Is Bedside Nursing Really for me?

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · Jul 21, 2014

Don't ask yourself if this is what you want to do for the rest of your life. Ask yourself if this is a good fit for you at this stage in your nursing career. You're new. It's going to be stressful, it's going to be hard- no matter what area of nursing you are in.

No matter where you ultimately end up, at this stage in the game, you are still learning how to be a nurse.

I do not enjoy assisting with ADLs. However, I have gained a wealth of knowledge and wisdom from doing so. I've learned about establishing rapport, gaining trust, respecting dignity and autonomy, assessing things like skin condition, gait, neurological status, respiratory effort, and coping, among other things.

Juggling five patients of variable acuity along with all of their family members' wants and expectations has helped me to learn about being available but also setting appropriate limits, interpersonal communication, prioritization, and many other things.

I think at this stage, it's natural to feel overwhelmed and stressed out by all of the demands and expectations placed upon you. You can turn this into an opportunity to grow and develop and improve in your practice, or you can let it beat you down and sour you on bedside nursing. Nobody can tell you whether you should continue to work at the bedside, but what I can tell you is that the skills you are learning at the bedside- and I'm not talking about technical skills like how to start an IV or insert a catheter or drop an NGT- but rather, those intangible skills that I've mentioned above- will transfer into other areas of nursing should you choose to make a change. So in my opinion, take advantage of this opportunity to grow yourself as you contemplate your future in nursing.

OCRN3 · Jul 21, 2014

Being a bedside nurse is a huge foundation for nursing. You will be more valuable the more bedside nursing you have in my opinion.

laKrugRN · Jul 21, 2014

Maybe look into correctional, clinic, insurance, school, or nursing research. That has SOME bedside, but not as much as let's say a Med/Surg floor.

RunnerRN2015, ASN, RN · Jul 21, 2014

I've felt like that all through nursing school. I started to dread clinicals and was questioning why I wanted to be a nurse. This summer I was able to do a preceptorship in the ED and I was HOOKED from the minute I stepped onto the unit. I liked interacting with a variety of patients with all sorts of problems. Young, old, rich, poor, all ethnicities, major traumas to simple diagnostic tests -- I loved it all! I liked the interaction with the doctors, the medics, the security guards and police officers. I liked the fact that I admitted them, took care of them, and discharged them. I cannot imagine being anywhere else.

Are there other areas that interest you?

confessionsofaRN · Jul 21, 2014

Thank you so much for your feedback! Do not get me wrong I absolutely love my patients! I have grown so much through my one year and counting as a bedside nurse. There are moments that I question what I do, but there are moments when I love the impact I make the lives I touch. I know their are so many different areas in nursing that I want to experence, but I truly believe the foundation of nursing starts at being a bedside nurse. Yes sometimes I question being a bedside nurse, but at the end of the day I believe for now I will deal with the stress, handle the drama because at this point in time being a bedside nurse is where I am meant to be until given the oppurtunity to be somewhere else. I meant to make an impact where I am now, so for now I will continue to ask the age old question is bedside nursing for me, and through my time as a bedside nurse... find the answer.

VANurse2010 · Jul 21, 2014

Even if you don't get a traditional "bedside" job after graduation, the fact is that if you're new you're going to be dealing with patients. The best way to avoid "drama" is to keep your mouth shut as much as possible.

Guests · Jul 21, 2014

Well, it really depends on why you're a nurse.

Me... I'm in it primarily for the money and the job security... I neither love it nor hate it, I just do it because they pay me very well to do so.

I find it easy to say that I can do it for the next 20 years... and I'm 50...

Dakeirus · Jul 22, 2014

Which department do you actually work? I spent one year in med/surg as a new grad and totally hated it. It honestly drove me to want to quit nursing all together because back then, our staffing was atrocious, the patients were relatively horrible and they stressed you out. I dreaded coming every time I was scheduled to go to work.

It wasn't until I transferred to an orthopedic floor that I've come to truly enjoy what I do. I have more good days than bad days. It's intrinsically rewarding for me knowing that I've managed their pain well on their first day post-op. Also, seeing them get discharged after 2-3 days walking and taking care of themselves in contrast to their first day on the floor when they can't do anything for themselves--it's an amazing thing for me. Most of the patients appreciate your help and what you do for them. Sometimes it's just a matter of finding your niche.

