Will an LVN, RN, or BSN route open up more opportunities for working outside of bedside?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hello, all!

After working in clerical hospital roles in multiple facilities and having an up close view of what nurses do on a daily basis, I have realized that I would DREAD working bedside in a hospital. I'm wondering, though, is it possible just to head straight to a clinic or doctor's office upon graduating? Also, is an RN or LVN more likely to work in one of these roles? Honestly, my absolute dream would be to work in a public health setting! I would love to work with underserved populations.

Basically,--and I feel bad saying this--I am looking for a relatively low-stress nursing job (although I know they're all stressful to a degree!). I've witnessed so many resuscitations (more attempted than successful), death/dying, and sudden emergencies and I am just NOT looking to have that be part of my job. I want nursing to be for me, but I'm afraid that my desires may not be reasonable or possible. I hate to put it this way, but I would strongly reconsider moving forward with nursing if it meant that this were not possible.

As I said, I feel guilty admitting all of these things, but I truly am interested in nursing because I feel great satisfaction from helping others, I'm a natural advocate, I keep calm under pressure, and I love to read about everything health-related. I've viewed both the RN and LVN courses at my local college, and every subject seems completely thrilling to learn about.

Also, for background, I live in the Houston area, am in my mid-twenties, married, and have a baby on the way. A good work/life balance is important to me as we want additional children and I certainly want to be involved in their lives. Currently, I'm considering all nursing avenues, and a Bachelor's degree is as far as I'm willing to go at this point (I definitely would be eyeing a public health degree if I did take this route!).

Also, as far as the LVN vs. RN question, I've met a lot of LVNs who have expressed regret for not pursuing an RN degree because of pay and wanting more opportunities. All I'm seeking to do is make a decent paycheck for a comfortable lifestyle and to work outside of bedside.

Basically, I'm at the point where I'm tired of thinking/debating what I want and start doing--and that means finding what works for me and not settling! I am finally feeling liberated and ready to do this!

Any thoughts or advice on any of this is more than helpful to me--I would appreciate it so much!

tl;Dr: Debating between LVN, RN, or BSN--whichever will offer me the most opportunities of working outside of bedside. I do NOT want to work bedside upon graduating and am wondering how possible this is to avoid. I would strongly reconsider the nursing path if this were NOT possible.

Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

While it's not impossible to find employment away from the bedside as a new nurse it's not usually easy. Mostly jobs away from direct patient care are difficult to get without at least some relevant experience. But if you are looking for patient care positions outside of the acute setting opportunities for new grads can be plentiful, especially since most of these positions tend to pay less than jobs in the acute care setting.

Look at job boards for your community to see what types are positions tend to be available in the type of place you think you'd like to work. Clinics rarely hire new grad RN's anymore so LPN or even MA might be a better option for that setting. Schools it's hit or miss depending on the district requirements, some hire RN's, some LPN's and some both. Then there's always corrections, home health, addiction, psych, etc. though to be honest I'm not sure if a few of these settings are really appropriate for inexperienced nurses.

From your post it sounds to me like public health may be your end goal and that's actually good news for you as that's probably one of the easier routes to enter nursing without acute experience. Public Health will probably require a BSN at both the county and state level so if you know that's what you want you'll need to get to that degree at minimum. I know in my locale Public Health nursing is new grad friendly, partly because they can't match the pay scale that experienced nurses expect.

We also have a few Native populations in the area and the reservations are very receptive to employing new grads though they are open about giving hiring preference to Native American applicants. I don't know if that's an option in your area but it is something to consider as well.

Specializes in Psychology.
1 hour ago, kbrn2002 said:

While it's not impossible to find employment away from the bedside as a new nurse it's not usually easy. Mostly jobs away from direct patient care are difficult to get without at least some relevant experience. But if you are looking for patient care positions outside of the acute setting opportunities for new grads can be plentiful, especially since most of these positions tend to pay less than jobs in the acute care setting.

Look at job boards for your community to see what types are positions tend to be available in the type of place you think you'd like to work. Clinics rarely hire new grad RN's anymore so LPN or even MA might be a better option for that setting. Schools it's hit or miss depending on the district requirements, some hire RN's, some LPN's and some both. Then there's always corrections, home health, addiction, psych, etc. though to be honest I'm not sure if a few of these settings are really appropriate for inexperienced nurses.

