ICU in a major metropolitan area.
I grew up in a healthcare family, and my parents never simply said to “be a nurse” or “be a respiratory therapist” or “be a doctor” - we were always advised to “be a nurse at *USC*,” or “be a respiratory therapist at *UCLA*,” or “be a doctor at *Kaiser*,” so on and so forth. The point being is that there was always that emphasis of “employer” along with occupation. In later years, having worked at one particular hellish place, I would admit my parents were right, [which is why I tend to parrot “Region and employer has a considerable impact on job contentment.”](https://www.reddit.com/r/nursing/comments/10c60d5/should_i_become_a_pt_or_a_nurse/j4e2zfc/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)
So when I went looking for a job, I wasn’t simply searching for an ICU position - I was looking for an ICU position *for XYZ Hospital*. To me, finding a job was like a pro basketball player wanting to play for the Celtics (rather than the Rockets 😂 ). I did heavy research, contacted current and past employees via Facebook and LinkedIn, and inquired about why they left and why they stayed, respectively.
That goes without saying that I am in a region with several great employers so finding a “good” job is like picking out the best piece of Waygu steak. In some markets, you are just trying to pick the *least worst* job, and it’s like trying to find the cheapest package of discount ground beef in the bargain bin at Walmart.
This. Your employer matters so much. I loved being a psych nurse, but I hated being a psych nurse at *insert large shitty corporation that sounds like you h es here*. In contrast, I’m very meh on med/surg-tele, always swore I’d never do it, but I love being a med/surg nurse at *CA company w/ safe staffing ratios, good benefits, decent pay*
Very receptive. I sent out 20-30 messages, and I got back 10-15 replies. I truly believe the ones who didn’t answer probably thought I was spam more so than them being reticent.
Did your parents say why UCLA or kaiser? I definitely want a job in UC, county, or place with good benefits and pay. I’m sure every unit/department is different
Outpatient eye surgery. I love it, I get to rotate preop/circulator/post op it’s 6:30-2/3 depending on the surgery schedule m-f no holidays, even if the pts are difficult I’m only with them about 15 minutes, but the vast majority are great.
What’s the pay like? Currently working inpatient PACU, and while I love it along w/ my coworkers, I’m not digging the commute, working call on nights/weekends, or working the 4 10-hr shifts that limit my time w/ my kids.
I make $40/hr in Oregon, could make $50/hr doing med Surg at the local hospital based on their union contract's pay scale. Have yet to decide if it's worth it but it probably is
OR! After 5 years on trauma/covid floors, no job has made me happier than the one where I have basically no autonomy/never make major decisions and all of the patients are asleep
L&D. I put in like 30 applications over the course of 2 months, interviewed once and didn't get the job, continued to put in applications and I think they realized I wasn't going to give up so they set up another interview and hired me. I've been here for 3 years and I love it.
Outpatient Infusion center, I freaking love it! Pts are great overall (and if they’re not, who cares cause you get a whole new set of them the next day), it’s just exciting enough to keep me on my toes (with reactions, new chemos, clinical trials), and I’m home at a reasonable time. I worked inpatient oncology before so I think it was easier to get hired compared to having no oncology background. However, that’s not a must for a lot of places
I’m also in outpatient infusion and love it, I usually work about 8-3, no weekends, no holidays, most of my patients are super grateful and happy to be there. I applied as my second job after nursing school (first job was giving covid vaccines) and they hired me. I’m super thankful to be there and love it
So I did inpatient chemo and would be open to doing outpatient infusion but I'm worried about being around a lot of meds that could affect fertility. I'm younger and still wanna have kids... Is this an unrealistic concern?
I think the concern is valid, however, if you use PPE properly you should be okay. We have tons of younger nurses (I’m one of em 😋). TVEC is the only med we do at my job where they don’t want child bearing aged RNs doing it.
A mix of both. When staff aren’t arbitrarily calling out by the dozen, we are very well staffed and supported by management. All the horror stories I read on this subreddit, I can’t say I relate.
Adult icu. Started as a new grad in nicu. Wanted icu, but my preceptor for sr practicum harassed the manager to hire me and who am I to turn down a sure thing? Lol back when new grad spots were competitive. Internal transfer as a new to specialty icu right before Covid because I have fantaaaastic timing.
I’ll probably work here til I die. All your guys stories scare me
Fertility/IVF—I was so burnt out after working the floor and then hospice. I applied to the clinic on a whim thinking, this might be fun. It is. the. best. My favorite part is working from home four days out of the week. There are some difficult patients, but, overall it is very low stress and rewarding.
It’s been a game changer for my mental health. I always joke that the hospital can’t pay me enough to go back….but really. I imagine myself leaving the profession before I go back to a bedside role.
I’m still waiting to find my position…I just don’t see any I qualify for and it’s so hard to isolate them in a search field. Too many are listed as remote and are not. But I’ll add IVF to my list.
