RN in Internal Medicine

[RN_srs]

Fellow nurses...

I currently work on a Medical unit in a Community Hospital. D/t recent changes with my unit, I've been searching for a new job; really need a break from the inpatient setting and have been searching for Urgent Care jobs, which are hard to find in my area.

However, an Internal Medicine RN job has just opened up at a big clinic near my house. I'm going to apply, but I'm looking for any input you may have regarding Internal Medicine... good and bad! I love using the skills I've developed while working in the hospital, I'm worried I will lose too much of that, even though I plan on staying per diem at my current job.

So, what is IM like? What type of patients will I see?

What would my responsibilities as an RN be like?

I'm currently in a MSN program in the Nurse Educator route but thinking of switching to NP, would this be a good learning environment?

Thanks guys! Looking forward to your responses!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I don't know anything about clinics -- I'm just responding to the "losing my skills" concern. If you change jobs, you will lose some skills, but you're going to develop others. When the time comes that you need the skills you've "lost", they'll come back to you pretty darned quickly.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Usually you will be doing a lot of triage mostly with an older population along with the occasional injections etc. although most of that is done by the MA's. It depends a lot on if they are traditional IM docs or if they do some specialty stuff and procedures. All that said every office is different. Go for it and if possible ask to shadow the nurse for a day to get a feel for it.

[snowflower2016]

I'd think it'd be about 90% triage on the phone and 10% skills including an occasional EKG, TB tests, neb treatment, etc. (This is based on an outpatient internal medicine job I interviewed for.)