Nursing specialty that requires minimum patient contact and best hours?

[tsipareht]

Please list your experience or knowledge of specific nursing specialties that have minimum patient contact (code brown, c-dif, etc), and what specialty provides the best hours? For instance working in a hospital versus a clinic? Thanks.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I don't mean to be rude but your dismissive attitude rattles me more than the fact that you made it through nursing school without, to use your own words, "ever wiping a butt." My family member with multiple complex medical problems just underwent an upper endoscopy in an outpatient surgery center - I'd like to think that the nurse who started his IV and gave him sedation meds was an experienced nurse. I sincerely hope the nurses who were actually monitoring him and taking care of him during the procedure, and in the recovery room, had more experience and better attitudes.

Uh....you realize that all nurses started out with no experience, right?

I think yours is the attitude that's unfair and/or unrealistic - I don't think there is anything wrong with her attitude, and I don't think it's realistic for you to expect that every nurse you or your loved ones will come in contact with will be seasoned nurses with a decade of experience.

Yes, even outpatient surgery centers hire new grads. There is nothing wrong with that.

[Marisette, BSN, RN]

To the OP....I understand where you are coming from....I think. This will probably rattle some people, but I made it through nursing school without ever wiping a butt. I have been an RN for a little under two years and guess what? Still no poop.

I love, love, love being a nurse. Love it. But, I have zero desire to help people meet their ADLs. I don't want to make sure their teeth are cleaned, they have had a BM or what-not. Sorry. I just don't. Doesn't mean I can't be a nurse, just means that I have to choose a setting in which those are not requirements.

I have been able to start a good career in outpatient procedure settings.....started as a new grad. I get to start IVs, educate patients, sedate and (my favorite) interact with them and try to make them comfortable and relieve some of their anxiety about their procedure. The patients are healthy enough to have their procedures in an outpatient setting. Not to say there aren't emergencies and some scary situations- because there are, but they are not a daily occurrence. It is a most excellent job and I am soooo lucky I can hardly believe it. Monday thru Friday day shift with no holidays. Obviously a position like this wouldn't be beneficial if you are looking at moving on to CRNA school, but otherwise I think it is just about perfect.

So, no, you don't necessarily have to "pay your dues" with poop and the like, just be willing to look outside of the hospital box. There are excellent opportunities....you just have to look a little!

How many jobs are there like this? It probably depends on location. If your looking for a job like this in some states, you will be unemployed a long time.

[Student Mom to Three]

I don't mean to be rude but your dismissive attitude rattles me more than the fact that you made it through nursing school without, to use your own words, "ever wiping a butt." My family member with multiple complex medical problems just underwent an upper endoscopy in an outpatient surgery center - I'd like to think that the nurse who started his IV and gave him sedation meds was an experienced nurse. I sincerely hope the nurses who were actually monitoring him and taking care of him during the procedure, and in the recovery room, had more experience and better attitudes.

Aw, geesh. Seriously?? My attitude? Didn't you see that I love, love, love my job?? I would have taken excellent care of your family member- truly. I love educating, soothing and comforting my patients. I always, always ensure that they are safe. I truly believe that my job is to take what is an uncomfortable and anxiety provoking experience for a patient and make them as comfortable as possible.

I will take care of whatever my patient's needs might be throughout the time they are with me. If they poop or puke or hawk a big loogie.....it is my job to care for them. I just made the CHOICE to work in an environment in which that is not the norm and I am THRILLED with my choice.

It's funny that we always hear that nursing is such a varied field we can do anything we want....but then get put down as having a bad attitude if we choose one that fits our needs/ desires, but is something we don't "deserve" because we haven't put in our dues. FWIW, I did work in an ASC that not many RNs would consider desirable for over a year to gain my experience before being offered my current endoscopy position.

And, it is true that these types of jobs are few and far between, which is why I feel so incredibly lucky.

Happy weekend!!

[enchantmentdis, BSN, RN]

I don't really see how excellent butt wiping skills are going to help her in her current job - I say that as someone who does wipe butts and has experience on the floor. Now, one can argue that a person doesn't have the assessment and teaching skills for that kind of job without some acute care experience - but being skilled with a poo rag isn't going to give someone special insight into outpatient surgery.

Eeeeexactly! My first job in acute care was horrifying; there was no back-up and nurses there were backstabbing witches. So, when I got fired for not calling the code team on an 98 year old man and he died, I was fired; immediately called up a local hospital hospital's outpatient surgery and landed the job THAT DAY! My second two jobs right out of nursing school were outpatient surgery and endoscopy---both terrific jobs with a minimum of drama, poo, and unhappy floor nurses. Putting in iv's, doing pre-op assessments, and recovering the patients were a dream compared to being trapped on a med-surg floor for 12 hours per day; being required to do everything because you hold the title nurse. I am in hospice now. A wonderful career, but I long for those days in outpatient and endoscopy. The OP needn't be ashamed to ask a simple question. To the OP: Avoid med-surg, any acute care for that matter. For there are social workers, physical therapists, CNAs, Dieticians there who never back you up and want you to do everything. Head straight for endoscopy and outpatient. If you are the type of person who wants a minimum of interaction with ancillary staff, clinics are the way to go. Get ACLS and Conscious Sedation Certification right out of nursing school and go to outpatient or any clinic. You will not miss acute care. I know plenty of nurses who never set foot in a hospital, after they went through the drudgery of nursing school. They work elsewhere and are very happy. It is a whole other ball game.