Honestly, you'll be hard-pressed finding a non-bedside job without any significant clinical experience (we're talking about 5 years experience). However, with today's economy--it'll be a challenge finding one even with experience. People who I know that are in administration, research, hospital educators, etc. are in their current positions because they've worked in multiple departments not just because they have graduate degrees.

SeattleJess · Jul 22, 2014

Don't ask yourself if this is what you want to do for the rest of your life. Ask yourself if this is a good fit for you at this stage in your nursing career. You're new. It's going to be stressful, it's going to be hard- no matter what area of nursing you are in.
No matter where you ultimately end up, at this stage in the game, you are still learning how to be a nurse.
I do not enjoy assisting with ADLs. However, I have gained a wealth of knowledge and wisdom from doing so. I've learned about establishing rapport, gaining trust, respecting dignity and autonomy, assessing things like skin condition, gait, neurological status, respiratory effort, and coping, among other things.
Juggling five patients of variable acuity along with all of their family members' wants and expectations has helped me to learn about being available but also setting appropriate limits, interpersonal communication, prioritization, and many other things.
I think at this stage, it's natural to feel overwhelmed and stressed out by all of the demands and expectations placed upon you. You can turn this into an opportunity to grow and develop and improve in your practice, or you can let it beat you down and sour you on bedside nursing. Nobody can tell you whether you should continue to work at the bedside, but what I can tell you is that the skills you are learning at the bedside- and I'm not talking about technical skills like how to start an IV or insert a catheter or drop an NGT- but rather, those intangible skills that I've mentioned above- will transfer into other areas of nursing should you choose to make a change. So in my opinion, take advantage of this opportunity to grow yourself as you contemplate your future in nursing.

Oh, Stargazer, this is such an excellent viewpoint. I'm going to steal it for myself and use it to find the opportunities to learn that come wrapped in the stress.

nurse.j., ASN, BSN, MSN · Jul 22, 2014

~*Stargazer*~ this is really what I needed. I'm 7 months in of my 'first year of nursing' and was hired to work PCU but they ended up changing it to 'acuity adaptable' which is basically M/S/tele. Not what I signed up for, as I knew the first day I stepped on a M/S floor during nursing school, that is wasn't the type of nursing I wanted to do. But unfortunately every specialty or even clinic nursing requires at least 1 year of acute care nursing...so I'm riding it out. Its not taking care of the patients that I don't enjoy, its the type of nursing and also the fact that my unit is incredibly understaffed, under construction and a whole list of added stressors to being a newer nurse. I did a residency so I'm locked in my contract til February (which I can't leave without paying money back and being blacklisted from the company) so I have no options of leaving until that's up but how do you stay afloat until then? I try to have a positive attitude and lower my stresses but every day seems to be a 'sh*tshow' and it makes it hard to come back every day. I know I'm a great nurse and competent and capable; the experience I'm getting now is viable but some days I ask myself the same question and wonder where I belong in the realm of nursing.

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · Jul 22, 2014

Remind yourself that if you can do this, you can do anything. Remember that patient safety is the priority, everything else is just petty stuff. Look for opportunities to see the humor in things. Be gentle with yourself- don't beat yourself up for being less than perfect. Be kind to the patients and their families, even when they're stepping on your last nerve. Walk into every room as if you have all the time in the world, even if you only have about thirty seconds. Take your breaks. Make every shift an opportunity to learn and grow and get better and better- and when that first year is up and you start looking around, be picky about where you go- make sure you're not just leaping out of the frying pan and into the fire. Don't be in such a hurry to get out that you get yourself into a worse situation. And, very importantly, leave on good terms. You never know if you will end up needing that job back. Never ever burn your bridges.

LesMonsterRN, ADN, RN · Jul 22, 2014

Why?
There are many fields of nursing that don't require patient contact... Working for insurance companies... Legal nursing... Administrative nursing...

Yes, but those areas do (and should, in my opinion) require some amount of experience at the bedside.