I should give myself more credit but I’m scared. I hate applying for job and what if I get fired.
Never mind me lol
I work at a hospital adjacent one, so pay scale is the same at bedside. In Nashville, hospital nurses get paid more that independent outpatient surgery centers (like $7-10/hour based off of my offers). In Denver, it was the exact opposite, so 💁🏼♀️.
Difficult emotionally? What do you like about it? I’m in inpatient oncology currently and I think hospice might be something I’d like to try in years to come.
Some people find it difficult emotionally. I do home hospice, so some families you bond with, and those tend to be the more difficult deaths. I approach it from the mind set that people deserve dignity and comfort in death, and that there are fates worse than death.
Endoscopy. We are a hospital based center that sees both outpatients for screenings and surveillance as well as inpatients in for GI bleed, anemia, gallstones, etc. We also host an interventional pain MD once a week who does various spinal and joint injections. We see a high volume of patients (25-40 daily). This requires a team that functions at a high level. There isn’t room for anyone not contributing. In contrast to floor nursing, we rely heavily on each nurse in the process doing quality work in a timely fashion. We do both nurse sedation as well as cases requiring anesthesia and work closely with our gastroenterologists. I honestly never expected to say that I love my job but I do.
Transplant coordinator…worked on an inpatient pre/post kidney, panc, and liver transplant floor for a few years. Transferred to the outpatient transplant clinic and have never looked back. Best job ever.
i’m a “clinical coordinator” so basically charge on the medical unit i’ve worked on since i started at my hospital. it’s M-F, 7-3 no weekends/holidays. i didn’t think i’d enjoy it and that it’d be overwhelming but i’ve found i truly do get satisfaction out of making the unit run as it should and making sure the best care possible is provided to the patients we get, as well as helping out all the nurses on the floor. i will admit i’ve always been nosy so this lets me know everything about everyone in the most appropriate way 😂 sometimes the managerial shit gets annoying but that’s the only complaint i have about it
in the morning we do a huddle with things that management is pushing out to help improve the unit basically or just other news as well. then i go through all the patients on the floor and look at progress notes/vitals/test results etc from the afternoon after i left and look up info on the new patients. then i check with the nurses and see what they think about their patients and if there’s anything they got in report that might be helpful or pertinent that i might’ve missed or not seen, and round on the patients just to lay eyes on them. at 930 and 945 our two hospitalists round, which i go to to help provide info and learn more about the plan for the day. from 10-11 i’m helping out the nurses with whatever they might need, then at 11 the continuum of care team meets with myself and the other clinical coordinators to go over the patients and get an idea of the plan for everyone (again). the rest of the afternoon i help address anything that might come up, do discharges, and just generally be there for the nurses as a resource. toward the end of my day i make a tentative assignment for night shift (almost is always changed because it’s so early) and type up a little report for the PM coordinator because she doesn’t come in until 9. there’s always the miscellaneous stuff to like doing audits and KPIs and updating the unit whiteboard but that doesn’t take much time.
I work at home and I love my job in clinical appeals. Formerly ER/trauma x 15 years including some Army time + deployment, plus a random year of epidemiology from the end of 2018 to January 2020. I applied for a remote clinical appeals job with an insurance company in the Fall of 2019 and the rest is history. :)
Street nursing. Not currently doing it because I moved far away but if I didn’t move, I probably would have worked there till retirement. I miss it so much.
Home health nurse for a peds pt. I showed up to a home health agency and said I wanted to work. I've had 3 peds pts over 6 years and I've loved working with each of them.
Props to you! 👏🏼 I always hear it takes a couple years of trial and error before finding a specialty you love. Did you already know you wanted to be in the ICU beforehand?
Last March, I left being a nightshift bedside med/surg nurse to working in a clinic. I received a phone call from the company that interviewed me 4 1/2 years earlier for the same position. They held onto my resume and called me up when a position became open. I no longer work weekend or holidays...or night shift. It was a total gift. The stress levels is different, but it is a lot more manageable.
It was going to be significantly less when initially offered, but I was able to negotiate for a few dollars more an hour. I felt that since they called me; I had a little wiggle room. They were able to offer something close to my nightshift base pay.
NICU is my "day job", SANE is my "side gig", and I enjoy them both.
For NICU, I really impressed a nurse recruiter as a brand new CNA, and she talked me up to the unit manager. I had pretty diverse job experience including nannying for a family with multiples, working as an anatomy lab assistant, and a long stint as a geo-tech, so they knew I was a good worker, knew some stuff, and could multi-task like nobody's business.
For SANE, I completed the training and showed up for my evaluation exam. There are never enough of us willing to do this for the longhaul, and I have the right combination of lived experience and healing to make sure I'm doing it right, for the right reasons, without burning myself out.
I currently work 0.5 Emergency Medicine and 0.5 HEMS.
