RN Case manager Vs Doctor Office?

[obc8166]

I am currently seeking a position as a nurse who has one year of Med/Surg experience. I want a Mon-Friday position. I am wanting to know what seems a little less stressful .. Doctors office or Case Management? There is a case management position at a hospital but I have no experience in Case Management which is not a requirement to have. I am undecided. I am wanting to know which one would you suggest as nurses that have done either or. What do you exactly do as a Case Manager (RN) or what does a RN do in a office setting? I have been a nurse for one year and one half. Please send your thoughts. Thank you.

[RNperdiem, RN]

From my observation, the doctors offices' tend to use nurse practitioners or LPNs who work interchangeably with the medical assistants.

My OB-Gyn did have an RN who worked as a telephone triage nurse, but she had years of L&D to be able to advise the pregnant women who called.

One place that does use RNs and has a (mostly) Mon-Fri schedule are procedural clinics, places that do colonoscopies, outpatient eye surgery etc. You would need some procedural sedation skills, IV skills and the ability to monitor a patient which you could get if you worked ICU for a while.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I work from home as a nurse case manager for an insurance company. While my hours are 8:00 to 5:00pm Monday through Friday, I am fortunate to have the flexibility to arrange my work days in the manner I see fit.

If I worked at a doctors office or clinic, I would be forced to be there prior to 8:00am and probably could not leave until the last patient of the day exited.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Case Management would add more value to your career trajectory. CM is a growing field - very important element for population management. CM jobs can vary, but most are focused on improving discharge outcomes, both in terms of clinical and financial goals. So, some CMs are involved in analysis & reduction of costs of care, while others may be working with improving care pathways and protocols. CM certification is required for positions in many organizations.

Physician offices (not associated with large health care systems) tend to pay very poorly and have more casual approaches to staffing and adherence to salary & overtime rules. It's not unusual to have unexpectedly long days, especially if the physician sees hospitalized patients. In small offices, it's VERY difficult to get any time off, because there isn't any staff coverage & continuing education/ tuition reimbursement benefits are very rare.

[ivyleaf]

I have worked as a hospital CM and now work as a float in outpatient clinics (mostly primary care, also rheumatology and urgent care)

From what I have seen, hospital CMs are generally under more time pressure than outpatient RNs- depends on the office (or unit) though

Our agency relies heavily on medical assistants; nurses do more advanced triage, case management, certain injections, etc

As a float I work 830-5, although some nurses work 8-430

[obc8166]

I was offered a job here in VA at a doctors office. They are going to pay me $16 per hour. 140 hours of PTO per year. Insurance seems good but they pay is very low I know. I was also offered a Home Health job. Not sure which one to take? What are some pros and con's of working in both do you know? Thanks for your feedback!

[cocoa_puff]

What is the pay/hours for the home health job? I wouldn't work for $16/hr unless I was a professional mattress tester.

[obc8166]

The home health job pays 36$ per visit. Which I'll do like 5 patients per day. You are on call one week every 4-5th week. On call pays 250$ along with your regular hours you'll do that week. They reimburse mileage .45 on the gallon. Again my main concern was driving to various houses different days the wear and tear on my vehicle vs office is just 3 mins from my house. I'm not sure. I know home health would be more money but also skeptical about being alone.

[obc8166]

The hours for home health you start around 8:30 or 9 am and she said you may finish around 3 pm and take home charting. Its Mon thru Friday with occasion on call for one week. No Sundays.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Check out the many threads here on AN regarding non-hospital/ bedside jobs.

18 months experience COULD possibly qualify you for case management or office nursing.

Before you apply for anything.. you need to do your OWN research . Apply for those positions where you meet the employer's criteria.

You will need to sell yourself, know the requirements of the position and market yourself.

Best of luck.

[cocoa_puff]

The week you'd be on call for the home health position, would you be responsible for 24/7 coverage for the whole week in addition to your regular hours? Because I've heard some companies do that and it sounds insane to me.

[obc8166]

Thank you!