My Reasons For Avoiding The Acute Care Hospital

I really enjoyed reading your post. I am a new grad and I have always wanted to be an NP at a women's clinic. I dislike hospitals also. Our personalities seem very similar. I received a job offer at a cataract surgery center and after working a day, I found it was really low stress. I also received a "volunteer" opportunity at an acute care hospital in which I would put in 240 hours of my time to undergo preceptorship and when I'm done, if there are positions available at the hospital and they "like" me, I "might" get hired. I am just thinking about my future and I know that working in a hospital would definitely look good on resume because I could probably land a job anywhere. I would also be making almost double what I'll be making if I worked at an ASC. What is causing my dilemma is that I dont know if I could take the "chance" of getting hired, especially if I have a job offer right now. I don't even want to work in a hospital, so why would I take a chance of being slave and then not get hired. If I could please have your advice and opinion I'd appreciate it!

Quote from nemobearIf I could please have your advice and opinion I'd appreciate it!

Commuter-I so respect you. I do ER and ICU and before that I did physical therapy. I did go for the hospital job. But, you are right, it is not the only avenue. You touched on every hot spot of why most nurses hate the hospital. And most of us that work there are simply hostages to the higher pay. It is refreshing to have someone, after careful review, decide to take the non-traditional route. You are absolutely right, nurses are needed all over. Not just in hospitals. The patients/clients you are going to be working with are very lucky to be getting you. Best of wishes to you in your new adventure.

Sounds like you are making the right choice for you! Congrats! Many of us working in the hospital system have the same feelings and personalities but struggle on anyway and end up depressed, anxious or having a nervous breakdown! Plus all you've said is true, working conditions are grim and getting grimmer at many places. There is nothing wrong with not going the hospital route and you'll probably have a happier, saner, better life! The nurses I know who quit the hospital never came back.I miss the job I used to have before I became a nurse, I never knew how good I had it, unfortunately it did not pay a living wage. Why are there so few jobs in America these days that pay a living wage? But I resent the constant cutbacks and nickling and diming of benefits and working conditions in the health system and can't wait till I can afford to retire and get the heck out of dodge! At least working 3 12 hour shifts makes it more bearable, the worse thing is I fear how much worse things are going to get before I can retire! I don't see working conditions getting better only worse as the hospitals and nursing homes and healthcare etc keep cutting costs in this messed up healthcare system that is America!

I think Commuter and I were twins separated at birth. Only she got all the smarts.You could be describing me and my nursing career. I've actually said to my co-workers what you've written in your post.You just have to know yourself well enough to resist those who try to persuade you the only "real" nurses work in hospitals. The "best" nurses work in SCU or ER. Those who work in LTC only work there because they couldn't get a job any place else. The best thing about nursing, is there's a place for all of us.

THANK YOU!!! These are my thoughts exactly. You perfectly described every single reason why I hated working in a hospital for 3 months, and why I would never EVER do it again. You're right, real nurses aren't confined to a hospital. I'm a real nurse too, I help people in a different way.And to nemobear, take the cataract center job. I'm pretty sure the hospital will let you volunteer then claim there is no job for you at the end.

imintrouble and The Commuter...perhaps we were siblings separated at birth! I think I am younger than both of you but I feel the same way! Cheers!

After being an LPN for 19 years I finally got my RN in 2005. Couldn't wait to get out of LTC and on to a "real" nursing job at the hospital. Applied to local hospital, got the interview and got the job. Went home, thought about this for about 24 hours and came to the conclusion "What the hell am I doing this for? To please others or to please myself"? Decided I love my little old people and they seem to love me and by gosh, I'm darn good at this job both in my heart and clinically. I called the hospital back and declined the job. No regrets.

Commuter, I think you and I are soul sisters. I TOTALLY could have written that. I too am very Type B, hate dealing with doctors, hate dealing with new people all the time, hate dealing with family members, and like knowing what I'm going to walk into. Now, I don't mind a little bit of an adrenaline rush every now and then, but not from being in the middle of a code blue; I prefer a good roller coaster. =)I've found that long term care and psych both, fit my personality SO much better than acute care and so I also avoid big hospitals. I'm finding however, that I'm really growing tired of the stringent regulations and harsh realities of long term care nursing, so I'm getting good and ready to go back to psych.

I am glad you shared this. You sound a lot like me actually, but you really stuck to your personal beliefs and preferences...you stayed genuine with who you are and did not falter despite what other people may have thought, especially when you stated, Some uninformed people insist that real nursing only takes place inside the walls of the acute care hospital setting.

This is a very helpful and reassuring article. You named all the things I fear about a hospital job. Thank you for reminding me that nursing =/= hospital.

I wonder if part of the reason people are so adamant about new nurses needing to start out in med/surg and get that golden year of experience is because it's what they did...and what everyone told them to do...and what their professors had to do...etc, etc. I'm not saying it's always the case, because I'm sure there are people who chose to take the med/surg route when they had the opportunity to go straight into their specialty, but I think some people start out in med/surg because it's the only option available. So, instead of saying, "I couldn't get a job as a new grad in the specialty I want," they say, "I really wanted to start out in med/surg and get some experience."I struggled with whether or not I should start out in med/surg even though I really wanted to do psych. I KNEW I wanted to do psych and that I would hate med/surg because I worked med/surg as an intern. Still, I had so many people say, "You should really get a year in med/surg as an RN," that it made me question my choices. Ultimately, I chose to go with the job I've always wanted. I was talking to a nurse who works in psych about this very thing before I decided and she said, "I can't imagine getting paid what I get paid here (at the psych facility) to work on med/surg." I agreed. I worked on med/surg before, even though the role was different, I knew it would be almost constant high stress, very physically demanding, and I remember so many nurses saying, "I feel like my license is always on the line." Who knows. Maybe one day I'll regret not getting that golden year of med/surg experience, but right now I highly doubt it. I don't think any nursing job is totally stress free, but mine is pretty laid back. I live in one of the lowest paid areas in the country and I don't feel as over worked and underpaid as many of my peers do. I dunno if I like my job because it's low stress, or if it's low stress because I like my job. Either way, I'm certain if I would've stayed in med/surg or anything like it (which was my plan as an intern) I would be completely miserable and burned out.