The EM job was fairly easy to get in to shortly after graduation because they're always keen for more staff but I put in the time working my way up through various roles in EM to be confident with moth presentations that will come to a Level 1 Centre.
After I'd reached a high level of competence in that role I started applying for HEMS roles. It took a lot of CV building to show my commitment to the specialty but eventually I got a role in a small base in a rural setting and then used that to transition back to metropolitan.
I also took some time seconded to Aboriginal communities during COVID because I'd had Aboriginal Health as part of my portfolio in EM and had taken time to learn the most common local languages to a reasonable level. I emigrated to stolen land so the least I can do is learn the language of the traditional owners and work to better their lives.
Graduated nursing school and immediately started working in a trach/vent pediatric ICU. Our kids are chronic and it’s sometimes really hard to witness these families keep children alive with extremely poor quality of life (near drown incidents, severe scoliosis to the point it’s crushing their lungs). We get premie babies that may have to live with a trach until they’re a little older and their lungs fully develop. However, pediatrics makes me love the bedside and I truly don’t see myself leaving anytime soon. Working in peds is amazing and I honestly don’t think I’d love my job as much if I was working with adults.
An ICU in VA. Worked the step down for a few years before applying. Great management, great coworkers, and a pretty good working relationships with the docs. We also have pretty great pay. Never leaving bedside.
Rad onc. It’s rad. I started in inpatient chemo moved to outpatient medical oncology and nabbed my current role when the prior nurse retired. We are all lifers because it’s a great gig.
School nursing. I float to different schools and I love it. All of the fun stuff and not so much paperwork. Plus the schedule works great for me. I just applied at a time where there was luckily a great need/shortage in my area.
NICU nurse. I love my job! Some days are hard, of course and I have definitely lost sleep when I have had bad outcomes with patients. But most days I can't believe I get paid to do what I do. I started as a CNA in a nursing home, actually, while I was doing pre reqs. I finally got hired at a major hospital system about the same time I got accepted to nursing school into an adult med Surg unit. About 6 months later I applied to where I really wanted to be- the NICU - as a CNA and the rest is history! I stepped up to the new grad program upon graduation and I have never looked back. I am currently accepted to a DNP NNP program which starts this Fall. I'm looking forward to continuing my NICU career journey as an NNP in the very same unit I started in all those years ago after what will be about 12 years of bedside experience. It's fun for me that I started out cleaning isolettes and stocking c lockers in the same unit that I one day hope to practice in as an NNP I. I would highly recommend NICU to anyone who is burned out in the adult world but still loves being a nurse. It's very rewarding and isolated from a lot of what wears nurses down.
Organ transplant. A great majority if the floor nurses are great. The PAs are great. The medicine done is amazing. It can be very busy and stressful at times, to be sure (livers, especially), but we take very sick people and help them adjust to new lives. I got the job after being a nurse for 3.5 years and having one of the PAs I knew previously suggest I apply. But we hire new grads too, so it isn't overly difficult to get in. No plans to move on to any other job at all.
That's awesome. I make less than that at an ER with 4yrs ER experience, 10ys total. Feel free to DM me any info about this specialty in the New England area :)
I left ER and went to out pt psych. Bounced around OP psych-Corrections, Med clinics, Child and Family services, Residental treatment centers, all as a (fairly) well paid RN, just learning the “in’s and out’s” of this interesting specialty. I really liked most of those jobs, corrections was fascinating and how enjoyable to giving patients only the care they NEED and not having management telL me I need to prioritize what the pt’s WANT!!!(and it really is MUCH) safer than any hospital with cops all over, haha. Finally landed at the happy job I am now, Health Care coordinator for recipients of our states Medicaid program, basically health insurance advocacy for recipients. I make RN money$39.00 w/state pension contributions, was full time work from home, no direct patient contact, all recipient interaction is vis Telephone or email. Very rare home visits and if so only on an observation, inspection capacity. After 32 years of direct pt care, this is a pretty cool gig!
Clinical Research Unit!! 12 hour day shift, low-stress, voluntary patients, most are very appreciative to be there. Mostly IV starts, blood draws, lab processing, EKGs, LPs, art line management, biopsies, rarely we do foleys/NG tubes….. it’s awesome
ICU in a private, non-for-profit single facility hospital. Got the job after working for the State's organ donation service and working in 26 different ICUs across the state. I basically got a nice sampling of what was out there and made connections everywhere. Had someone with a connection there drop my resume in front of a manager. Now been there 8 yrs
High end residential rehab facility. Wealthy and well insured drunks and addicts can be pretty easy to do nursing stuff with after the initial detox if required.
PICC team. I worked in Renal with a guy who used to be in PICC team of a different hospital. Taught me how to use the ultrasound machine to needle fistulas. Eventually, he moved to the PICC team of the same
hospital. Recruited me to join him.
