New job in Outpatients...

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Hello everyone

I don't know if you remember but a couple months ago I had an interview for an outpatients/pre-assessment nurse job in a private hospital. WEll its now my second week working there ...the people are reallly nice and the hours are great and am seeing some new procedures i have not come across...i.e. minor dermatology procedures and gynae procedures, i will be soon put in for my ECG training and my cannulation and venepuncture..

I wanted some advice from other nurses who may work in outpatients..the only other job i had after being qualified was in A&E for just over 4 months, after which i left..i do not have any other staff nurse experience, i suppose what i am trying to ask about is the fact i am worried i will become rather de-skilled working in a clinic setting so soon after being qualified, i had to take this job because of the lack of nursing jobs available elsewhere, and the hours are so good for my home situation...so i couldnt afford to not take the job..i havent told some of my old nursing friends that my new job is in outpatients as i know a lot of them view it as 'not proper nursing' can anyone alleviate my fears and worries?

Tina

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Specializes in cardiac med-surg.

you are still a nurse, darling

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.

Tina it sounds like you like your new job, there is quite a bit of snobbery in nursing I remember being told that ICU was not real nursing just machine watching. I have heard that theatre nurses are not really nursing because any monkey can pass instraments, nurse specialists and nurse practitioners are trying to be more like doctors.

At the end of the day there are many different fields of nursing each as valuable as the other. Don't worry about what your friends think just be happy in your work.

You may deskill in some areas but your skills in others will improve. It has been many years since I was a ward nurse and I wouldn't cope with nursing on a ward now, that doesn't make me any less of a nurse just using different nursing skills. I feel more of a nurse now than I did in ICU.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Tina

No matter which type of job in nursing you have you will gain skills and loose skills, enjoy your time and the job and look at learning new skills and enjoy your job. You may even find chance to look for work in the hospital on the wards when the time is right.

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Specializes in med/surg.

Tina,

I worked OPD in a private hospital for 8 years & my CV looks all the better for it. As you already pointed out you're learning a shed load of new skills & assisting with various different procedures etc.

I'm on a ward now & had no trouble in getting a job back at bedside at all, they valued my OPD experience.

In my quest for a USA job my CV has been enough to get me an interview & job offer from everyone I've applied to! I just came back from holiday & my good old, OPD padded out CV was enough to land me a direct hire position at Tampa General Hospital.

So don't sweat on it - you may use some of your skills a lot less but you'll be adding soooooo many more!! Just enjoy yourself - oh & when all your ward mates are working all those bank holidays (inc Xmas) you'll be the one smiling!!

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Thanks for replying to all of you who replied to my post, the advice was reassuring and you all are right in that I should just relax a little and enjoy the job, the people there are all lovely, its not that big of a private hospital and its somewhere , where most of the staff know everyone so thats a nice feeling. My mentor is great and they have made me supernumary for 6 weeks, thats more than i got when i was newly qualified!! lol

Seeing as it is a small hospital, there is a 24 bedded ward upstairs and i have been told i will be allowed to go work on the ward when they are short staffed, i spent two days on the ward this week as an induction and it was nice so in that sense i suppose i will still be able to keep some ward skills up!

Tina k

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Hey there, I know this thread was written a while ago but I've been offered a job in a fracture clinic/orthopaedic out-patients so it was interesting reading all your replies. I hope you still enjoy working there if you're still there, it sounds like a dream job! And if anyone of your old college mates slate you for it its just cos they're jealous! Good luck x

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Tina,

I worked OPD in a private hospital for 8 years & my CV looks all the better for it. As you already pointed out you're learning a shed load of new skills & assisting with various different procedures etc.

I'm on a ward now & had no trouble in getting a job back at bedside at all, they valued my OPD experience.

In my quest for a USA job my CV has been enough to get me an interview & job offer from everyone I've applied to! I just came back from holiday & my good old, OPD padded out CV was enough to land me a direct hire position at Tampa General Hospital.

So don't sweat on it - you may use some of your skills a lot less but you'll be adding soooooo many more!! Just enjoy yourself - oh & when all your ward mates are working all those bank holidays (inc Xmas) you'll be the one smiling!!

Dear RGN1- when I read this I got so excited for you I thought things had moved on for you then I saw the date and my heart goes out toyou and others inthe long hard wait which is moving to the states- I konw how horrible that waiting time is- my thoughts are with you.

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Specializes in med/surg.

Thanks Belinda! Yes I'm in the long, long queue! At this rate it'll be 2012 before I set foot in the USA!! That's assuming the hospital doesn't pull out!

Therefore, we made the decision to go to Canada & either wait it out there, or see how things pan out & even stay if we like it better. I have a job in Calgary & we should be there by the summer, if all goes well.

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