[Fiona59]

It really depends on where you work. In my system you won't get into endo or outpatients unless you have years of seniority or are on a limited duties certificate.

I've got 13 years of acute care experience and can't even make the short list for interviews for those departments.

[MatrixRn]

Haha! LOL! "The Rapist". Wow you folks really do get creative! It does spell "therapist" backwards. I was a former respiratory therapist trained thru the Army route turned nursing student. I'm just wondering what my options are when I finish school. I really don't mind bedside nursing, but after being on med-surg for the last two terms I can say it is something I don't want to do long term. My rotations are limited and I really want to get a taste of OR and ER. I have heard they are two different worlds. I'm young and would like the ER environment or at least to see how fast the pace really is. And I want to experience OR to see the methodical ways things are done, and to see exactly what a nurse does here.

I do plan on pursuing my masters as a FNP as soon as I get at least a year under my belt. After my psych rotation these past couple of weeks and speaking to the CRNA I may even consider this as well, but I know how difficult it is for a new grad to get a position in an ICU to eventually get into a CRNA program.

Thank you everyone for your posts.

Therapist turned nursing. I like the way you think. Cute.

As to can you work in jobs that are not bedside? Yes. My goal when I went to nursing school was not bedside either. I worked 2 years bedside and moved on. I intended to work in disease education and management, and that is where I am today.

Since you already have worked as an RT you have a definite advantage. I would say once you graduate apply for disease management or triage nursing. Either will snap up an RT turned RN.

[MatrixRn]

People sYinf he or she needs experience first are correct but please spare the holier than thou pick another profession BS. It is well known nurses function well in a non-direct care setting such as management, insurance etc. Bedside nursing isn't everything, and many people rather enjoy their job then burn out.

Agreed nurses need bedside experience to move on. But bedside nursing is not for everyone. Just because a nurse chooses an alternative to bedside does NOT mean that they do not interact with and impact patients. What about an intake nurse at a free clinic, phone triage nursing, discharge case management or nurse educator? We need all of these types of nursing professionals.

Nursing is a diverse profession and to assume that everyone who goes into nursing will always want, or should go into bedside nursing is well, wrong headed.

[MatrixRn]

I read on another thread of a student's clinical experience that apparently consisted of more "observation" than hands on nursing care.

And that should be frightening to all of us, nursing or not. If the schools are cutting back on hands on care as a teaching tool, we are in biiiig trouble.

[OCNRN63, RN]

Aw, geesh. Seriously?? My attitude? Didn't you see that I love, love, love my job?? I would have taken excellent care of your family member- truly. I love educating, soothing and comforting my patients. I always, always ensure that they are safe. I truly believe that my job is to take what is an uncomfortable and anxiety provoking experience for a patient and make them as comfortable as possible.

I will take care of whatever my patient's needs might be throughout the time they are with me. If they poop or puke or hawk a big loogie.....it is my job to care for them. I just made the CHOICE to work in an environment in which that is not the norm and I am THRILLED with my choice.

It's funny that we always hear that nursing is such a varied field we can do anything we want....but then get put down as having a bad attitude if we choose one that fits our needs/ desires, but is something we don't "deserve" because we haven't put in our dues. FWIW, I did work in an ASC that not many RNs would consider desirable for over a year to gain my experience before being offered my current endoscopy position.

And, it is true that these types of jobs are few and far between, which is why I feel so incredibly lucky.

Happy weekend!!

As someone with multiple complex illnesses, and as a nurse with nearly 30 years exp., this mentality scares me.

I would hate to feel like I had to feel apologetic if I got sick/was incontinent because my nurse felt it was beneath her to deal with such things. You may think you can hide it, but trust me, that attitude comes through, loud and clear. I want a nurse who is not only skilled but has the kindness to understand that some things are beyond a patient's control.

[R!XTER]

The OP's username is 'the rapist' spelled backwards.

Ok this is disturbing

[RNOTODAY, BSN, RN]

I havent wiped a butt either-- since nursing school, that is. First job as a new grad was in Neonatal Intensive Care, then went to Home care--preemie/mother baby visits, etc, the went to the operating room. It is possible, and not everybody has to do "floor nursing" to pay dues or be considered a "real nurse"

[RNOTODAY, BSN, RN]

well, with that user name, at least he is wanting LIMITED to NO patient care??????