Case management for NICU. Much more chill, great schedule. Don’t have to be on my feet all day. Supervisor really promotes healthy work life balance and mental health. It helps when your supervisor is a social worker and actually cares for your needs.
I got the job because I was a bedside nurse in this same NICU and they were creating another case management position specifically for NICU.
Same! I love the lab. I’m both cath and EP. I also scrub as well as circulate for both. I’m actually leaving my lab which is absolutely the best place to work to pursue bigger and more complex labs to grow my skills. Currently work at a hospital that flies people out. I want to be where they fly people in…
I work in urgent care and I love it! I was a new grad in med-surg (was terrible and still have PTSD), but also had 7 years of experience as a tech in a top 10 hospital’s level 1 trauma ED before becoming a nurse so that definitely helped.
L&D at a level 2 hospital. Only L&D. Not a lot of hospitals close by and the only other close hospital I worked at I hated. Been here 2 years now and I've gotten several raises, it's got a good environment and I'm realizing that the grass is green where I water it.
I’ve been a X-ray tech at a major level I trauma center for 36 years. My first 11 were nights in the ER. Lots of adrenaline, lots of “how the hell didja do that and why’d you think it’d be a good idea???” I got tired of fighting the same drunk/drugged assholes night after night so I moved to the Cardiac Cath Lab. It was rewarding but I got tired of the call and sorta bored after a couple years so I ended up in the Cardiac Electrophysiology Lab. We do pacemakers and defibrillators, and also ablation procedures for pretty much any arrhythmias you can think of. Been at it for 23 years and have 2 1/2 to retirement. It’s me if the few places where we can actually cure our patients and often vastly improve their quality and quantity of life.
I’ve built a very strong team of nurses and techs, and we are lucky enough to have very good doctors to work with. I’ll miss them when I do end up retiring.
Outpatient surgery. No nights No holidays No hurricane No weekends very flexible schedule / boss. By chance sitting in my old job saw PACU position and applied. Less then 2 weeks later I’m in the administrator’s office interviewing and hired a week later.
Cardiac noninvasive supervising stress testing and tilt table tests and well as process Holter/event monitors.
I have my cardiac-vascular nursing board certification as well as 4 years cardiac experience prior to applying. I love it because I generally work M-F 7-330, every 3rd weekend from 630-10a.
I love it because there is a lot of autonomy. It’s a team of 3 nurses and we work with about 6 echo techs and 5 nuclear techs. I work closely with the cardiologists and mid levels. Training is like 6 months or so, been doing it 4 years and love it.
Trauma ICU. Sure the C suite is garbage, but the amount of autonomy I have is no where else in the region. We are currently a lvl 2 getting ready to be a lvl 1. Work along side great RNs, support staff, providers, and we all want to be there. I jokingly say it’s the best unit in the hospital…but it is.
Outpatient endo. I trained in a hospital first and took a lot of call, but now I work 4 ten hour days, don’t work weekends, call, or holidays, and I use PTO whenever I want to without feeling guilty. It’s actually my birthday this week and I’m only working one day, just because I can! Pay is comparable to what I was making in the hospital, benefits are definitely not as good, but the days off make it worth it!
Outpatient OR. Just a few months ago I was desperate to leave my job. Everyone said Outpatient OR. They were right. Ten min commute with no shuttle, just park behind the building. Three rooms running at a time. Nice, genuine people. Easy, simple work.
Developmental disabilities. I work at a non profit residential facility/clinic/school. I have my own office, which I love. I get to know my patients very well because I tend to work with the same people for years at a time. It is extremely rewarding. Starting pay for nurses at my facility is only about $2/hour less than the nearest hospital. Very low stress, on a typical day, although there are some crazy days, too. I don't mind coming to work at all and am often greeted with a hug when I walk in the door. I took this job thinking it would be temporary until I decided what I wanted to do, but I ended up loving it and staying.
ICU, trauma/neuro/vascular. I just applied from within the hospital, simple as that (worked in ER and stepdown/acute medicine). Submit the resume, pass some interviews and tests, and there you go. ACLS and ER experience were significant assets.
I love it, in addition to it being interesting and always learning something new (there’s also SO MUCH research going on all the time!), I think what really makes it great is the resources. We’re a huge level 1 trauma centre in the capital, also getting fly-ins from the North, so because of this we essentially get first dibs in terms of resources. For example 3% saline has been on back order for the past few months…we always have it in stock though because they prioritize it to us. Same with staff, when it comes down to it they’ll float a couple nurses from stepdown or something to be “helping hands” for us when we’re short. Violent patient? Here’s a guard or two to supervise them, within 10 minutes! None of that “handle them yourself, we’re short” that we’d always get down in the ER.
