally think positive about my future and my nursing career. I really believe that moving away from the hospital helps tremendously with my mental health.

When I broke the news to my coworkers, some of them seemed to talk down on nurses who work in outpatient clinics, especially those with years and years of experience. For example, they would say something like "you're going to get so bored", "what do you even do there? Just vitals?", "you're not going to learn much."

I also have plan to go back to school part time to become an FNP. And my coworkers said, "you're going to make clinical decisions, the hospital is better environment to learn." They gave me the look like I’m weak and I will not be a good NP. 

All these comments about being an outpatient primary care nurse kinda made me feel like I'm not enough to become an FNP and I won’t be a good one because I don’t have enough hospital experience. Do you ever experience the something similar? 

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

If I could wave a wand and get rid of any aspect of nursing it would be this silly notion that there's some nursing hierarchy and only nurses in the hospital are "worthy" of their title of nurse. Nurses in EVERY care environment are caring for patients that need them, and they're ALL important. No one else can make you feel something about yourself, you know yourself and you have to know your worth. If other people want to make you feel bad for where you work that says more about them than it does about you. I've worked in long-term care, med-surg and ICU. Was I any more or less of a nurse in any of those places? No. I was working hard for the patients that needed me. 

As far as your plan to become a FNP, the decisions you are making in the hospital environment are not going to translate into primary care for the most part. I don't think you will be at any disadvantage in primary care with your work experiences, good luck!

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

Many clinics are staffed by FNPs. I would think that working in a clinic would help you as you see the care situations that FNPs deal with on a regular basis. Especially if you work on professional development while you're there and not just "go through the motions."

[SandIsMyGlitterRN, BSN, RN]

I have worked in many different areas and I have to say that I learned more in a primary care clinic than anywhere else.  The doctors have time to "teach" as we go through the day. I had a lot of knowledge so I worked in triage often and it really helped me hone in my skills.  I may not have been putting in IVs and running codes but I certainly did many labs and caths.  If your plan is FNP, work with FNPs and learn what they do.  Best place to be!

[AdobeRN]

I am a school nurse - maybe not looked down upon but many have the impression that school nurses do nothing but give out bandaids and ice packs.  I have run across so many people that don't realize that there are ALL types of kiddos with many different physical and/or mental abilities that attend school that need medical care during the day. 

[John2018]

I previously worked as a company nurse and yes, I do get the "being looked down on" a lot...most of them are family members. 

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

Some of my co-workers, public health nurses, look down on my hospital experience. They seem to think all I did was clean up feces. 

The grass is always greener...

Best of luck with your next degree. I've not worked in a clinic, but what the previous posters say seems to make sense. 

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

If I have I didn't know about it. 

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

I've done acute care (hospital), LTC, home health, hospice, and dialysis. LTC and dialysis are my faves. Yes, other nurses and family members have made snide, snotty comments. I don't let it bother me, their opinions don't matter. If every nurse worked in the hospital who would take care of everyone else?

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

I am sure people thought I was less of a nurse when I left the ER to be a trauma educator, then left trauma for infection prevention, then left IP for a work-at-home position. Then the pandemic hit and suddenly everyone wants to work from home, go figure. But I gave up caring what people thought of me when I was a teenager, so I'm good. I love my job! 

[RNperdiem, RN]

In my academic medical center, some of the new grads I met there told me that the clinical instructors in their program looked down on hospital bedside nurses. Their attitude seemed to be that bedside nursing was a low-status position, and that as a nurse, they need to use hospital nursing as a stepping stone to something else and advance their education. 

[RNperdiem, RN]

Also in nursing, you are looked down on depending on the patient population you work with. If you are working with the poor, marginalized, disabled, elderly or mentally ill people, sometimes people will see your work as less valuable.