Nurses That Never Worked In A Hospital...

[guest1143647]

Do you find that patients assume you are inexperienced or unskilled as opposed to nurses that have worked in a hospital?

Do you feel "less than" a nurse that has worked in a hospital, or do you feel you missed out on something pertinent?

[speedynurse, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

I have always worked in hospital systems so far, but definitely don’t think there is anything magical about them. I have learned a lot, but mostly keep the hospital job because it would be easy to transfer with ER and pre and post surgical experience.....and I need the benefits. My dream job is not a hospital job.....it’s an NP job working with special needs peds. 

[Kitiger, RN]

On 5/7/2021 at 10:10 AM, Ioreth said:

Being in the hospital setting, I also hear "this is how they did it at my rehab facility/assisted living facility" or "this is how my home health nurse does it". For most things, a skill can be done multiple different ways and still be right. As long as sterile is maintained where it needs to and your facility policies and procedures are maintained, it shouldn't be a big deal.

Some of the things I've seen different are we do sterile straight cath in the hospital, but most parents don't sterile self cath, and aren't expected to. Also my diabetic surgical patients are all on insulin where they are normally on oral antidiabetic meds. We have to monitor their blood sugar closer right after surgery, then they go back to their oral meds when they discharge.

There's nothing wrong with different as long as it is safe.

There's more than one right way to do things.

[Kitiger, RN]

On 5/4/2021 at 2:52 PM, Hannahbanana said:

One thing I learned with my first not-hospital job was that I had a helluva lot to learn about nursing outside of hospitals, LOL. 
Nursing school teaches very basic nursing to non-nurses, in largely hospital settings ; many, understandably, get hired in hospitals (perhaps for years) and think that’s mostly all there is, hospital nursing. 

This is why I took a class to become a Medical First Responder. There was so much that I didn't know about pre-hospital care!

I let that license lapse, as I didn't want to work pre-hospital. I simply wanted to know what to do and how to do it, if I should be needed.

[LibraNurse27, BSN, RN]

I loved the community clinic I worked in but had to go to a hospital because the pay wasn't enough to survive here. My dream job would be to work there per diem and volunteer at another clinic I used to volunteer at. I don't want my whole life to be commuting, working, and chores. I'm trying to work on investing and buying real estate so I can have more passive income and not need a full time job. Right now I'm not working with the pt population I enjoy serving, because I can't afford to.

I think nursing can be wonderful, just maybe not 40 plus hours a week! Luckily I'm finding out finance isn't as difficult to understand as I thought. Don't worry I didn't spend all my money on Dogecoins LOL 

[MD married to RN]

On 5/3/2021 at 10:26 PM, LibraNurse27 said:

Outside of nursing people don't really care what kind of nurse you are or judge you about it. Within the nursing community I think there is sometimes a glamorization of critical care/ER/trauma. I totally glamorize flight nurses. I'm sorry but if you can take care of critical pts alone in a helicopter while looking amazing in your cool jumpsuit, I give it up to you!

I've never had pts care where I work. In the community clinic some pts didn't know the difference between a hospital and a clinic (which was bad when they needed to go to ER but came to us instead!) Same in the outpatient PACU where I work now, half the pts call their ride to pick them up from the "hospital." I did get a lot of praise and attention when I worked on a covid floor. And some people seem more interested in hearing your "nurse stories" when you work inpatient, but all nurses have stories! If you work with people, you have stories. Anyway, don't pick your job based on what other people think of it. All nurses are valuable. 

Totally, agree with the "glamorize" part of this quote. Even this site, which aim to treat ALLNURSES fairly, does it. Under the specialties link on the home page, the advanced degree practices are listed first, which makes sense. But then the 'critical care' specialties get top billing even though these fields require no more education than those that follow. 

In my opinion, SNF is among the least respected but most challenging practices. As an EP, I very much appreciate the work done in SNFs by nurses with limited access to providers, large ratios, and most patients having multisystem illnesses. 

[saraleigh, ASN, RN]

15 hours ago, MD married to RN said:

Totally, agree with the "glamorize" part of this quote. Even this site, which aim to treat ALLNURSES fairly, does it. Under the specialties link on the home page, the advanced degree practices are listed first, which makes sense. But then the 'critical care' specialties get top billing even though these fields require no more education than those that follow. 

In my opinion, SNF is among the least respected but most challenging practices. As an EP, I very much appreciate the work done in SNFs by nurses with limited access to providers, large ratios, and most patients having multisystem illnesses. 

It's in alphabetical order ?.

[MD married to RN]

9 hours ago, saraleigh said:

It's in alphabetical order ?.

Sort of. First are listed the Advanced Practice Specialties, then critical care, then all others.

My point is  critical care specialties may be practiced with an ADN & RN yet this site 'ranks' them above the other disciplines.

[nursel56]

1 hour ago, MD married to RN said:

Sort of. First are listed the Advanced Practice Specialties, then critical care, then all others.

My point is  critical care specialties may be practiced with an ADN & RN yet this site 'ranks' them above the other disciplines.

Having known the administrators on this site for many years and the person who has overall responsibility for the design and layout of this site, I can say without qualification there is no degree snobbery or attempt to glamourize any specialty over another.

[MD married to RN]

4 hours ago, nursel56 said:

Having known the administrators on this site for many years and the person who has overall responsibility for the design and layout of this site, I can say without qualification there is no degree snobbery or attempt to glamourize any specialty over another.

Accepted as fact! I think working on a busy med/surg, tele, or SNF unit is among the most challenging of nursing practices. Respect to all y'all nurses working hard everywhere and acting as the backbone of our healthcare system.

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

On 5/7/2021 at 5:17 AM, Runsoncoffee99 said:

I asked this because I often hear other nurses  say"this is how we did it in the hospital." 

I occasionally hear that from patients too. I am in home care,so we do things a little differently. 

 

A lot of nurses and patients think that they way nurses complete skills in the hospital is the "right and only way."

That's because media portrays nursing in hospitals for the most part. Also, many only encounter nurses in the hospital, only certain sectors see them in home health, clinic settings, corrections, etc. 

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

11 hours ago, MD married to RN said:

Sort of. First are listed the Advanced Practice Specialties, then critical care, then all others.

My point is  critical care specialties may be practiced with an ADN & RN yet this site 'ranks' them above the other disciplines.

Every specialty has challenges, as well as rewards. There's no competition, except in the minds that wish to create a competition or glamour

[TriciaJ, RN]

2 hours ago, Hoosier_RN said:

Every specialty has challenges, as well as rewards. There's no competition, except in the minds that wish to create a competition or glamour

Interesting observation.  After listing the "elite"at the top, the rest of the rabble are listed alphabetically.