Would outpatient be a good fit for me?

Nonyvole, BSN, RN · Jul 4, 2016

ER background, but I haven't found it to be a hard transition.

It also will depend on what you go into - I was a little surprised at the sheer number of different options out there. I'm a floater, so have been all over the outpatient side of the hospital, but I've definitely found a few areas that I'm more comfortable in than others.

enuf_already · Jul 4, 2016

I hate to burst your bubble but if you are doing a specialty clinic or even a med-surg clinic, "the unknown" can show up or call at any time.

I had 20 years ICU experience before going to a hospital based clinic. I have oriented multiple new (less than 2 years experience) nurses who had no idea what they were getting into. Our department gets over 1,500 incoming patient calls a week.

It is a different type of stress than the ICU, but can be stressful in its own way. You learn to be extremely flexible, able to reprioritize your day multiple times, and plan to stay late if a doctor adds on a last minute patient or runs behind. You will also likely have to work short when other staff take vacation or call in ill. This means your phone calls and clinic time double.

At the same time, you will get to know your chronic population well. It can take a year or two, depending on the type of clinic, for you to feel totally comfortable.

Good luck with deciding what to do.

awilliamsesu · Jul 4, 2016

I totally understand about the unexpected events of an outpatient job, but I feel like it would be a different kind of stress versus "Page the resident, this patient needs an arterial line and central line placed and possibly bilateral lower escharotomies." I think my personality is not fit for really really sick patients.

dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN · Jul 4, 2016

Saying "outpatient clinic" is kinda like saying "inpatient bedside" in that the outpatient world is full of different opportunities! I would ask about shadowing -- at the very least, maybe a medical vs surgical clinic.

I went from ICU to a PAT clinic -- my bedside stresses and fears were similar to yours and while it is a different kind of busy, I find outpatient work suits me a lot more.

The biggest transition has been from the ICU mindset of needing to know everything about one or two patients to juggling a "case load" of anywhere from 20 to 40 patients. It takes a different type of organizational skill that I have seen some former ICU nurses really struggle with.

Also, depending on what you end up doing, you can be on the phone for upwards of 90% of your working hours. I don't mind it but I have friends who went into heavy procedural clinics (fertility, uro) who hate the amount of time they spend on the phone even though they aren't, say, dedicated phone nurses.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Jul 5, 2016

Please describe the "outpatient" role.

awilliamsesu · Jul 5, 2016

There are multiple outpatient opportunities available within my network, so I'm assuming the roles would depend on the speciality. We have a few openings in neuro, cardiac, family/internal medicine, express care, peds, and ob/gyn.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Jul 5, 2016

There are multiple outpatient opportunities available within my network, so I'm assuming the roles would depend on the speciality. We have a few openings in neuro, cardiac, family/internal medicine, express care, peds, and ob/gyn.

You need to know what your role would be within any of these specialties. Any of them could involve "the unknown".

I hear you, though. Apply for the areas that you have experience in.. best of luck and let us know how it going.

dishes, BSN, RN · Jul 5, 2016

In order to determine if you will be a good fit, you will need to find a detailed account of the job description for the vacant positions.

allnurses Guide · Jul 6, 2016

I'm a BSN-prepared nurse that has been working in a specialty ICU since Oct 2015 with no other nursing experience before that. I work nights right now and I don't think I could handle the pace of day shift in ICU or even on med-surg (I have thought about this but it's not an option).
I am considering making a change to outpatient within my hospital network. The job ads say a BSN is required and one year of nursing experience is preferred.
Right now, I struggle with the anxiety of my job. Even 24 hours before work, I fear what is going to come onto our floor. The thoughts consume my days off. I fear a lack of teamwork when I'm working with certain coworkers, and this can't be helped sometimes when we are short on nurses and have no tech. It's straining my relationship with my husband, as he is always trying to help me cope with my fears. I think working nights doesn't help either. I usually wake up between noon and 2pm and then start to worry about work and I can't fall back to sleep.
I just had an annual meeting with my boss and she said I am doing a good job and that she wants me to start precepting new nurses soon. Although I am fairly confident in my skills, I feel like my job is burning me out too fast. I love my patient population and this was my dream job out of nursing school, but I think I would have a better work/life balance doing outpatient - where my day would be somewhat more organized.
Just feeling this way makes me think I'm a bad nurse or that I'm stupid for even wanting to leave a spot that so many people want. But I think about it every day and I think that it's best for me to move on just so I can find a spot in nursing that fits my personality better.
So those that have gone from inpatient to outpatient, especially with an ICU background, was it a hard transition? How long did it take for you to get comfortable with your new position? Do you think this would be a better place for someone who struggles with "the unknown" fear that can come with working on the floors?

My question would be since you mention you love your current patient population, and you got the dream job right out of school, and your manager obviously values you to the point she feels you're ready to precept with less than one year of experience in a specialty ICU, is your desire to switch to outpatient based on the anxiety factor alone?

As the anxious type myself, I found that I was plagued with fears, but looked normal to everyone else. Once I discussed this with a trusted person up the food chain, it was a relief, actually. If you can identify the specific triggers for that panicky feeling, maybe you can find some solutions that will allow you to stay where you are.

Another option might be to consider giving day shift a try, on the theory that you may surprise yourself regarding your ability to handle the pace. You've demonstrated you're a quick learner already, so you never know!

As to difficult transitions, I worked mostly in a family practice clinic. Though it has it's stressful moments, it isn't the same stress you have in your inpatient units.