Maybe bedside nursing isn't for me

another choice might be cardiac/pulmonary rehab-- daytime weekday hours, no holidays, wearing comfy casual clothing, not much in the way of body fluid exposure :), a little fun and fitness, and you'll learn something, too.

It's just the human condition that things can hit the fan at any time. PACU? Might have chest pain just as you're admitting someone else. GI? Could go bradycardic from the sedation and drop pressures. Drs office? Who knows what could walk through the door. Just got to get used to it, I guess.

I think that research seems predictable, not very physically demanding,and away from the bedside. I've never worked in research,so i could be wrong. I'm currently in PACU and it's very unpredictable.You find out that you're getting a new pt sometimes less than one minute before they arrive.You don't know if it's a 87 yr old crani or a 7 month old baby or a 300 lb man with delerium, or a sudden laryngospasm, or a belly filling with blood ( see what I mean...?). Sometimes they wake up smiling and have a thoughtful conversation... And the homehealth-soooooooo unpredictable.Aesthetics is a good one though.

I've tried aesthetics - you won't make the same money doing that.

I've tried aesthetics - you won't make the same money doing that.

I guess it depends on where you live but here in SD, aesthetics nurses make $40-50 an hour, have great hours, benefits, and oftentimes receive bonuses. It's also a huge plus that the clients do not have an acute condition and want to be there. What's not to love? It sounds ideal for someone who's looking to get away from bedside nursing

Chronic HD? Routine?? Maybe it was my inner-city experience, but I wouldn't have called it predictable. This one's got chest pain, that one spiked a temp, this one crashed, the other one dislodged a needle, another needs off to poop, another one did it in the chair, that one nodded off in the bathroom with a syringe in her arm... Mad house. What about case management or utilization review?

I guess it depends on where you live but here in SD, aesthetics nurses make $40-50 an hour, have great hours, benefits, and oftentimes receive bonuses. It's also a huge plus that the clients do not have an acute condition and want to be there. What's not to love? It sounds ideal for someone who's looking to get away from bedside nursing

But don't you have to be young & good-looking? All of us might not qualify. :D Here in CA, I did once apply for such a job & the pay was MUCH lower than going RN salary.

Perhaps something like legal nursing or working for an insurance company? I'm a new graduate & haven't started working yet, but that's something I've had in the back of my mind in the event that I find myself not liking the one-to-one care or if I get burned out. I have a background of several years with insurance billing, workers' comp and PI cases & so thought that may be an area I could get into easily.

OK, it's been 2.5 years since I got my ASN. I've tried Med Surg and CCU. I'm starting to think that bedside nursing just isn't my thing.

What other areas could I look into.

I work in research, and I love it. I am not into bedside nursing at all. Check out medical research/clinical trials nursing opportunities.

I have also discovered that bedside is not for me. Today I did achieve my certification in med/surg and I will be going for the oncology certification next year but they will just assist me in the future. I took the road of going back to school. I am currently in a master's program and looking into switching into a DNP. It just isn't for everyone:twocents:

Psych and prison nursing can be a good change from the bedside, but they are FAR from predictable/routine/not stressful! I work in psych, and I never know from one minute to the next what a pt. will do. A lot of people get into psych because it can be kind of exciting that way, and I have definitely had my share of adrenaline rushes at work! Psych pts are particularly unpredictable because they are often responding to internal stimuli, so they can do things with no hint/warning at all.

I was going to suggest looking at insurance companies--they often hire RN's to review claims. I've thought about doing that eventually myself.

Cardiac rehab has codes every now and then, research might be good, we have oncology research and they have lots of onc nurses that are no longer on the floor. Still same pay though