Nursing job with the least interaction

Published

I have had this discusssion with a friend of mine several times. She is incredibely burned out after only a few years of nursing. The constant crazy demands made by families, patients, supervisors, just the general abuse that nurses have to go through on a daily basis. I hate that she feels this way about the job, and I remember before she graduated how she was so excited to be able to do some good in the world. The pre actual work idealistic thing, I know.

Like most people, quitting and persuing another line of work is not an option, finacially.

So my question in not what job really has the least interaction, but what job others feel like will involve the least amount of abuse.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

This is one of the reasons that I enjoy working with the mentally ill. Specifically,

the indigent population. Yeah, they will yell at you, curse you, call you names, etc.,

but that is part of their ILLNESS. After a while it gets much easier to remember

that it isn't really the person doing what they are doing... it's the disease.

Most of the time, and I know that this is a sad thing and it does bother me...

but most of the time they don't HAVE any family members that will give you

a hard time or be abusive.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I like the OR because you don't really get all extra crap that comes with people. You get to do your job without all the distraction of the family or the patient because they are asleep!! I love it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I had suggested that also. If fact I was thinking that myself. I mostly like what I do but part of me wonders if I should start trying to plot a course towards something else. I so peds home health which involves a lot of interaction, at times, to much. I can't see myself doing this forever.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

Ugh... peds is the WORST, IMO. I just can't deal with overly nervous

parents. I mean, I'm a mommy and I FULLY understand why parents

would be nervous, but as the RN I just can't deal with it. My most

traumatic moment so far as a nurse involved trying to give a child an

IM shot of Rocephin, and a hysterical, screaming mom.

I've worked in Pediatric Psych, and that was better because visiting hours

were SO severely limited, but the number of kids with horrific behavior

issues made it a very very stressful job.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You will have to interact with some people. Which do your prefer?

You might look into PACU. There are no families visiting and the patients move out fairly quickly.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

PACU, OR, pushing papers at an insurance company. Definitely NOT pediatrics. In peds it is all family all the time.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency.

PACU, OR, prison nursing (no family). Nursing Informatics, Infection prevention, nurse recruitment, PICC team..., Radiology RN...

You could look into telephone triage, or data abstracting, both usually give you a cut in pay.

I admit, I used to find family & pts difficult etc, but after several years, I got a really tough skin and learned not to take it personally, and then it became pretty easy. Most of the behaviors, as hideous as they are (And I worked ED, so I know what its like to be confronted with a 250 lb naked drunk and high on cocaine woman regularly) are not directed at you, so once you distance yourself from the requests, remember the patients are actually not feeling very well, and kind of accept it, things get better.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Computers.....Nursing informatics. The OR.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

If she wants the least interaction, she is probably better off leaving the bedside. So there's utilization review, informatics, education/training, marketing, sales, infection control, risk management, HR...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Sleep medicine,Floor nursing, OR, Trauma.
I have had this discusssion with a friend of mine several times. She is incredibely burned out after only a few years of nursing. The constant crazy demands made by families, patients, supervisors, just the general abuse that nurses have to go through on a daily basis. I hate that she feels this way about the job, and I remember before she graduated how she was so excited to be able to do some good in the world. The pre actual work idealistic thing, I know. Like most people, quitting and persuing another line of work is not an option, finacially. So my question in not what job really has the least interaction, but what job others feel like will involve the least amount of abuse.
Least amount of abuse? Don't go to the OR. What I do is not for the faint of heart or the soft of spirit. I get abused, as you say, from physicians, stressed out, terrified families, stressed floor/ER nurses, charge nurses, etc. Yes, the OR has less face time with families and patients, but the time we do have can be intense; regardless it's less face time, but less abuse? Not so much. I would say some position dealing mostly with paperwork would be the beat bet. I've never met a document yet that I couldn't handle in a fair fight.Sent from my droid......so yeah....typos and autocorrect idiocy abounds.
Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion