What field of nursing would you NEVER consider working?

grouchy · Nov 27, 2003

Originally posted by jailnurse1033
I always thought I would never do Corrections. Then I picked up a side job at the prison, just because the money is so good. After the first week I just loved it and went there full time. So if I had to pick an area now I would never work in it would have to be inpatient psych (which I did for 5 years and enjoyed, but don't picture ever returning).

How interesting! What do you like about it? I thought you'd actually see alot of psych pts in corrections. I've read that the LA County jail is now the nation's largest de facto psych hospital. What has your experience been like? Do you have to fight to provide good care to your patients, or is the system set up to alllow you to actually do so? Are many of your patients trying to manipulate the prison system? I think working with young, relatively healthy (as opposed to dying 80-year-olds in hospitals) patients would be cool. Primary health care for an underserved population would be cool. I personally like using nursing as a way to see areas of life I would never otherwise be exposed to, so I've wondered about this. Do the guards and staff tend to all hate the inmates? What is your day actually like?

healingtouchRN · Nov 27, 2003

NICU, OR, PEDS, Nursing home-long term care. Just can't do it.

FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I · Nov 27, 2003

Hi Grouchy,

I was an EMT for 18 years, and once you get used to Emergency care, you automatically begin forming your plan of care, of course with the primary assessment first ...Airway, breathing, circulation, and looking for wounds and injuries on the back. Once that is taken care of, including exposing the body by cutting boots, pants, shirts, etc, and taking care of injuries such as sucking chest wounds that cause tension pneumothorax, etc.

Then the secondary assessment is done.

And the exciting part about it is, each case is different, and is never boring. If you're into it that is.:)

adrienurse, LPN · Nov 27, 2003

I'm an LTC nurse.

I worked peds Psychiatry and Man, that was scary. Never would go there again.

Also

Any kind of nursing that is all about the procedure and not about caring for the person afterwards is not for me. I don't think I can do that, I'm so used to caring for people over the long term, I'd feel that there was something missing.

uk_nurse · Nov 27, 2003

any kind of adult nursing is definitely not for me. Paeds is so great to work in.

renerian, BSN, RN · Nov 27, 2003

You could never pay me enough. I know I heard women screaming! I had my first baby natural, over 49 hours in labor and 12 with pit and a baby stuck in the birth canal, taken out with forceps no anethesia and I never once screamed, hit or yelled at anyone.

I could never work with women like that. My niece refused to take lamaze classes. In labor she actually hit the nurses, her mate and was kicking people.

I could never deal with that. Hats off to all ob nurses.

Give me all the terminal folks please.

renerian

jailnurse1033 · Nov 27, 2003

Hi Grouchy,

Corrections is interesting - it is a part of society that not everyone gets to see. It's sort of a subculture that is amazingly alike in facilities all over the country. Unlike medical facilities security is primary and medical is secondary - someone could be dying on the floor, but if the area is not secured I am not allowed to enter. It is fast paced and medical emergencies pop up with suprising frequency. We tend to serve a population of people who have not treated their health conditions on the "outside", and as a result they can be in poor shape. There is a lot of mental illness and suicide attempts occur fairly frequently. There are injuries from altercations and we treat the Officers and the inmates. And the meds - tons of meds to pass. More STD's than I even knew existed on the planet - drug and etoh addiction, pregnant inmates - and you must be ever aware of inmates trying to "play" you - I've never been lied to so much in my life. I don't find that the staff dislikes the majority of the inmates - I believe strongly that I am not the judge, legally or morally. Don't get me wrong though, there have certainly been inmates that creeped me out in a big way. And yet something about it appeals to me!

adrienurse, LPN · Nov 28, 2003

Respiratory :: can't stand phlegm.

Interesting that I swore that I would never never work in geriatrics while I was a student (I hated my rotation), but here I am in LTC.

PMHNP10 · Nov 28, 2003

Wow...my thread continues to have many wonderful posts. Thank you all.

Something I was wondering about the Peds lovers. Is dealing with the parents on the average any worse than dealing with any of the relatives of an adult pt? At first thought I would say no, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder.

grouchy · Nov 28, 2003

Thanks for the insight, Robyn. And Frances, I always wanted to be an EMT. Before I became a nurse I was too strapped for cash while I was in school to be able to take the time out from paid work to do the extensive, unpaid training. I still toy with the idea. I used to work with someone who worked full time as a nurse, and volunteered as an EMT on the side. I wish I had her energy! I am at a point in my life (single, no kids, finally liberated from eldercare responsibilities) where I could do that as a 'hobby'. The trouble is that there is so much I want to do - including go back to school, travel, become politically active, write, volunteer at the Americares free clinic,etc. - that I don't know if becoming an EMT will make the final cut.

Sometimes I feel like I want to try almost every different profession, and take classes in almost every field. I think I've been spoiled by being a reader: when I read I can immerse myself in all kinds of "worlds". It kills me that I can't do that in real life. But, one of the things I love about nursing is that I can sort of do that. I look forward to trying all sorts of different areas within nursing, and continuing to meet people from all walks of life and backgrounds.

lanilpn · Nov 28, 2003

I have 2-

-first it would be phsyc. they just plan scare me. i can't tell what they are thinking or what they might do next. the last time i had to deal with a patient with "issues", the pt. came into the dr. office crying and shaking, curled into a tight ball-saying that he didn't want to live anymore, he wouldn't look at anyone-just at the floor. If anyone has seen the show ER- he reminded me of the pt that stabbed Carter. very scary for me. we ended up sending him to the hospital. too scary for me.

-second would be with terminal children. i almost failed my pediatric rotation. i was fine when in the room with the children,but as soon as i left i could not stop the tears.

jjjoy, LPN · Nov 28, 2003

I, too, have a desire to try all types of professions and think my love of reading and "experiencing" so many different lifestyles may have contributed to that desire.

I really enjoyed the challenges of nursing school, but I wasn't eager for more after graduation. Still, I did try the med-surg thing, because it's so strongly so recommended. I was miserable. Then I tried LTC. Some things better, some worse, but still not a good fit. Now, I'm working in healthcare publications. Ahhh... it suits me so much better!

It's hard to turn away from the opportunities that clinical nursing can offer, but it's worth it to me to take a different route. I greatly admire those of you who make clinical nursing your career. We each have different strengths to offer!