question about lvns working in doctor's offices

[noneil680]

So, my question is I would LOVE to work at a family clinic or physician's office. I really dont have a desire to work at a hospital, so would I be better off going for my lvn or rn? I am not sure exacly if rns or lvns mostly work where I am interested???? Thanks in advance for the help and reading this :)

Nikki:heartbeat

p.s. I live in southern cali, if it makes a difference

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

Thread moved to Nursing Career Advice forum to encourage responses.

[noneil680]

Oh awesome! Thanks! I am new to this, so I really have no idea what I am doing on here :)

[caliotter3]

Office nurses generally get paid less than nurses working in other facilities. Doctors look for RNs with experience for these jobs, however, they are aware that licensed nurses are less likely to accept low wages, unless they have other reasons for wanting to work in an office or clinic. That is primarily the reason why you have medical assistants working in offices, willing to work for less. You will probably find it difficult to get your first job in an office because of a lack of experience. When you apply for these jobs, emphasize your willingness to learn. If they are willing to train a new medical assistant, they are probably willing to train a new nurse.

[NatashaFromOregon]

In my area most of our clinicas (like my daughter's ped's clinic) are staffed by LPNs and CMAs. Of course we also have Dr.s and 2 NPs (yay!), but most of the actual work (no offense to Dr.s!) is done by the LPNs and CMAs. Most RNs around here do not do clinic work, mainly because, as was previously mentioned, clinic nurses get paid less, and LPNs will work for less pay. And, unfortunately, the medical field is all about saving $$$ these days...

When I first was interested in a career in nursing, I wanted to do clinic work as well, and was dissapointed to find that RNs are not employed at most local clinics. I cannot get into a LPN course because there isn't one in my area. I'm hoping to get into my community college's ADN program. If you really want to do clinic work, and an LPN program is available, go for it! You can always bridge to RN later if you want to.