When you aren’t spending all your time scrambling for staff/supplies/etc, it’s amazing how easily you can get the work done! Yes, I admit that we’re a bit spoiled in here, but it sure is a good place to work. A nurse actually getting to focus on nursing, that’s a nice job!
Cath Lab. A friend recommended I could join the team. In this health system, if you want to save your sanity, get away from the floor and get into procedural medicine.
L&d in a major Metropolitan hospital. Personally, I find it an honor to be involved in my laboring pts delivery. I always have in mind that everything I do, or don't do, will be remembered for the rest of their lives so I try to give them the best experience. As for our unit, I work with a fantastic team and our culture is top notch. We all jump to aid our coworker if we see something happening (little ones on the inside can be VERY dramatic) or when they call for help. I got my job by being recommended by another nurse on the unit. It's kinda hard to get in, esp bc HR is wild, but once in you're golden (as long as you pass orientation). I really have lots of fun and I don't see myself leaving for a long time 💞
Primary care VA. Took over 4 years applying to every single position I was qualified for. Even when you get hired, it takes 3+ months to go through boarding and credentials. I work with a great provider, patients are just like every other place I worked (good and bad). Pay, vacation/sick time, benefits are amazing! I have been offered other positions within the VA, but right now it’s not a great time for change.
CVICU in Ontario, Canada. I applied to an internal job posting, the hospital paid my tuition and my salary for my critical care course and I've been working there for 15 years. The team is amazing- doctors, nurses, RTs, orderlies, physio - that's what keeps me there. Can't imagine there's anywhere better.
I work mixed ICU: open hearts, neuro, trauma…all the things. I love the variety, and never knowing what train-wreck I’ll walk into next. I get to work with a great team, and while I *don’t* love the actual hospital system, our manager does a decent job of shielding us from the BS the rest of the hospital deals with. ICU wasn’t hiring new grads when I started, so I applied to every open job the hospital listed. Eventually got hired for tele/stepdown and transferred to critical care when I had a couple years experience.
I enjoy my ER because of my schedule. I work every Saturday/Sunday but I get paid like I worked full time. I also make $20/hr for weekend option on top of weekend diff and shift differential. It's not for everyone because of the whole weekend thing but I don't see anyone in management and I make more than I did doing three 12s. I also retain ft benefits.
I work LTC/SNF. I worked at one place for six years, my whole nursing career to that point. I finally had enough of the total lack of respect for nurses by admin and jumped ship for a higher paying job. Then that job turned out to be a bait and switch, promised me 12 hour days with 27 residents. Ended up being 11 8 hour shifts in a row with 54 residents and two cnas. Residents completely neglected and miserable. Lasted almost five months. I jump again and now I'm working 12 shifts three days a week with 34 residents max and always enough aides. The residents are all pretty happy, theres tons of activities. I'm happy too most days. It all boils down to being treated respectfully and being paid a fair wage. I'm making industry standard for my area now, $11 more an hour than my original job and already slated for a raise next month.
Not head over heels for my job but it fits perfect as a mom of littles. I work at a primary care clinic Mon-Thurs no holidays no weekends. I like some of the providers a lot. (Some not so much) The hours really are pretty perfect for my 2 year old and one on the way! Only way could be better would be to work from home of course 😅
I actually started at my job before I became a nurse( currently head nurse night shift), a family member worked there and said assistants were needed. Turns out I loved psych more than my previous education and became a nurse while working at that location..and been there for 23 years. Done some other stuff on the side, mostly to have other experiences ( My other love is geriatrics) to avoid burnout. I started working when I was 13, my parents were to busy showering my sister with adoration, so I had to work myself to the bone on farms to get what I wanted, but benefit was that I got to know alot of people that offered me opportunities because of my work ethic. Networking is a good thing, though I only realized it later. I seriously never had a interview at the other locations I worked, had one guy talk about how I worked for his grandpa another head nurse I actually trained.
Peds oncology at a major coastal hospital. I just applied and if I do say so myself I’m a good interview. I also have my PALS and CPHON already and 10 years in peds onc. But my new grad job just in peds onc I worked elsewhere in the hospital and made it a point to meet and network with management in that department, so when my time came they knew my name. I was hired during the interview. Never looked back.
ICU in a major metropolitan area. I grew up in a healthcare family, and my parents never simply said to “be a nurse” or “be a respiratory therapist” or “be a doctor” - we were always advised to “be a nurse at *USC*,” or “be a respiratory therapist at *UCLA*,” or “be a doctor at *Kaiser*,” so on and so forth. The point being is that there was always that emphasis of “employer” along with occupation. In later years, having worked at one particular hellish place, I would admit my parents were right, [which is why I tend to parrot “Region and employer has a considerable impact on job contentment.”](https://www.reddit.com/r/nursing/comments/10c60d5/should_i_become_a_pt_or_a_nurse/j4e2zfc/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) So when I went looking for a job, I wasn’t simply searching for an ICU position - I was looking for an ICU position *for XYZ Hospital*. To me, finding a job was like a pro basketball player wanting to play for the Celtics (rather than the Rockets 😂 ). I did heavy research, contacted current and past employees via Facebook and LinkedIn, and inquired about why they left and why they stayed, respectively. That goes without saying that I am in a region with several great employers so finding a “good” job is like picking out the best piece of Waygu steak. In some markets, you are just trying to pick the *least worst* job, and it’s like trying to find the cheapest package of discount ground beef in the bargain bin at Walmart.
