Which fields of nursing have the most stable clients

[JPN_RN]

I found out that (at least for me):

unstable patient = stress = me not happy.

So I was wondering which nursing fields have the most medically stable clients? Psych, MD's office, public health, and clinics are some that come to mind... does anyone agree/disagree or have any thoughts? Thanks.

[SubSippi]

Care management positions, home health, diabetes education, public health nursing...

[delilas]

• Corrections (well, generally. 95% of the time, they're all stable. When they're not, it's bad and you're a 1 or 2 nurse code team).
  
• School nursing (similar to corrections...it's all good until a kids airway closes during an asthma attack)
  
• Non-telemetry medical surgical floors - think s/p arthroplasty, less-than-a-day inpatient surgery type floors.
  
• Acute Rehab units
  

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I wouldn't generalize any of those fields as having more stable patients. With the number of people battling more than one medical condition/comorbidity, anyone can become unstable in mere moments.

We recently had a pre surgical cardiac consult, who drove himself in from home, had never been admitted to the hospital, but had shown some blockages on routine cath, pass out in the waiting room of the cardiac surgeon's office. He went from office to ER to cath lab to OR with his chest cracked open in less than an hour.

[GeorgiaRN2]

Peds in a pediatric doctor's office. Well kid visits.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Community based jobs.

There are always the extreme cases though... like in Home Health, the patient who should have called 911 three hours ago but didn't because "the nurse was coming anyway."

[Irish RN]

• Corrections (well, generally. 95% of the time, they're all stable. When they're not, it's bad and you're a 1 or 2 nurse code team).
  
• School nursing (similar to corrections...it's all good until a kids airway closes during an asthma attack)
  
• Non-telemetry medical surgical floors - think s/p arthroplasty, less-than-a-day inpatient surgery type floors.
  
• Acute Rehab units
  

Disagree with this, only because I work medsurg and it's EXTREMELY stressful. I've called several code strokes and rapid responses (no code blues yet *knock on wood!*). I've had to transfer patients to tele units and ICU. Medsurg is not "stable patients" by any means, they're acutely ill. We also deal with a lot of detoxers, dementia/Alzheimer's, combative/noncompliant patients.

If you're trying to avoid stress, which it sounds like this is the issue opposed to the stable vs. nonstable patients, medsurg is NOT for you!!

I'd consider an office/clinic setting where you have set appointments and no walk-ins..then you know what to expect when you start your day.

[Caffeine_IV]

I would say the doctors office and LTC (not the rehab wings).

Med surg patients are supposed to be stable as unstable should mean they are in ICU or stepdown at least. They are giving all areas patients with higher acuity than in the past. And stable patients aren't necessarily less busy.

[OCRN3]

Can completely relate, since being off the floor I can totally see how much less stress I have as a nurse educator. Yes we have patients but the students usually just assist the primary nurse while I supervise. It's been the least stressful time in my whole 15 years in nursing :) my husband often comments on how much happier I look !

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[Hoozdo, ADN]

Research nursing is very low stress to me having come from an ICU background. Just being out of the hospital environment has done wonders for my well-being and mental health.

[Student Mom to Three]

Outpatient procedures. By definition the patients must be "stable". There is always the possibility of an emergency....but they do not occur often.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I had a friend love doing psych counseling with a low-risk population as a MN with prescriptive authority. M-F, 9-3, no call, not much stress at all.