Nursing Career – The Difference Between Hospital and Clinic Life

Straight out of college I accepted a position in the hospital.  After four years of Nursing school I finally was getting paid to make a difference in people’s lives.  My job was a .7 FTE in the cardiopulmonary step down unit.  Basically I dealt with a lot of people that had breathing and heart related issues.  This was an intense floor that continuously offered new learning opportunities. 

Not all lessons were good ones as you also had to deal with death, which is always scary for a 20 something straight out of college.  On top of that, this position alternated evening and night shifts.  Working night shift causes you to get into weird sleeping patterns but hey – it pays the bills. 

I loved working at the hospital.  The pay was great, the “action” was always intriguing and I got to work directly with some of the most talented Doctors in the world (being that i was on the “heart” floor)… however working weekends and holidays was not fun.  In fact this is exactly why I left the hospital.  I couldn’t handle missing one more Christmas away from the family.

Several years of the hospital gave me many skills that I hoped to take to the clinic setting.  I eventually took a drastically different job in Pediatric Triage.  Yup. I went from vents and heart issues to taking live calls for mothers worried about their sick children.  I recently got married and was hoping to start a family of my own, I was ready to “settle down” in this new position. Even if it meant not utilizing all my hospital acquired skills. Best news was that I was now scheduled a very comfy .5 FTE that didn’t require any weekend or holiday hours. 

What I did learn from this job was something I never expected.  It was patience!  Clinics can sometimes get hectic and i’ll tell you up front, you don’t want to mess with angry defensive parents.  They will certainly let you have it if they think your preventing their children from getting the best care possible.

Whatever career you choose, make sure you have had your appropriate checks. Checks such as CRB, DBS and basic disclosure, you can preform these checks at clearcheck.co.uk check them out.

With all that said. I want to weigh out the pros and cons of working at the hospital vs clinic setting.

Pros of working at a Hospital.

• Typically higher paying wages.
• Depending on your floor – more “excitement”.
• Working with top level medical talent

Cons of working at a hospital.

• No set work schedule.
• Morning, Evening and Overnight shifts possible.
• Uncomfortable situations such as death can become “common”.

Now to the clinic scene. Both the pros and cons:

Pros of working at a clinic.

• Relaxed schedule that typically doesn’t require weekends.
• Work load is fairly routine.
• No holidays or weekend shifts.

Cons of working at a clinic.

• Nursing care is sometimes minimized.
• It can sometimes feel like a secretary / paper pusher job.
• pay is typically less than the hospital setting.

Now the pros and cons may be a little different for each Nurse.  When I graduated from college, a clinic job was the absolute last thing I wanted.  As I got married and started my family, the stability and flexibility in the schedule became invaluable.  If you have the opportunity, I strongly suggest working for both work settings.  They both definitely have their advantages.  You’ll never know which one is best for you until you give it a shot.

Andrea is a Pediatric Triage RN.  She runs the website WhyBecomeANurse.com with her husband which supplies information and outlines nursing requirements for each state within the United States.  Find out how you can become a Nurse in your state today!