Need Advice!!

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I am trying to decide to stay in the clinic or go back to the hospital. I went back to work part time at the clinic I worked at for 3 yrs. I decided I wanted to go back to the hospital to learn some of the skills I've lost. I only worked in the hospital for 6mo before I took this job at this clinic. So, in other words my skill where not wonderfull. I have an interview at the hospital for part time but as it nears I am wondering if I am doing the right thing. At the clinic I have major holidays off and weekends off. The money I make is enough but I don't feel like a nurse. I have not been in the hospital for 5 years and like I stated above my skills are nun. I haven't done an IV in 5 years!!! I have thought about waiting until I have all my kids and there in school but I don't know like I stated above it has been 5 yrs already, another 5 years may hurt me. I just can't decide get skills and loose some family time or stick with the clinic. Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

Well, you will get all sorts of opinions but I will say that working outside a hospital does not make you less of a nurse. That is what is so great about our profession - we have such flexibility. As for losing skills - they are the easiest part of nursing to learn. If you worked in Hospital A for 10 years then moved to Hospital B you would still have to learn new equipment, policices, etc. so I think you can probably learn what you need when you need it. That said, if you are feeling incomplete then consider a change.

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Specializes in critical care: trauma/oncology/burns.

Hello WhiteRN:

Listen I had been away from "hospital nursing" for more than five years (I was doing home hospice/palliative care nursing) and I wanted to get back into Hospital and be around my peers. So I took a deep breath, and went in for a interview with a VA Medical Center here in New York City. I have been working here at the VA for going on my second year now, recently left Telemetry for the Intensive Care Unit and I have never been happier.

Sure, some of your "skills" may have gone into hibernation, but let me ask you: Most of the Nursing Skills you learned are the basics: how to bath a patient, how to make a bed, how to use your therapeutic communication skills, how to make certain assessments....What you will learn working back on the floor is: taking blood, starting IVs, maybe obtaining a 12 lead. Hopefully you will be offered some type of orientation to the hospital or the floor. Will you have a preceptor? At your interview ask about that, the preceptor thing.

Good Luck. Let us know how your interview went and what type of floor you will be working on!

athena

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Thank you for your comments. The interview is for the telemetry unit!! I am just nervous about the pace and the position is for day shift. I keep thinking of my son. He is three and I have been home with him since he was one. I will hate to be away on holidays. Really just christmas. Like classicdame sd. I can learn it later. What a decision!!

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i will probably get some flak for this answer and yet, here goes. clinic nursing is very different from tele nursing and the skills to be a good safe tele nurse take time and experience. if you are not precepted then i would think long and hard before accepting a tele job. the stress in hospitals is also much higher, especially a cardiac unit. is there anything on a medical/surgical floor where you could get your feet wet before jumping into tele? why change anyway? a clinic job seems right for you and your family and is a much needed aspect of nursing. you don't have to work in a hospital to be considered a nurse!. this requires lots of thought on your part...just don't burn any bridges.

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Specializes in Gyn Onc, OB, L&D, HH/Hospice/Palliative.

Ask yourself why you left the hospital to work in the clinic in the first place? Better hours?, less stress?? Do you really want to return to weekends ,holidays,inconsistent scheduling ?Will this cause problems with childcare? Are you happy, but are looking for more of a challenge? Many nurses would kill for a clinic job, you may not use your technical skills a lot, but clinic nursing can still be very busy,prioritizing ,assessing, triaging, teaching, and usually require nurses with solid experience..don't cut yourself short.Is it possible to do both? You said you are part time in the clinic, maybe you would want to maintain that position and consider a position in subacute or rehab, you will still need to utilize skills, with maybe a slower pace, and the opportunity to work per diem.If its only christmas, many nurses with young children celebrate christmas the day or so before--the kids are too young to know the diff! Then you have to think about when school starts... that's a whole 'nuther potential bunch of problems.. Just some stuff to think about..Good Luck!!

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

I felt the way you did, because I worked in a clinic as an aide, and when I became a nurse, I was under the assumption that my hospital would offer me a position on med-surg to 'pay my dues'. This facility paid my tuition and gave me a leave of absence with pay to become an LPN, so, I REALLY thought they were going to try and get their money's worth by placing me on the floors. But, shockingly, they put me back in the same clinic as a nurse. I did six weeks of med-surg, and I was so miserable up there that when it was time to go back, I ran on the first thing smoking.

I started feeling that I wasn't 'nurse enough' and started doing home care to continue with my skills and am arranging to work per diem on med-surg to keep the skills, but I began to realize that the Creator knew what was best for me. My clinic is overwhelmingly busy, but, I have weekends and holidays off. The margin or error is a great deal less than it would be on the floor. I have time to be home with my family and I value that very much. I am only doing the per diem jobs in order to sell myself to other positions should I apply elsewhere after my contract is up.

Do what is best for you and your family. Maybe go part time on the floors or if you feel that you have to, make the total change. But, be sure that you have adequate child care and put your family needs first.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

I felt like you also, and so four months ago I left my job in psych nursing... still direct care but fairly low stress and slow paced... for a job in med/surge, an area I had left previously. I didn't feel like a "real nurse" doing psych. I was getting bored. I missed using my skills.

There are times that I really regret what I did, and as soon as my six months of probation are up, I'm bolting for another unit. I may give ICU a try.

I'm inclined to advise you to stay put, but if in your heart you really want to try something more challenging, I'd go for it.

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Most of the nurses I know are looking to get out of hospital nursing. THe holidays are horrible on your family, the stress is never ending....With a young family you should think abou it.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

Check out the threads concerning working and the holidays. There's not a job out there more important than spending Christmas or Easter morning with your son. Hang onto your job if your skills are all you're worried about. You will be able to pick them up with no problems when your son is older. Been there, done that.

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