From your post it sounds to me like public health may be your end goal and that's actually good news for you as that's probably one of the easier routes to enter nursing without acute experience. Public Health will probably require a BSN at both the county and state level so if you know that's what you want you'll need to get to that degree at minimum. I know in my locale Public Health nursing is new grad friendly, partly because they can't match the pay scale that experienced nurses expect.

We also have a few Native populations in the area and the reservations are very receptive to employing new grads though they are open about giving hiring preference to Native American applicants. I don't know if that's an option in your area but it is something to consider as well.

So one can be an RN with a public health degree?

One can be an RN with an RN license. When applying for an RN license, one presents their graduation documentation from an RN program. If you want to pursue an MPH after becoming an RN, that would be a good option in some instances.

Specializes in LTC & Rehab Supervision.

Sounds like you could be an overnight bedside nurse. That's what I currently do, per diem. (MUCH) higher pay, less responsibilities yet you also still get to be a nurse. I work in a nursing home, and I've only been a nurse since October. I'd look into an overnight position at a LTC center if I were you!

1 Votes
Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.
2 hours ago, implathszombie9 said:

So one can be an RN with a public health degree?

State and County governments hire nurses with the title public health nurse. The position specifically requires an RN license for that state. Education requirements are not the same as licensing requirements, however these nursing jobs usually require a nurse with a BSN degree at minimum. I suppose if a nurse held dual degrees in both nursing and public health it would sure be a resume booster for the position.

On 4/23/2020 at 9:04 PM, Sophie27 said:

You may think differently later in life as you work within nursing and the roles you take on. Precisely, this is what is great about nursing, in that you will never get bored trying different jobs and enjoying your journey.

I wish you well my friend,

Hi there! I just wanted to let you know that your post really stood out to me and it has actually had me reconsidering my post. Here's what I've been thinking:

1. You're right, what if I do like it? I'll never know if I don't try it out.

2. There's so much to learn and do in nursing, and that's exciting to me. I like the idea of constantly learning, and I really like the idea of a challenge.

3. I was worried about not having a normal, consistent schedule for my family. Honestly, working three days a week (although I know I would be on call, too) wouldn't be a bad gig.

4. Thinking long-term about my family, the nursing pay would be nice. It would be nice to not have to worry about money and to live comfortably. Also, if something were to happen to my husband and it would just be me and the kids, nursing is an in-demand job and the pay is pretty good (we would definitely set money aside).

5. Since it's in-demand, that means we could pretty well live anywhere we want and I (in theory) wouldn't have much difficulty finding a job.

6. Although being an MA and LVN does sound nice, the pay and job demand isn't there. I've met so many LVNs who have regretted not going the full RN route, and since I have this time to actually focus on school, why not just go the full BSN route?

I guess I've been thinking that I love helping people, I'm not squeamish, I don't have any difficulty keeping calm in a crisis, and everything medical-related is interesting to me. It hit me that most of the books I read are medical-themed (currently reading Bill Bryson's "Body"). I looked at the course curriculum for both the RN and BSN degrees, and everything totally piques my interest. The question of "Why WOULDN'T I take this route?" kind of hit me hard.

Anyways, I just wanted to tell you thank you for your post! I feel like you helped me have a major breakthrough in my career dilemma.

Specializes in IMC.

Since you want to serve underserved people, maybe becoming a Social Worker would fulfill your career goals better.

Rarely, RNs that graduate go right into a desk job. An RN will need bedside experience before getting a low stress job. Those jobs are very competitive.

Good Luck in whatever you choose!

1 hour ago, Salisburysteak said:

Since you want to serve underserved people, maybe becoming a Social Worker would fulfill your career goals better.

Rarely, RNs that graduate go right into a desk job. An RN will need bedside experience before getting a low stress job. Those jobs are very competitive.

Good Luck in whatever you choose!

Thank you!

Social work has always been a passion of mine! However, my husband practically staged an intervention with me about it, telling me that ANY career BUT social work was a good option for us. He's right, though, as we do live in a red state, social work is massively underfunded and social workers are just as underpaid, not to mention the job stability is just not there.

I'm glad I made this post. I'm getting a lot of replies about becoming an MA or an LVN, but after doing a lot of soul searching, it hit me: why not just jump in and see what happens? So, I'm going to shoot for my ADN and go from there! I actually feel really good and motivated. Enough overthinking all of this, I'm just ready to start doing it.

1 Votes
+ Add a Comment