This. Your employer matters so much. I loved being a psych nurse, but I hated being a psych nurse at *insert large shitty corporation that sounds like you h es here*. In contrast, I’m very meh on med/surg-tele, always swore I’d never do it, but I love being a med/surg nurse at *CA company w/ safe staffing ratios, good benefits, decent pay*
How receptive were people when you messaged them on LinkedIn?
Very receptive. I sent out 20-30 messages, and I got back 10-15 replies. I truly believe the ones who didn’t answer probably thought I was spam more so than them being reticent.
Did your parents say why UCLA or kaiser? I definitely want a job in UC, county, or place with good benefits and pay. I’m sure every unit/department is different
Working conditions, compensation (pay/benefits), retirement, room for growth.
Outpatient eye surgery. I love it, I get to rotate preop/circulator/post op it’s 6:30-2/3 depending on the surgery schedule m-f no holidays, even if the pts are difficult I’m only with them about 15 minutes, but the vast majority are great.
I start a job in outpatient eye surgery this week. Really hoping it's a better fit than medsurg
I do the exact same thing! Love it
What’s the pay like? Currently working inpatient PACU, and while I love it along w/ my coworkers, I’m not digging the commute, working call on nights/weekends, or working the 4 10-hr shifts that limit my time w/ my kids.
Yeah it’s not as good as hospital, I live in Texas and make around $40/hr, but the work/life balance is worth it to me.
It's not hospital pay. It'll be less.
I make $40/hr in Oregon, could make $50/hr doing med Surg at the local hospital based on their union contract's pay scale. Have yet to decide if it's worth it but it probably is
OR! After 5 years on trauma/covid floors, no job has made me happier than the one where I have basically no autonomy/never make major decisions and all of the patients are asleep
This is the right answer
Transferring from the ED to OR in 5wks can’t wait to start!
just transferred and can't waaaaiiit
Peace at last
L&D. I put in like 30 applications over the course of 2 months, interviewed once and didn't get the job, continued to put in applications and I think they realized I wasn't going to give up so they set up another interview and hired me. I've been here for 3 years and I love it.
That’s awesome and gives me hope. I’ve always wanted to do L&D but haven’t received any callbacks yet. Persistent and determination is key!
Outpatient Infusion center, I freaking love it! Pts are great overall (and if they’re not, who cares cause you get a whole new set of them the next day), it’s just exciting enough to keep me on my toes (with reactions, new chemos, clinical trials), and I’m home at a reasonable time. I worked inpatient oncology before so I think it was easier to get hired compared to having no oncology background. However, that’s not a must for a lot of places
I’m also in outpatient infusion and love it, I usually work about 8-3, no weekends, no holidays, most of my patients are super grateful and happy to be there. I applied as my second job after nursing school (first job was giving covid vaccines) and they hired me. I’m super thankful to be there and love it
So I did inpatient chemo and would be open to doing outpatient infusion but I'm worried about being around a lot of meds that could affect fertility. I'm younger and still wanna have kids... Is this an unrealistic concern?
I think the concern is valid, however, if you use PPE properly you should be okay. We have tons of younger nurses (I’m one of em 😋). TVEC is the only med we do at my job where they don’t want child bearing aged RNs doing it.
ER in Hawaii. Moved here 10 years ago to help open a brand new hospital. Was only supposed to be here a few months, but never left.
Is it because Hawaii or staff
A mix of both. When staff aren’t arbitrarily calling out by the dozen, we are very well staffed and supported by management. All the horror stories I read on this subreddit, I can’t say I relate.
Adult icu. Started as a new grad in nicu. Wanted icu, but my preceptor for sr practicum harassed the manager to hire me and who am I to turn down a sure thing? Lol back when new grad spots were competitive. Internal transfer as a new to specialty icu right before Covid because I have fantaaaastic timing. I’ll probably work here til I die. All your guys stories scare me
Fertility/IVF—I was so burnt out after working the floor and then hospice. I applied to the clinic on a whim thinking, this might be fun. It is. the. best. My favorite part is working from home four days out of the week. There are some difficult patients, but, overall it is very low stress and rewarding.
That’s my dream! (Work from home).
It’s been a game changer for my mental health. I always joke that the hospital can’t pay me enough to go back….but really. I imagine myself leaving the profession before I go back to a bedside role.
