Where to go as a nurse if you dont want to work with patients at ALL?

Nurses General Nursing

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Please dont judge me as I am already judging myself hard enough for paying all this money for a degree I hate. I KNEW nursing wasn't for me 1st semester of nursing school. I am not a people person and found myself annoyed with the patients very quickly. My parents and friends told me this wasnt a field for me and my personality, but I for some reason stuck with it. I was 17 and figured "I'm in too deep now may as well finish because nursing credits won't transfer anywhere". So I graduated and got 3 years of ED experience. Hated every minute of it. The patients were often abusive and unappreciative. I felt like a maid who passed out pills between GSWs.

I took advice from this forum and tried outpatient. I enjoyed that environment and schedule more but hated one thing: The patients. In my outpatient role I literally put IVs in all day and gave IV contrast. I had the patients for 15 mins max, but had to ask them several questions to determine the reason for the study/safety of IV contrast. I found myself ANNOYED asking them the questions!! Having to repeat myself because they're on their phone, asking them to "take their shirt and bra off and put the gown on with the opening in the back" and returning to find them with the gown over their shirt, bra, and coat. ANNOYED at patients talking down on me.

I'm so defeated and depressed. I paid all this money and worked so hard for this degree. I just cant stand the patients. My coworkers seem to like me and I'm a good nurse. I'm just not happy. I've tried multiple hospitals and a different setting, but the underlying annoyance is the patients it seems. Are there any nursing fields I may be better suited to?

I have my bachelors degree in nursing. I was halfway through NP school before I realized becoming and NP won't solve my problem.

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Maybe I'm just really tired, but I can't stop laughing after reading this. Aren't these patients "other" people once they leave outpatient? How can they all be annoying?

Are your expectations realistic? Do you have a happy home life surrounded by people who aren't annoying? I frequently have patients who do irritating things, but I just smile and nod and go home and count my money.

Anyway, hope you find a solution. I'm going to bed.

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Specializes in Psych.

What about nurse informatics? A lot of the RNs I've seen at various clinics just do paperwork.

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At the risk of being annoying, I will answer. There are many threads here that will give you many ideas. You just need to research. Also research the job boards.

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44 minutes ago, Sour Lemon said:

Maybe I'm just really tired, but I can't stop laughing after reading this. Aren't these patients "other" people once they leave outpatient? How can they all be annoying?

Are your expectations realistic? Do you have a happy home life surrounded by people who aren't annoying? I frequently have patients who do irritating things, but I just smile and nod and go home and count my money.

Anyway, hope you find a solution. I'm going to bed.

Yes I do, I have friends and family. I dont have to get them water, reexplain simple things to them 2 times, put up with disrespectful behaviors like them talking on their cell phone while I'm helping them ect.

Dont get me wrong I dont hate all the patients. I have a few I love to help, but the annoyances outweigh those by far.

18 minutes ago, Been there,done that said:

At the risk of being annoying, I will answer. There are many threads here that will give you many ideas. You just need to research. Also research the job boards.

Thanks I did search this forum and reddit. All suggest things such as case management or outpatient or switching units which...all still have a lot of patient interaction. Hoping for a FEW more ideas. If you cant help thats great, but maybe others have felt similar and found hidden gems.

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Outside of nursing informatics, I suspect you consider a full career change if you are constantly annoyed. Work is going to be work. If it isn't patients annoying you, someone else will take their place.

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With nursing informatics you wouldn’t be dealing with “annoying” patients, but at times you would be dealing with annoying co-workers who don’t follow simple instructions and are having conversations while you are on the phone with them.

What about being a scrub nurse or circulator? Your patients are asleep most of the time.

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

Quality control, IT, SNF surveyor (possibly?) Utilization control, medical reviews for insurance

Especially utilization... IMHO, the best job if you just plain hate everyone at all, plus unlimited options to harrass providers.

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Specializes in Oncology, ID, Hepatology, Occy Health.

Have you thought of the pharmaceutical industry? Drug companies love hiring nurses to become sales reps because of your insider knowledge. That or you could go into clinical development with a drug company.

Then there's research. Many nurses become CRAs (Clinical Research Associates) and monitor clinical trials, again your prior nursing knowledge is a great advantage.

If you want to move away from health (once this world becomes "normal" again) airlines like to hire ex-nurses as flight attendants as your nursing knowledge is useful in on-board medical emergencies (and regular health upsets in-flight). Provided you don't find all the passengers too irritating!

Good luck with your search. I would say no knowledge and no experience is ever wasted - there are always ways to apply it.

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.
50 minutes ago, DavidFR said:

Have you thought of the pharmaceutical industry? Drug companies love hiring nurses to become sales reps because of your insider knowledge. That or you could go into clinical development with a drug company.

Then there's research. Many nurses become CRAs (Clinical Research Associates) and monitor clinical trials, again your prior nursing knowledge is a great advantage.

CRAs work with patients all the time, just so you know

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Specializes in Oncology, ID, Hepatology, Occy Health.
1 hour ago, KatieMI said:

CRAs work with patients all the time, just so you know

Not always. I have co-ordinated clinical trials in my days as a clinical nurse specialist in the UK and the CRA was literally the "policeman" who verified data, validated the CRFs etc. and never had contact with our patients. I now work in France in a phase 1 clinical trials unit and our CRA's have very little if any patient contact. I don't know where you are and I realise this could be different in other geographical locations.

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.
57 minutes ago, DavidFR said:

Not always. I have co-ordinated clinical trials in my days as a clinical nurse specialist in the UK and the CRA was literally the "policeman" who verified data, validated the CRFs etc. and never had contact with our patients. I now work in France in a phase 1 clinical trials unit and our CRA's have very little if any patient contact. I don't know where you are and I realise this could be different in other geographical locations.

I and the topic's author are both from the USA. Here research nurses routinely enroll subjects, educate about trials, collect questionnaires and other such paperwork, access them before meds administration, distribute and administer the trialed meds and do other tasks which involve direct patient contacts. Maybe not all of them have that type of work but those I have working contact with sure do.

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