Not happy with bedside

Editorial Team / Admin · Feb 8, 2017

Why not try another area of direct patient care? Nursing has an amazing variety of options. So, maybe LTC/rehab isn't for you. There's still many other fields to investigate- just check under the specialties tab. 3 months is not enough experience for a decent non-bedside job, and in fact it may not even be enough for you to decide your current job isn't for you. New nurses go through a bit of reality shock when they make the transition from student to licensed nurse.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Feb 8, 2017

I want to know if it's possible with the little experience I have if I can get a job at an insurance company or some non-bedside job.

Honestly...no.

You will need at least a year of experience to qualify for most positions away from the bedside. You could certainly try applying now to see what happens, but IMO don't get your hopes up.

However, Rose Queen is right: you are probably experiencing reality shock. Real world nursing is drastically different than textbook nursing, and the fantasies you've had about what it would be like are nothing like the reality you're facing. You're still mastering the basics and learning how to put it all together. So give yourself a few more months before you make any drastic career decisions.

Also, keep in mind that you are a new grad until you get that year of experience. Leave before that year is up and you risk falling into the new grad black hole which is very hard to get out of. And the one thing tougher than being a new grad is being an old new grad. So I would think twice before bolting prior to the one year mark.

Kt1109 · Feb 10, 2017

Hi, I'm kind of in the same position. I currently have been working 6 months on a NICU. I actually love my job, but I hate night shift. It has made my anxiety and depression greatly sky rocket. Normally, I would just deal if I could get day shift in a year or two, however typically you work 6-8 years before you get day shift on my floor. I know I cannot do that. I am also not really a fan of weekends/holidays, since my whole family gets those off. I was currently offered a position in an outpatient imaging clinic, which is monday-friday and 1 weekend every 6 weeks. Sounds great. However, I'm worried I'll lose all of my nursing skills, and be screwed in my nursing career in the future. I hate where i'm at right now, but I also dont' want to ruin my career. Is this an awful career choice?

Lucky724 · Feb 10, 2017

kt1109 you can always stay PRN where you are or somewhere else & take the outpatient clinic position..having NICU on yoru resume, at least where I live, makes you highly desirable for employment so returning to a hospital setting wouldn't be that difficult. The only thing to consider is if you want to work with the adult population since I would think the imaging center would be mostly that age group.

foggnm · Feb 10, 2017

Unfortunately our vision of nursing is someone wearing scrubs hanging an IV bag next to a patient on a ventilator. But there are many many more options to doing nursing. Clinical experience always helps in all nursing jobs. However, you are not unique (or bad or wasting your license) for not enjoying clinical work. It is time for self-reflection. What drives you? What are you good at? What do you see yourself doing in 10 years? Do you like clinical work otherwise, but not in your current job? Or do you just find clinical work is not your thing? I did 7 years inpatient/high acuity. Personally I find clinical work very tedious and unenjoyable. I liked taking care of people, but I didn't like doing all the 'little' tasks like meds, bathing/wiping, walking, charting, lifting, changing sheets, etc. I felt like bedside nursing was about on par with physical labor or restaurant jobs I had when I was in high school or college. I felt is was all physical work and not 'mind' work. It was mind-numbing and exhausting to me. However some people love the task-based nature of clinical work. They thrive on it, which is great because we need good clinical nurses. I'd ask yourself what you really like in work and healthcare and move towards that career. Try some outpatient, case management, research, informatics, tranplant coordination, or whatever other things that aren't handing out meds and helping with ADLs. There are options in nursing!!!! Don't let your inexperience keep you from trying out other jobs. If you're intelligent and savvy you can overcome your lack of experience.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Feb 10, 2017

I think a lot of the dissatisfaction with nursing as a career choice is as a result of unrealistic impressions and expectations. If the only nurses a person every sees are those ciphers on TV and in the movies, of course the nitty gritty of our career isn't going to be understood at the outset. Caring for patients in hospitals, long-term care facilities, rehab centres and other facility-based settings doesn't stop at 1600 on Fridays. So many of the newer nurses I've spoken to either here or in real life seem not to have realized that they WILL have to work nights, weekends and holidays. They WILL have to perform those "mind-numbing" tasks of bathing, linen changes and documentation. They WILL have to do all those things at the beginning of their careers because they have no experience, which makes them unsuitable for so many of the jobs that DO only run M-F, 08-16. Nursing schools do little to bridge that knowledge gap, with their M-F, 07-15 setup, so when a student gets to their senior practicum and has to do some nights, the impression remains that it's just a temporary thing.

If bedside nursing isn't what you thought it would be and isn't making you happy, then why worry about "losing skills" by taking a job away from the bedside? If you don't like it now, you're not going to like it in a year, or five years... or ever.

needlesmcgeeRN, ASN, RN · Feb 12, 2017

I started out at a SNF and I HATED HATED HATED it. Not the hands on patient care, but the unrealistic expectations of two med passes per shift with 25+ residents of varying acuity, not to mention treatments, documentation, lab specimen prep, being responsible for IV meds for the LPNs' patients. Now I am a care coordinator, M-F, no weekends and no holidays. I do a lot of patient teaching, which I enjoy. Hang in there, but keep your eyes open for positions that you might find to be a better fit. There are so many areas in nursing, you don't have to work bedside.

mestiza90 · Feb 12, 2017

Hown long were you in snf until you got a job as a care coordinator?

mestiza90 · Feb 12, 2017

I started out at a SNF and I HATED HATED HATED it. Not the hands on patient care, but the unrealistic expectations of two med passes per shift with 25+ residents of varying acuity, not to mention treatments, documentation, lab specimen prep, being responsible for IV meds for the LPNs' patients. Now I am a care coordinator, M-F, no weekends and no holidays. I do a lot of patient teaching, which I enjoy. Hang in there, but keep your eyes open for positions that you might find to be a better fit. There are so many areas in nursing, you don't have to work bedside.

How long were you in snf until you became a care coordinatOr?

Flo., BSN, RN · Feb 12, 2017

I hated acute care. I now work in developmental disabilities and I love it. There are day programs, schools and residential programs that hire nurses. I find the work much more enjoyable.

blindcheeseit · Feb 23, 2017

I think you should start looking now for something you do want. It never hurts to look. And if you do find something you like, take it and then want to go back to skilled nursing/rehab you can. I had no problem getting a snf job as a new grad. I'm sure they would take a seasoned RN even if you haven't worked in that setting for a while.