Has anyone spent their nursing career doing outpatient nursing? I’ve done the bedside for almost a year and I’ve realized it’s not where I want to be. Can you guys tell me if you liked outpatient? What’s your story with nursing?
I was bedside for 6 months and left to go clinic. I’ve had a fulfilling experience doing moderate sedation under the direction of MD for colonoscopies, I’ve assisted in clinic procedures for cyst or lipoma removals, I’ve removed and replace wound vacs and have a lot of wound care experience as a result. I also gained a lot of surgical understanding from it, Ala what causes X and why they need it removed, how long it takes, the different approaches, and recovery. I have a lot of experience with giving patients results (after reviewed by APN/PA-C/MD) and have gained understanding of that in endocrine and colorectal as well. I also work directly with attendings! No more going through the ranks but I’ve also gained a very close relationship with the attendings, residents, and medical students. I wouldn’t go back to bedside ever bc there are so many different areas of nursing but we’re basically given the idea our worth is only bedside from tv, movies, school even-which is simply untrue. I’ve been a nurse for 6 years and 5.5 years have been outpatient surgery clinical. Take the leap of faith, you’ll love it!
Hey! I worked bedside in critical care for 5 years and after the first wave of covid in Spring 2020 I decided I needed to leave the bedside for my own mental health. The burn out was REAL. Even before covid hit I was unsatisfied for a long time but felt (wrongly) that I would be 'wasting my skills' if I left bedside and critical care behind. Just want to say loud and clear: Do what's best for YOU and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I had a lot of colleagues react inappropriately to my wanting to leave. I heard things like, "You're too young to retire," and "Why would you leave here when you have so much going for you?" Ignore these people. When I left critical care I went to an outpatient endoscopy suite and it was a good transition for me. Over time I did get bored because it felt very monotonous; especially after working in such a complex environment. Also staff morale became low due to poor staffing and other issues (some pitfalls of inpatient do occur in outpatient, too.) I'm now looking for a work-from-home position because that's what will work best for my life and wellbeing. Ask a ton of questions in your interviews and be clear about what you are looking for. Best of luck!!!!!!
I did LTC, Inpatient and currently outpatient. Outpatient is not comparable to Inpatient at all. Its alot of triage and paperwork. The hours are better in tbe sense of normal work life, five 8 hour days is probably the most common. I do miss bedside at times because I personally felt like I was helping my patients more, along with 3 days on and 4 off and pay is worse in outpatient. With that being said, I could never leave my outpatient team, they are the best work family including my docs and most of the patients are appreciative.
I did clinic nursing for 10 years. I loved it for awhile. It is a very different kind of busy. It’s a lot of paperwork and phone calls. I loved having a long term connection with my patients
I have been a nurse for over 20 years in various settings. The last 10 years have been in an outpatient setting. Outpatient setting is the way to go Only downside is 5 days per week, it's had scheduling appointments for yourself and family without using vacation/sick time.
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Outpatient will provide a life balance than inpatient as it is less stressful than bedside. You also enjoy other perks like not working on weekends and or holidays. There are 8, 10 and 12hr shifts depending where you look. Pay is lower, but you have to look at the whole package and see what an outpatient job has to offer. If you are thinking about outpatient, go for it. Outpatient nurses are real nurses too, you just learn a diff set of nursing skills
I have been doing home health for the past 14 years and I love it I would never go back to hospital! You can make own schedule and its so much more personable.. Now you definitely need to be organized and be prepared for any and everything but I think it challenges me and no day is ever the same. Best choice I made in my career by far.
I did ER nursing across multiple health systems for about 10 years. After COVID, I decided I needed a change and went to heart cath lab and electrophysiology. Great move as far as hours, morale and quality of life go. Lots of connections made.
I spent the last two years of my career in ACC, Ambulatary Care, aka outpatient, best move ever!! Especially as a Segway into retirement!!
I work in outpatient surgical center and love it. It’s busy and demanding but so much better than bedside nursing.
I worded ICU (night shift) for 5 years. Went to an outpatient clinic as a chemotherapy infusion nurse and became OCN - for 13 years. I am now at an Adult Day Health Care center as the program director - going on 15 years. I've never once missed the inpatient setting!
I chose to only do outpatient jobs since 1993. I regretted not moonlighting a little because there are times I want to work a weekend and make great money, while helping during shortages. If out of hospital more than 3 years, they act as if you never had the experience.
i recommend you float into an inpatient unit at least a few days every year, even thru a registry. Ask for written references each year.
Hello. My name is Amani. I have been a RN for 4 years. I have not worked at the hospital as of yet. My first job was at an Assisted living facility as a nurse supervisor. My current job where I have been working for a year and half is in a outpatient setting. I work in a Neurology practice and I love it. I wrote a blog
describing what I do as an outpatient neurology nurse. You can check it out if you like. Link is below. Hope this helps.
I knew from the very beginning that bedside was not for me. I got lucky that I started wound care right from the start and have always been on the outpatient side. Each has its pros and cons of course but if you're looking for a regular M-F job, not having to work nights, weekends, or holidays then outpatient would be for you. It comes with its own challenges, don't get me wrong, but I've always loved it. Expect pay to be slightly less than inpatient positions.
Currently, I do inpatient wound care as well and it just solidified how much I love outpatient.
I have been a nurse a little over a year and started at bedside in med-surg. I was certain that I would be doing outpatient once I got experience. Then I tried doing outpatient my second year as a nurse, and even tried school nursing which I thought was the dream job. I quickly discovered that I disliked working mon-fri and driving through traffic. I tried getting a job a little closer to home to avoid traffic, but I took a huge pay cut. Working outpatient started to really feel like it was not the best fit for me. I like to do my three 12 hour shifts and have days during the week to run errands. I also like the ability to pick up shifts or OT when needed. The outpatient facilities are great, just sort of the same day on repeat five days a week. It wasn't my cup of tea and I was shocked I would even feel that way about it.
