I want interactions with patients but not bedside : Suggestions?

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Dear Nurse Beth,

I have been in nursing for 32 years , LPN to ADN now BSN for 8 years . I have worked in various settings . I am a Team lead Case manager for an insurance company. I don't really feel like I'm nursing . I want interactions with patients but do not want to do bedside nsg. I hate home health and dialysis. Any suggestions on what I could do ? I don't have any special certifications.

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Dear Needs Suggestions,

Here's a few ideas just to get you going :

Telephone Triage? How about Palliative Care in the hospital? It's very interactive, but not bedside.

Or Case Management? Again, you talk to patients and families, coordinate care, but don't actually provide care.

Nursing clinical instructor? Take nursing students into the clinical setting? It would depend on how long ago your clinical experience was, but first semester should be easy to handle.

Hospitals are developing new non-clinical positions all the time to adapt to different requirements. Read your local hospitals' job boards for postings.

An example is Chart Review Specialist where nurses review charts in real time to ensure that documentation meets reimbursement criteria. You are on the unit and have patient contact, but again, are not providing direct care.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

[Pjking227]

I am close to retirement and it's getting more difficult to do bedside. Unfortunately I have an ADN and at my hospital I cannot go or do anything else without a BSN I am not going into debt at this time of my life so I am stuck. I would love to do in-patient hospice. I guess I will have to retire early and then try to get a job st another hospital

[Virginia.CARN]

After nursing for 22 years at the bedside I moved to an outpt Substance Treatment and Recovery program. I have been doing this for the past 4 years and love it!

[djh123]

"...Palliative Care in the hospital? It's very interactive, but not bedside."

I'd like to hear more about that.

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

I am a nurse case manager. My suggestion would be to mix in some field tasks with the telephonic case management. My company went in that direction and the mix really keeps you in touch with patients.

[Workitinurfava, BSN, RN]

I work in psych and I don't consider that bedside. I am not trying to offend anyone if I do. It is not easy work by any means. I don't work in a hospital. Working as a psych nurse is the best choice I could have ever made and after I get my pre-med degree (yes, I am going back to school), I am forging ahead to become a psychiatric MD. I find myself looking up patients diagnosis and conditions on my spare time at home (it is that interesting to me). I see a lot of older women working in this area of nursing but the issue you may run into that you mentioned is not having to get your BSN. I actually just finished mine today, thank the high heavens. I did it in 5 semesters. Location may make a difference as to if you need to have it or not. I didn't need it to work in a hospital in the city that I once had. Maybe some places in the country aren't asking for it, I am not sure. I have gotten to the point since it is an option for me that it is best for me to get out of nursing because I need to make more money and have more control in what happens to the patients. I don't want to be an NP because the pay just doesn't do it for me. I work hard and I want to make more than enough. Good luck!, and I hope things work out for you.

[StrawberryRN26]

My first job out of nursing school was as an immunization nurse. I worked for a private company that would go out to the different schools in our tri-county area and give the flu shot/T-Dap. It was so great that I'm going to do it again this flu season! You get to interact with kids aged 5-18 without the stressors of being bedside.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I did telephone triage and assessment as a per-diem job. It's definitely patient interaction without being at the bedside.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I work in psych and I don't consider that bedside. I am not trying to offend anyone if I do.

No offense taken. I work in psych too, and my first thought for the OP was "come to psych--we're ALL about patient interactions, and patients aren't usually in their beds anyway!" :)

But technically, what you and I do is bedside nursing. It's just that the "bedside" may be the group room, the therapy room, the patio, the dining area...and sometimes even in the patient's room.