As stated in my previous post I'm very unsettled in what I do right now in LTC. If curious please see my other post, I'm too exhausted to rehash it and completely saddened today that my one day off in the next 5, my son left early from previous plans. He gave me a heartbreaking hug, so I'm in a fragile state.
Completely unexpected I stumbled upon a postion for an educator for a hospice organization. Not only does it pay more (which is saying alot since I make as much as a hospital RN around here) however I didn't go into nursing for the money, bills must be paid. But they are willing to completely train! sounds a little too good to be true right? Besides life experience, I do have management experience, but agreed....in a whole other ballpark.
I read about how many nurses know from the get-go that they don't want bedside but it's necessary (this of course doesn't apply to those who love it, and I am not trying to be disrespectful) to understand the other jobs. It makes sense of course to have that experience to fall back on. But what I'm getting at, is after awhile much of the bedside skills are forgotten no? If someone is begrudgingly in that hospital knowing that they are going to leave for non-beside, this is good for the patients how? Esp when the skills will get rusty anyway. AND even more important is much of the hospital is paperwork and more paperwork, agreed? How many times do we read that nurses who want to provide direct care really can't in the way they want?
I'm leaning more and more these days towards some type of research I think. However I greatly respect the hospice mission statement.(so this may be a viable segway on the journey) I used to say (back when I was clueless and starting the nursing journey!) that I wanted to help people to the other side. So that may be what fits for now, and then build onto something for research later.
I'm not exactly sure if I stay in my LTC for a year how that will really benefit my nursing abilities. We do some skilled care, but anything we are doing is pretty repetative b/c of the same people. There are some that are different, but I'm not sure a year's time is going to provide me with that vast of an experience. Which leads me to the end question I had on my other thread. Is hospital bedside nursing a definite to be able to be the best at whatever you move on to do?
Or do any of you know any nurses who had relatively a short time as bedside and moved on quickly to non? I read one experience here from 2008 Of a nurse who left bedside after only 8mos. I only have a couple mos. am I completely crazy to want to try something else so soon?
I think I will still go on the interview and see what is what. But I just wanted perspective on when you know what you're doing really isn't cutting it, why must you waste more precious life keeping on the same hard path. Perhaps b/c of my age, I am very quick to realize what is not working, I have little tolerance for sticking through something that is making me more miserable than giving me joy in terms of work, b/c I have BTDT and just b/c it wasn't in the nursing sphere does not mean those trials and hard times should be eradicated. Nevertheless I don't want to skip valuable steps that I would regret later.
Maybe if this other position works out, it could be for now, while my son is still home, then if need be go back to a hospital? Or as I keep asking, is the hospital absolutely 100 pct necessary?
I dunno, I have been dropped into some totally unexpected and interestingly frightening scenarios. I think it will rest on your ability to stay cool and quickly pick things up as you go along. This fact> " they are willing to train" would already be the answer for me. Youcandoit! Good Luck to you :)
Well, technically, yes, "bedside nursing" would be any nursing done at the bedside -- but the term is generally used as "shorthand" to refer to acute care, inpatient (hospital) bedside nursing (as opposed to other nursing roles in acute care, hospital settings, or home health, or LTC, or any other kind of nursing position).
thanks for the answer b/c the op mentioned ltc as if it was bedside nursing
To me bedside nursing is working at the patient level. That includes LTC residents, acute patients, rehab patients, dialysis, home health care. Personally I think it is important to have some sort of bedside experience in the type of job you intend to advance in. Nothing worse than having an instructor or manager who has no idea what they are doing or what you are doing. Policies built on theory in the workplace vs policies built on what's best for the patient.
IMHO it is possible to have a very satisfing and long career in nursing without bedside nursing.
thanks for the answer b/c the op mentioned ltc as if it was bedside nursing
Forgot to add...
LTC is bedside nursing in my opinion - just a different type. Try taking care of every aspect of care of 16 residents with trachs, j/g tubes, etc. They define polypharmacy at the best. In my facility we had to do vitals, BGs, pass meds and do treatments on 16-20 residents. Maybe if we were lucky the charge nurse would do a couple of treatments.
LTC is bedside nursing in my opinion - just a different type. Try taking care of every aspect of care of 16 residents with trachs, j/g tubes, etc. They define polypharmacy at the best. In my facility we had to do vitals, BGs, pass meds and do treatments on 16-20 residents. Maybe if we were lucky the charge nurse would do a couple of treatments.
And yes I have worked in both acute and LTC.
Its amazing that there are different opinions of bedside nursing, but I have to agree with you too. So, if someone works in med surg and now works in ltc they are still doing bedside nursing.
Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.
You don't have to start at the bedside. I know a lot of nurses who did not. It is just that getting used to the usual duties of nursing are easier when you are at the bedside. But some nurses don't. I know some nurses who were able to go directly into their preferred speciality area such as teaching, Psych, ED, ICU and were lucky enough to get those offers directly out of nursing school.
A good nurse is a nurse who is good at what they do . There is a difference between being a bedside nurse , nurse educator or nurse manager .
