Pester1

OMG, sounds like my preceptor at my very first nursing job. She was 23, and was dissapointed at having an "older lady" for a preceptee. On my first day on the floor she told me "my last preceptee was an older lady too, and she didnt work out. You need to do what your told and keep your mouth shut." :argue: WOW, I let her get to me, I only stayed there 2 months, I was so stressed and felt so inadequate that I questioned everything I did and made stupid mistakes. I had to quit for my sanity alone. Havent worked in a hospital since, been at LTC and a clinic. I am interviewing this week for a staff nurse in a hospital, which I have heard very good things about, from their employees. I really think this will be different, I am also in a better place now, having some experience under my belt. And if they dont hire me...well then it wasnt the job for me. I will keep trying until I find that job. Are you still working there??

I am an RN in an outpatient clinic, in neurology. I get to do an occasional IV and push meds. But 99% of the time it is phones, faxing, orders. I agree that most of the time I do an MAs job. But, I love the drs I work with. Before I went to nursing school I always had clerical jobs (among others) and it got to the point where I hated the phone. It is getting to be that way again. I feel very stressed, irritated, and burnt out. I have the busiest doc in our dept and field at least 50-100 phone calls a day, plus refills, orders, faxing, appts, and much more when my doc is actually in clinic. I miss the one on one patient contact of the hospital or LTC. The hours ROCK, I do 7:30-3:30 on most days sometimes I need to stay late, M-F. But are the hours worth it if Im starting to hate my job?

OMG, my mother and her friends are always asking me questions. When I reply that I dont know or that they need to call their primary I always hear...."But your a nurse, why dont you know that?"

I work in a neurology dept. Although I do get to do IVs occasionally, thats the only "hands on" nursing that I really do. At my clinic it is alot of phone work, refills, insurance companies, patient questions, etc. Some days I just cant take the sound of another phone ringing. But I work for the busiest provider in our group. I love the people I work with and most of the patients. I rotate charge duties with 2 other nurses. Most of what I do can be done by the MA. I am having a hard time right now deciding if I want to stay or try for a hospital job. I know I would learn so much by working in a hosp/LTC again, but I am pretty comfy where I am and if you want/need a day off it is pretty easy to get. So I am torn.

Madison Wisconsin, starting pay at all of the hospitals is >29.00/hr, With 2 years experience base is 31.00 with 1.75 for pms and 3.00 for nights/weekends. The smaller community hospitals in the outlying areas are quite a bit less.

I am a new NP (graduated from my acute care NP program in June). I am working in Hospital medicine. I like it so far, although since I just started everything is so new and a bit scary still. lol I enjoy working in the hospital setting, and before I graduated as an NP I worked in med/surg/tele as an RN for 3 years. I do feel those 3 years gave me a good background for what to expect to be the patient care issues for my current job. Once you are in your program and start clinicals, I bet you will have a better sense of what you like. Congratulations!!! Thanks for all of your input/feedback. I have a few applications out for hospital nurse positions. So, hopefully.......

Im not enrolled yet but I will be going to Viterbo's BSN/MSN program and doing the NP probably in family practice. I work in neurology and I do mostly phone work, refills, deal with insurance. I do alot of IV therapies, but this is the one of the only nursing skills I seem to use on a regular basis. Im not sure where I want to work when I have my NP, Im really not sure of all the options. I really enjoyed working at the nursing home, and I did work on a med/surg floor for a couple of months right out of school (22 y/o preceptor wasnt very happy to have an "older lady" for a preceptee. I was told that the first older lady they had didnt work out so I should just keep my mouth shut and do what I was told). I feel that working in a hospital will give me better skills and knowledge to fall back on. Do you work as an NP? Which field? Thank for the feedback!

Would some tell me what a usual day is like in the ICU?

:nurse:I am an RN with almost 2 years of experience. LTC and Clinic. I am going to go on for my BSN/MSN for NP. From what Im reading it would really benefit me to work in a hospital while Im going to school. Do you all feel the same? Can you be an effective NP without hospital experience? I love the people I work with at the clinic but I feel much more like a secretary than a nurse and I feel like my skills are slipping away. Thoughts?