Pay & Working Conditions in Doctor's Offices

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I've worked on a med/surg floor for 2 years and am interested in better hours and maybe less stress;). I have always heard nurses make less in doctor's offices...can anyone give me an idea of what I could expect? If you work at a doctor's office, do you like it? How does it compare to being a floor nurse, if you've held both types of positions?

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I have worked in LTAC and physicians offices and it is like night and day. I am an LVN working for a large group of Internists and making $20/hr. My hours are M-F 8:30-5, I get major holidays off, great benefits, office perks, etc etc

My main job responsibility is telephone triage which can get a bit hairy sometimes, but by no means is it as stressful as working the floor. The only thing that bothers me about this job is the docs call their MA's "nurses" to the patients. Drives me crazy because it is a bit misleading:mad:

Hope this helps.:nurse:

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That sounds pretty nice! A good schedule is valuable.

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Specializes in L&D,surgery,med/surg,ER,alzheimers.

I have often thought that a doctor's office position would be "easier" than a position in med/surg as a floor nurse. But is it as fullfilling? Do you really feel like a nurse? When you tell someone you are a "nurse", does it really feel genuine? I always felt more nurse-like when I worked in more intense areas of nursing such as ER or ICU. Just how I perceive myself.

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Specializes in AA&I, research,peds, radiation oncology.
I have often thought that a doctor's office position would be "easier" than a position in med/surg as a floor nurse. But is it as fullfilling? Do you really feel like a nurse? When you tell someone you are a "nurse", does it really feel genuine? I always felt more nurse-like when I worked in more intense areas of nursing such as ER or ICU. Just how I perceive myself.

I'm an LVN and although I've never worked in a hospital, my jobs have been very fulfilling!!! Yes, when I tell someone I'm an office nurse, it feels genuine BECAUSE I AM A NURSE!!! I've worked in all types of fields-Neurology, Peds, Allergy, Asthma and Immunology-Currently work as a radiation oncology nurse. Less stressful (sometimes), easier (maybe), and all have been very fufilling positions!!!!:yeah:

Just because I can actually have a lunch hour or pee; not working 12 hour shifts, or dealing with God knows what can walk, drive, run into the ER and can end up in ICU:cool:, I'm a nurse not because of the area of a clinic-hospital I work in, I'm a nurse because I was trained to be a nurse and know that I am a nurse!!:nurse: And the pay ain't so bad either!!!

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Amen Sister!:yeah:

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FYI-in the state of Wyoming I learned that a registered nurse with 7 years of experience can expect to make approx. $23 hr. in a hospital setting, with no additional compensation for having a BSN vs. an associate's degree. A registered nurse working in a doctor's office setting makes approx. $15/hr. I was shocked at that low rate, but a RN friend of mine with many years of experience confirmed it with first hand knowledge. Oh, and hospitals often require/expect a nurse to work both day and night shifts.

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I have often thought that a doctor's office position would be "easier" than a position in med/surg as a floor nurse. But is it as fullfilling? Do you really feel like a nurse? When you tell someone you are a "nurse", does it really feel genuine? I always felt more nurse-like when I worked in more intense areas of nursing such as ER or ICU. Just how I perceive myself.

I concur.

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Was an LPN......in office settings!! Now an RN in the hospital! I take the office over hospital ANY DAY!! You get to know these people inside and out in an office......you answer all their questions and develop relationships with them. To me, that means more than making sure all your documentation is done in the computer and have 15 min's to spend with patients at bedside! I miss the office.....AND in the end when I am gone.........will I feel like a made a difference?? Those long crazy hours at the hospital is time I miss with my family......I miss baseball games, homework, movies!!! Coming from a previous LPN and now RN!! Remember....if you are the ICU coordinator or a triage nurse in an office (We all went to nursing school) That's why you have so many different nursing avenues because they are needed in all different settings.......

Just my opinion : )

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I love working in the clinic! I do much better with the 8:30-5 shift, no weekends, no holidays, and I'm able to spend more time with my children. :) I transfered from the ICU to the clinic and haven't looked back...for me it's just so much better. The reduction in my pay was $501.28 a year, or $19.28 per paycheck. Of course that doesn't include shift/weekend differentials but I was dayshift so all things considered, I think that with taxes and whatnot it will pretty much be a wash. :)

To address what a couple of the previous posters have said, I personally don't feel like any "less" of a nurse because I work in a clinic. It is a specialty clinic so we have to be fairly well versed in the area, and it's so much more than just calling in refills. ;) I earned my nursing stripes with my critical care experience and use a lot of what I learned on a daily basis. Just because I'm not running my tail end off between two intubated patients does not make me any less of a nurse. Hospital/bedside nursing only makes up part of the nursing population. There is so much more.

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I make $29.00/hr days in a hospital with 1 yr exp; and was offered $17.00/hr at a doctors office. I would prefer the doctors office, but I can't justify the pay difference. Wish I could find an MD's office that paid more. However, since I started working my new specialty I have been much happier!

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