I would argue that you need to have experienced the realities of direct , hands on care of patients in order to be a good nurse , for with all the book / classroom learned experience you have , you simply do not know the realities of caring for patients .
As in all jobs , you need a good grounding in it basic skills to form a foundation upon which your career can advance .
Its amazing that there are different opinions of bedside nursing, but I have to agree with you too. So, if someone works in med surg and now works in ltc they are still doing bedside nursing.
In my opinion..yes. There are different but both are bedside nursing. You can learn the basics from both and move up. For example in LTC you can learn ADL care, med pass, treatments, ambulation, patient comfort, etc. In some LTC settings you can get great skills. Respiratory units and rehab units are a good example. More and more LTC is getting more subacute as more people are pushed out from the acute setting faster. Even in a geriatric setting, you can get some good basics.
I plan on teaching in the future, but I want to get some good acute experience under my belt. I already have the LTC experience. I don't feel I could teach in a clinical setting if I didn't have the experience.
With all respect, let me state that not every nursing position requires functioning in a code situation (and certainly not hospice or research nursing). As for looking "silly," is that really the issue? Does the CNs job require lifting patients? then get her the training. If not, then what's the big deal? Nurses specialize. that's okay.
CN's are expected at my work to provide patient care and yes this involves having to assist non ambulatory patients if that's required. This particular nurse doesn't seem to think she needs any training either-one of those types of looks down her nose at bedside nursing and who I overheard saying afterwards 'I don't need to know any of that sh*t.
Maybe areas like education and informatics don't apply but if you want to specialize in a clinical hands on area like OR, ED, ICU etc then you need to know your basics.
Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.
I have reservations about a hospice educator who has no clinical hospice experience. In the PICU, the NICU, or L & D settings I would not have considered putting an RN in a staff education postition who was not expert in that area of nursing. It is difficult to imagine that it would be less important in hospice.
Not to diss your goals or experience...just sayin...
Interview...you never know what agencies will do...
Thank you for all the various insight. I see I have more thinking to do.
I'd like to clarify the position is w/ an organization that has been founded for 125 years. Besides hospice, they also offer skilled nursing as well as rehab, so they're quite big they have facilities all over the area.
I do not wish to avoid hospital nursing (I'll just say "hospital" since the delineation may not be clear,depending on the reader) b/c I think "I'm too good" or "why do I need to learn that shyt" My wanting to avoid it is 3-fold... I am trying to get to a normal schedule true, because as someone clearly picked up on (thank you forthebirds!) I do miss my son, I sacrificed so much time doing pre reqs and school, I just really thought I'd have a break by now, at least a 3/12 schedule so I could see him 4 days. Now I'm lucky if I see him 2. As mentioned, my H is trying to adapt to my schedule, but it's rough. I work to live, not ever live to work, as rewarding as it should be, it's still a job, not my life.
Next is I've had the jobs where I'm in tears over the thought of going to work, so stressed out I can barely function. I stayed in those positions for sometimes years b/c of my dedication and putting other things over my needs. Well being older, I realize life is short, too precious to let yourself be subject to a toxic work environment. Last, is I only figured if I did hospital (or now in the case of LTC) it would be max, 5 years. I'm not in hideous shape for aches and pains, but I'm a slender/small boned build. This doesn't exactly translate well for major physical stress on my body. Probably b/c I don't practice good body mechanics, for example my wrist from all the years of computer work and now with all the twisted and hammering of pills into dust, I'm probably developing CT. I never thought it would be a fair trade for my body to be shot in my quest to making a difference. Sorry but I'm not about to go the route of back/knee surgery if it can be avoided.
So since as I mentioned I see hospitals becoming more and more about the paperwork, get 'em in, move 'em out mentality, so I HONESTLY wondered what is I would take away from that when I know I eventually want to get to non-bedside and if it was possible. I was in no way trying to come off arrogant. It seems I just may have to develop a thicker skin and dive into the hospital if only for a year to have that on my resume. But I do fear many hospitals do have that toxicity, maybe I'll be blessed and find one that isn't.
This site is awesome for feedback. I read up on community nursing in the other forum and that sounds highly appealing as I want more the preventative and health promotion, but I don't see alternative care and herbals being viable for nurses. Never knew there was a MPH, that's great valuable info.
So again to those that were kind in their responses, I genuinely thank you. You brought to light what was in the back of my mind (how can I teach what I haven't experienced?) I may still go on the interview to see what's what. Why an established company does not necessarily want experience (the add even states 0-1 years). Where this may be a springboard to and so on. But those posters that had to bite back, I mean to not only say "that company won't last long" ...then to snidely add "go on and apply" I just don't understand why someone would feel the need to be snarky when honest questions are asked.
sounds a little too good to be true right? Besides life experience, I do have management experience, but agreed....in a whole other ballpark.
In my facility we had to do vitals, BGs, pass meds and do treatments on 16-20 residents. Maybe if we were lucky the charge nurse would do a couple of treatments. 
I just don't understand why someone would feel the need to be snarky when honest questions are asked.
AlbertSmiley
1 Post
I agree!