Is Bedside Nursing Really for me?

4 I find myself asking the Age old question we New graduates seem to ask after ourselves after the first year of working as a bedside nurse....Is Bedside nursing really for me. Sure I love my patients, but is the stress really worth it. Is the Drama really what I want to deal with. Could I do this for the rest of my life? Last edit by Esme12 on Jul 20, '14 : Reason: TOS/self promotion
Can you be a parent without doing any childcare? I like to think that a bit of drama makes a job more interesting. Consider also numbers. Of all the nursing jobs available(especially for a new grad), what percent of them involve bedside care?

I am always mystified by people that go into nursing but don't want to take care of patients.

Quote from loriangel14I am always mystified by people that go into nursing but don't want to take care of patients.

It would be like saying you want to teach kindergarten but you don't want to deal with little kids.

It's not really that complicated. Nursing schools don't put you in full time work weeks, on night shift, weekends, and holidays... and you're not the sole person responsible for patients' lives as a student. Many people are also entering their first professional job with structured management and all the stressors that come with that. Once a new grad is out in the real world there's a huge culture shock, so I don't find it all that "mystifying" that they externalize these new stressors towards the one thing that caused them: their job.

Quote from loriangel14It would be like saying you want to teach kindergarten but you don't want to deal with little kids.

No but not being able to tolerate patient care seems odd to me. To each his own I guess. I love taking care of my people,I can't imagine not wanting to. this is what I went to school for.

Nobody can answer this question but you. Most days do you enjoy your job? If you say yes then I think you are in the right place. If you hate what you do, can't shake the stress after your shift is over, or dread going to work then I'd say maybe you should explore your options. There are many opportunities for nurses out there that don't involve working in a hospital or nursing home. If you like patient care, but don't like being in the hospital then you could consider working in a clinic or doing home health. Most areas outside of the hospital will want you to have bare minimum 1 year of acute care experience, some areas require much more. Read the different speciality boards here on AN and you can learn about what is out there, that may help you decide. Good Luck!!

Quote from Mom2boysRNNobody can answer this question but you. Most days do you enjoy your job? If you say yes then I think you are in the right place. If you hate what you do, can't shake the stress after your shift is over, or dread going to work then I'd say maybe you should explore your options. There are many opportunities for nurses out there that don't involve working in a hospital or nursing home. If you like patient care, but don't like being in the hospital then you could consider working in a clinic or doing home health. Most areas outside of the hospital will want you to have bare minimum 1 year of acute care experience, some areas require much more. Read the different speciality boards here on AN and you can learn about what is out there, that may help you decide. Good Luck!!

Unfortunately, there are very few ideal jobs. Every job has issues of some kind. Think about your career goals and start planning, but realize that many of those non-bedside roles require 3-5 years of nursing experience.

YOU are the only that can answer those questions.The stress and drama of bedside nursing will only continue to increase.Having one year of experience will limit you in your options.... but they ARE out there.Search diligently, plan carefully.... there are options available to you.

Don't ask yourself if this is what you want to do for the rest of your life. Ask yourself if this is a good fit for you at this stage in your nursing career. You're new. It's going to be stressful, it's going to be hard- no matter what area of nursing you are in.No matter where you ultimately end up, at this stage in the game, you are still learning how to be a nurse.I do not enjoy assisting with ADLs. However, I have gained a wealth of knowledge and wisdom from doing so. I've learned about establishing rapport, gaining trust, respecting dignity and autonomy, assessing things like skin condition, gait, neurological status, respiratory effort, and coping, among other things.Juggling five patients of variable acuity along with all of their family members' wants and expectations has helped me to learn about being available but also setting appropriate limits, interpersonal communication, prioritization, and many other things.I think at this stage, it's natural to feel overwhelmed and stressed out by all of the demands and expectations placed upon you. You can turn this into an opportunity to grow and develop and improve in your practice, or you can let it beat you down and sour you on bedside nursing. Nobody can tell you whether you should continue to work at the bedside, but what I can tell you is that the skills you are learning at the bedside- and I'm not talking about technical skills like how to start an IV or insert a catheter or drop an NGT- but rather, those intangible skills that I've mentioned above- will transfer into other areas of nursing should you choose to make a change. So in my opinion, take advantage of this opportunity to grow yourself as you contemplate your future in nursing.