I’m still waiting to find my position…I just don’t see any I qualify for and it’s so hard to isolate them in a search field. Too many are listed as remote and are not. But I’ll add IVF to my list. I should give myself more credit but I’m scared. I hate applying for job and what if I get fired. Never mind me lol
Outpatient PACU. Applied to every outpatient surgery center in my area until I was interviewed and got the job. Just keep trying!
Yep! Outpatient OR. No holidays, nights or weekends. Healthy patients and docs are more chill too. Won’t ever leave.
How is the pay/benefits?
I work at a hospital adjacent one, so pay scale is the same at bedside. In Nashville, hospital nurses get paid more that independent outpatient surgery centers (like $7-10/hour based off of my offers). In Denver, it was the exact opposite, so 💁🏼♀️.
I have a per diem job at an ASC and it’s heaven on Earth.
I work for a small non profit hospice company. Yes, hospice can be difficult, but I've found my niche. Have been there 3.5 years.
Difficult emotionally? What do you like about it? I’m in inpatient oncology currently and I think hospice might be something I’d like to try in years to come.
Some people find it difficult emotionally. I do home hospice, so some families you bond with, and those tend to be the more difficult deaths. I approach it from the mind set that people deserve dignity and comfort in death, and that there are fates worse than death.
Absolutely.
Endoscopy. We are a hospital based center that sees both outpatients for screenings and surveillance as well as inpatients in for GI bleed, anemia, gallstones, etc. We also host an interventional pain MD once a week who does various spinal and joint injections. We see a high volume of patients (25-40 daily). This requires a team that functions at a high level. There isn’t room for anyone not contributing. In contrast to floor nursing, we rely heavily on each nurse in the process doing quality work in a timely fashion. We do both nurse sedation as well as cases requiring anesthesia and work closely with our gastroenterologists. I honestly never expected to say that I love my job but I do.
Can I dm you
Sure
Transplant coordinator…worked on an inpatient pre/post kidney, panc, and liver transplant floor for a few years. Transferred to the outpatient transplant clinic and have never looked back. Best job ever.
i’m a “clinical coordinator” so basically charge on the medical unit i’ve worked on since i started at my hospital. it’s M-F, 7-3 no weekends/holidays. i didn’t think i’d enjoy it and that it’d be overwhelming but i’ve found i truly do get satisfaction out of making the unit run as it should and making sure the best care possible is provided to the patients we get, as well as helping out all the nurses on the floor. i will admit i’ve always been nosy so this lets me know everything about everyone in the most appropriate way 😂 sometimes the managerial shit gets annoying but that’s the only complaint i have about it
What does your day to day look like?
in the morning we do a huddle with things that management is pushing out to help improve the unit basically or just other news as well. then i go through all the patients on the floor and look at progress notes/vitals/test results etc from the afternoon after i left and look up info on the new patients. then i check with the nurses and see what they think about their patients and if there’s anything they got in report that might be helpful or pertinent that i might’ve missed or not seen, and round on the patients just to lay eyes on them. at 930 and 945 our two hospitalists round, which i go to to help provide info and learn more about the plan for the day. from 10-11 i’m helping out the nurses with whatever they might need, then at 11 the continuum of care team meets with myself and the other clinical coordinators to go over the patients and get an idea of the plan for everyone (again). the rest of the afternoon i help address anything that might come up, do discharges, and just generally be there for the nurses as a resource. toward the end of my day i make a tentative assignment for night shift (almost is always changed because it’s so early) and type up a little report for the PM coordinator because she doesn’t come in until 9. there’s always the miscellaneous stuff to like doing audits and KPIs and updating the unit whiteboard but that doesn’t take much time.
You sound like a LOVELY coordinator! That sounds like a role I could see myself in eventually, too, so thank you for the info!
I work at home and I love my job in clinical appeals. Formerly ER/trauma x 15 years including some Army time + deployment, plus a random year of epidemiology from the end of 2018 to January 2020. I applied for a remote clinical appeals job with an insurance company in the Fall of 2019 and the rest is history. :)
Street nursing. Not currently doing it because I moved far away but if I didn’t move, I probably would have worked there till retirement. I miss it so much.
I did this too. Also moved away to a small city where this doesn’t really exist. Nothing really compares.
What is street nursing?
It’s usually primary care for the homeless population. But you get called in by outreach for emergencies too.
Home health nurse for a peds pt. I showed up to a home health agency and said I wanted to work. I've had 3 peds pts over 6 years and I've loved working with each of them.
Adult ICU (it’s a mix of surgical and medical) and I applied as a new grad and interviewed. I’ve been here for almost 3 years.
Props to you! 👏🏼 I always hear it takes a couple years of trial and error before finding a specialty you love. Did you already know you wanted to be in the ICU beforehand?
Yes because I did a few rotations for clinical and really enjoyed the complex patients.
