Tired of bedside nursing...HELP

Published

I graduated nursing school in Dec, 2012. I am gradually a new nurse for 3-4months now. I haved worked at reliant hospital, where i had 9-10 patients with 3 days training. i just put in my 2 weeks notice so it was so hectic. I am currently working in a nursing home till i found a nurse resident job. I am stressed out cuz hospitals dont want to hire... anyways.. i am thinking of going to get masters but confused on the road to go.

I was in grad school doing healthcare administration and MBA(dual degree) before i got into nursing school. I have a year left to finish. upon finishing nursing school, my families were like.. y do u want to continue healthcare/mba, u dont need it, there is no money in it, is hard to get a job in that scope..so i left my course at grad school and now pursuing FNP, in which i will be starting in sept.. well after working at the hospital, i realize i do not passion for bedside nursing. my passion is administrative. but at the same time, i want to a bigger salary or pay. also, i was looking into public health but i was like... hnmmmmmm (not sure). basically, should i go for fno cus it is mure lucrative in jobs and how is the pay and is it less bedside or continue in healthcare administration/mba- but how soon am i find a job with that post or is it for people who wants to start business??? plsssss help..

Also, i have searched of what i can do apart from bedside nursing with 3 month experience.. i have heard of insurance but they also said u need experience. i feel it is all about who you kno and connections.. anyone has an idea.. i lived in texas.. pls hook a sista up...job connections..

Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Sorry for raining on your parade, but those "lucrative" nursing jobs require significant levels of experience & expertise. There is a direct link between the eligibility requirements and level of pay - in any profession. With only 3 months of experience, you are still a new grad as far as acute care jobs are concerned. This may be different for LTC, but I don't know for sure.

Public health is essentially a tax-supported, governmental indstry so it is not an area of high salaries; these jobs may be subjected to long periods without any increase if there are more pressing budgetary needs. I recently heard that Louisiana was eliminating funding for childhood immunizations (!!!) due to budget shortages - nuff said.

If you are interested in climbing the career ladder to nursing administration, you will need an MSN, as well as well-established clinical competency & history of jobs with progressive increases in management accountability. Once you leave direct care, you will be salaried, with no opportunity for overtime or premium pay despite working >40 hours a week. It is not unusual for the lower levels of 'management' positions to pay less than staff nurse jobs. It can be a pretty hard slog.

It is not about "connections". Your network may help you become aware of job openings, but hiring is based upon experience & demonstrated expertise.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

moved for best response

I'm sorry, but it seems you are looking for something not reasonable right now: more money with no experience. Better work opportunities without having any expertise to offer. No time on the job (3 months is a drop in the bucket) but want an easier road.

HouTx gave you good information and advice. My advice? Take it. It's not a "hook up" you need, but time in the trenches earning the right to the opportunities you seek. Best of luck.

Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.

From nursing school, straight to the top! Talk about ambition! Should have had my limo pick you up at graduation! Must have a talk with my secretary about getting messages to me promptly.:smokin:

Once you have a significant trail of blood, sweat, and :poop: behind you, combined with more :bookworm:, then you can add your name to the long list of those waiting to get away from the bedside. It shouldn't be long, though. I think your number is coming up for selection in this decade instead of being carried over into the next.:roflmao:

All joking aside, though. You have to successfully put your time in as a follower before you can move over or up in this profession. There is this little thing call evidence-based practice. You have to be able to show that you come with a multitude of experience in order to be able to relate to those you plan to serve in other aspects of the field. I think you mentioned insurance as one area. You need to be able to know when an incident coincides with a particular claim and only experience in knowing what you're looking for and what questions to ask during the investigation can help you there. (At least, that's what I was told when I asked a friend of mine about what she did that lead her to the being a legal nurse consultant). Not to mention certifications that require a few years of experience in itself.

I hope things work out for you. Experience is something that can't be rushed. A day on the job can seem like a crash course in experience. But in the grand scheme of things, it's like snail mail.

Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I recently went back to the bedside after years of working in executive-level positions in the assisted-living industry. Now I'm wiping hiney and smelling GI bleeds at almost 55, just like I did when I was 35 and starting out as a CNA. You know what? It's good enough for me, at least till my knees and back wear out. And I'm at the top of the pay scale, so I can't really expect much in the way of increases.

But I have almost 20 years' experience under my belt, between CNA, nursing school, and sixteen years as an RN. Even in this day and age when the ADN means almost nothing, the BSN is becoming entry-level, and an MSN is required for nursing administration, my experience in all phases of elder care grants me the higher rate of pay, AND I'm first in line for promotion even though I'm "only" an ADN.

Why? Because I earned it. I didn't get as far as I did in life without busting my rear and proving to my superiors that even an ADN can handle a management position. The fact that I can no longer do so at the executive level (due to stress) doesn't mean I'm not good enough or smart enough for "better" things......right now, I'm back at the bedside because I want to be, and if I do wind up being promoted it won't be because I copped an attitude about floor nursing, or felt "entitled" to a higher-paid and better-respected position. But, that's just me.

I just have to say that no nurse wants to work for a manager that hasn't been there done that. If you can't do what I do, then who are you to be my supervisor? How am I supposed to respect you?

I am not bashing you for not being a bedside nurse, not everyone is cut out for that. Just don't expect to be a manager over staff nurses when you haven't done their job. They will eat you for lunch.

Yes there is insurance, there is also utilization review, some home health agencies hire case managers that do not have a lot of experience (just check to see if you are strictly doing paperwork or if you ever have to do direct care), there are nurses that work for Kaiser that have jobs such as checking physician credentials and continuing education that do not do patient care and the salary is good. So there is something out there for you, but a lot of it depends on where you live. Another option is to become an MDS nurse in LTC - talk to those that are already working in it to see what it involves. I will tell you though, that if anyone tells you that an MDS nurse is a 40 hour per week job don't believe a word of it - I loved being an MDS nurse but the hours were brutal.

The saddest thing to see is nurses and doctors with no bedside manner...The funny part is the patients know---get some experience first then climb the ladder like everyone else

+ Join the Discussion