Large vs. Small vs. Teaching Hospitals

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  1. Do you prefer a large or small hospital, or mid sized (please explain)?

    • 11
      Large
    • 1
      Small
    • 5
      Mid sized

17 members have participated

Hi All - I'm wondering what your thoughts are on hospital size. During clinicals, I was in a smaller hospital. I took a job in a large teaching hospital, and have found that I hate it. Everyone tells me that the teaching hospital will give me "great experience" and that I "will see things that I won't see elsewhere". So far I have seen many odd things, but feel very out of place. I am now searching (after only about a month) for another job at a smaller hospital.

So...what are your thoughts/experiences??

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Specializes in LDRP.

This would also depend on what you qualify as "small" "mid sized" and "large". plus, teaching hospital wasn't a choice. I currently work at a teaching hospital, that i would guess is midsized? It is undergoing consolidation/construction though, and will soon have 825 beds.

I like the bigger hospital/teaching hospital. Ancillary services are always there. Lab, CT, etc. I like the nursing students/med students coming through (i'm all for education), i like the fact that we have patients from all over the area, i like the technology, the increased number of treatment options for patients, and so on.

I did clinicals at a hospital that had about 30 medsurg beds, 2 labor/delivery beds, 5 postpartum beds, and 2 OR's. that was small.

I'll take a large teaching hospital any day.

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What do you hate about it? You've only been there for a month, so maybe you just need more time. It's hard to get used to a place in only a month. I'm definitely speaking from experience b/c I just started working in a Level I trauma center ER/teaching hospital, and I used to work in a community type mid-size er. ;) Feeling out of place and frustrated at some things, but I'm just trying to push through til it gets better.

It all depends on what you want out of your experiences though, what's important to you, etc.

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My vote is for a large teaching hospital. The is a good working relationship b.n the residents/attendings and the nurses. You are able to voice your opinion whether it is 3am or 12 noon and know that it is listened to. Most of those that are there are very supportive of education and mentoring. You learn something and then you pass your knowledge on.

There are also many more resources than at a smaller hospital. There are always pharmacists, anesthesia attendings and residents, internal medicine docs, lab, xray, CT, a cath lab that can be called on, an emergency OR team for every specialty, an in hospital neurosurgeon, angio, and so on.

I feel that in a larger hospital there are patients that are saved b/c the readily available resources.

You also get to see the sickest of the sick.

Give it more time. Maybe it is just your unit.

Try and think of what is making you feel uncomfortable... feel free to share it here and maybe we can help you sort through it.

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i, too, love working in a larger teaching hospital. i like the atmosphere of learning, and being able to see unusual cases.

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