Those who have left bedside nursing (like me...)

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Mar 26, 2010

I am in staff development (education) in a hospital. LOVE IT. Do not miss bedside, but still dabble a bit with students, new grads and in some patient teaching. Have been told I am not a real nurse but I consider that they do not know what my job entails or what a real nurse is, so I do not let it bother me. These are the same people who will sneak in to my office to ask practice questions.

guest2210 · Mar 26, 2010

After 28 years, I am now doing EMR support. I LOVE IT!!! :redpinkhe

Have been doing it for 2 years. Best of both worlds-nursing and computers!

mustlovepoodles, RN · Mar 26, 2010

I left the NICU after 10 hard years back in 1995. First I did pediatric telephonic nursing for 12 years, then 3 years ago I switched to school nursing. I have never missed working in the hospital. I love working in my elementary school. THere have been a few times where other nurses looked down their nose at me--you know, there *is* a hierarchy: ER, ICU, OR, Specialties, Med/surg, then everything else. :rolleyes: It doesn't really bother me--I know how valuable I am.

Most people have no idea what a school nurse does. I work in a very low income school--100% of our kids are on free breakfast AND lunches. Half of them do not speak English as a first language. If I could describe the student body in one word it would be: transient. A lot of these families are rootless. As a result, they often don't have adequate healthcare and dental treatment. Few to none are receiving any kind of mental health treatment. I am the first line of healthcare for a LOT of these families. Sure, I give out a lot of bandaids and ice packs--ice cures everything, don't you know. But I also do daily tube feedings, daily diabetes management with a very young brittle diabetic, daily asthma assessments, IEP recommendations, hearing and vision screening. I am an advocate for students and an educator for teachers. I am busy, but not wild, all day long. I love that my day is pretty predictable. That I never skip lunch. That I can come in at 8am and leave ON TIME at 2:30. Everybody loves me and appreciates me. I must admit, I have a very cushy job. :yeah:

gonzo1, ASN, RN · Mar 26, 2010

It's good to know there is nursing life out there aside from hospital. Congratulations on finding and filling a drastically needed niche

luvschoolnursing, LPN · Mar 26, 2010

Walked away from bedside nursing about 8 years ago and haven't looked back. Don't miss the madness a bit. Yes, I have been told I am no longer a "real nurse" but I know what I do and I believe I make a difference. I still am a real nurse, just a different kind of nurse.

roser13, ASN, RN · Mar 26, 2010

I've left bedside nursing and I do miss it. Not enough to go back , but I do miss it.

And yes, I do get the "not a real nurse anymore" comments.

llg, PhD, RN · Mar 27, 2010

I worked as a staff nurse for only 2 years before leaving the bedside and going to grad school. After graduating with my MSN, I was a CNS and did a lot of staff development. So, I was still "near the bedside" and ocassionally involved with patients for many years. Now, I even further from the bedside as I work on hospital-wide projects.

Yes, I missed the patient care -- but only at first. As years went by, I missed it less and less. Yes, I have gotten the comments about not being a "real nurse" -- but I figure those comments are from people with a very narrow view of nursing and little understanding of all that nursing is and can be.

I always figured that as a staff nurse, I was only helping 1 patient at a time. As I got further and further from the bedside, I was able to effect the lives of an increasing number of people (through teaching, research, etc.)

Ahhphoey · Mar 27, 2010

I have been a nurse for 10.5 years in a variety of areas including long-term care, skilled/rehab, med-surg, icu, house supervisor, and bed flow. I am about to leave the bedside in a few weeks to a staff development-type job (it's my employer's stepping stone to being a CNS) called a nurse clinician. I already have a MSN, but will need to obtain my CNS within 3 years for this job. I'll be starting towards the end of April and am really excited about the opportunity. Several years ago I decided to give myself 10 years at the bedside before I looked for something else; I just knew despite how much I love being a nurse that I did not want to be at the bedside for my entire career. I would have like to work as a supervisor full-time, but I'm only part-time and there were no full time openings. But, the job I'm going into is M-F, no weekends or holidays, and I only have to take call four times a year. It is salary, though, so I'll have to see how that goes :uhoh21:

that_judi_girl · Mar 27, 2010

I left hospital nursing for Public Health 20 years ago. I manage a variety of clinical programs but I really like public health preparedness the best. I enjoy working with various community agencies and through preparedness activities, and especially managing the H1N1 Influenza Pandemic, have earned a greater respect from the medical community and our other partners - like Law enforcement, EMS and Emergency Management. My job may seem boring, but it is exciting to me. Most people assume because I work at a Health department that I am a Home Health Nurse. Or they think that we just provide Flu shots every fall. Yeah, we do that too. So, yeah, I get the "not a real nurse" look when I tell people what I do. I love the fact that there are so many varied career paths within the nursing profession.

SDALPN · Mar 27, 2010

Where did you go? DME company

What do you do now? Deliver/set up/maintain DME.

Do you enjoy it? Yes

Do you miss bedside care? Still see patients to teach how to use equipment.

But don't use it on them. I miss certain parts and have considered p/t home care. But I wouldn't go back to doing it FT. I really like what I do.

Do you feel like a "real nurse" or have been told you are not a "real nurse"? Haven't been told that. I use lots of nursing knowledge. I never know what I will be doing for the day. I don't use as many skills, but I use more of what I know than I did in bedside nursing. I do get asked what the difference is between RN and LPN. Its a great opportunity to inform others about nursing and the differences between RNs and LPNs where I live.

Otessa, BSN, RN · Mar 27, 2010

I realized that I didn't answer my own questions.

Where did you go?

Nearly 4 years ago I left bedside nursing to work in PI/Quality Improvement in a hospital setting while still working a few M-F shifts a month in the critical care float pool at the same hospital.

What do you do now?

Over 2 years ago I moved out of state and am now working as a clinical educator/staff development specialist in a large clinic system

Do you enjoy it?

Yes! Glad I made the switch. I educated varied staff members in my PI role and realized that was where I needed to head in the future. Completing my MSN in Education at the end of April.

Do you miss bedside care? Sometimes. Wish my job would allow me to work in the ambulatory surgery department PRN but my manager won't agree to it-too busy with education projects and teaching staff.

Do you feel like a "real nurse" or have been told you are not a "real nurse"?

I feel like a real nurse and am used as a resource by managers and staff. The teaching that I provide impacts the care that staff provide and staff tell me things that need to change. I go to different meetings where I can be the voice for the staff who can't attend.

Don't plan to return to direct patient care in the near future-22 years of working in healthcare -plan to go strong for another 20 years or so.

otessa