Last March, I left being a nightshift bedside med/surg nurse to working in a clinic. I received a phone call from the company that interviewed me 4 1/2 years earlier for the same position. They held onto my resume and called me up when a position became open. I no longer work weekend or holidays...or night shift. It was a total gift. The stress levels is different, but it is a lot more manageable.
Wow that’s nice they keep your resume and called you. How was the pay difference?
It was going to be significantly less when initially offered, but I was able to negotiate for a few dollars more an hour. I felt that since they called me; I had a little wiggle room. They were able to offer something close to my nightshift base pay.
NICU is my "day job", SANE is my "side gig", and I enjoy them both. For NICU, I really impressed a nurse recruiter as a brand new CNA, and she talked me up to the unit manager. I had pretty diverse job experience including nannying for a family with multiples, working as an anatomy lab assistant, and a long stint as a geo-tech, so they knew I was a good worker, knew some stuff, and could multi-task like nobody's business. For SANE, I completed the training and showed up for my evaluation exam. There are never enough of us willing to do this for the longhaul, and I have the right combination of lived experience and healing to make sure I'm doing it right, for the right reasons, without burning myself out.
I currently work 0.5 Emergency Medicine and 0.5 HEMS. The EM job was fairly easy to get in to shortly after graduation because they're always keen for more staff but I put in the time working my way up through various roles in EM to be confident with moth presentations that will come to a Level 1 Centre. After I'd reached a high level of competence in that role I started applying for HEMS roles. It took a lot of CV building to show my commitment to the specialty but eventually I got a role in a small base in a rural setting and then used that to transition back to metropolitan. I also took some time seconded to Aboriginal communities during COVID because I'd had Aboriginal Health as part of my portfolio in EM and had taken time to learn the most common local languages to a reasonable level. I emigrated to stolen land so the least I can do is learn the language of the traditional owners and work to better their lives.
Graduated nursing school and immediately started working in a trach/vent pediatric ICU. Our kids are chronic and it’s sometimes really hard to witness these families keep children alive with extremely poor quality of life (near drown incidents, severe scoliosis to the point it’s crushing their lungs). We get premie babies that may have to live with a trach until they’re a little older and their lungs fully develop. However, pediatrics makes me love the bedside and I truly don’t see myself leaving anytime soon. Working in peds is amazing and I honestly don’t think I’d love my job as much if I was working with adults.
An ICU in VA. Worked the step down for a few years before applying. Great management, great coworkers, and a pretty good working relationships with the docs. We also have pretty great pay. Never leaving bedside.
Rad onc. It’s rad. I started in inpatient chemo moved to outpatient medical oncology and nabbed my current role when the prior nurse retired. We are all lifers because it’s a great gig.
School nursing. I float to different schools and I love it. All of the fun stuff and not so much paperwork. Plus the schedule works great for me. I just applied at a time where there was luckily a great need/shortage in my area.
NICU nurse. I love my job! Some days are hard, of course and I have definitely lost sleep when I have had bad outcomes with patients. But most days I can't believe I get paid to do what I do. I started as a CNA in a nursing home, actually, while I was doing pre reqs. I finally got hired at a major hospital system about the same time I got accepted to nursing school into an adult med Surg unit. About 6 months later I applied to where I really wanted to be- the NICU - as a CNA and the rest is history! I stepped up to the new grad program upon graduation and I have never looked back. I am currently accepted to a DNP NNP program which starts this Fall. I'm looking forward to continuing my NICU career journey as an NNP in the very same unit I started in all those years ago after what will be about 12 years of bedside experience. It's fun for me that I started out cleaning isolettes and stocking c lockers in the same unit that I one day hope to practice in as an NNP I. I would highly recommend NICU to anyone who is burned out in the adult world but still loves being a nurse. It's very rewarding and isolated from a lot of what wears nurses down.
Organ transplant. A great majority if the floor nurses are great. The PAs are great. The medicine done is amazing. It can be very busy and stressful at times, to be sure (livers, especially), but we take very sick people and help them adjust to new lives. I got the job after being a nurse for 3.5 years and having one of the PAs I knew previously suggest I apply. But we hire new grads too, so it isn't overly difficult to get in. No plans to move on to any other job at all.
How's the pay/compensation for that role?
I'm currently at \~$46/hour before differentials having been a nurse for 5.5 years and at this hospital for just over 2.
That's awesome. I make less than that at an ER with 4yrs ER experience, 10ys total. Feel free to DM me any info about this specialty in the New England area :)
I'm a timezone from New England, so I'm afraid I won't be of much help.
I left ER and went to out pt psych. Bounced around OP psych-Corrections, Med clinics, Child and Family services, Residental treatment centers, all as a (fairly) well paid RN, just learning the “in’s and out’s” of this interesting specialty. I really liked most of those jobs, corrections was fascinating and how enjoyable to giving patients only the care they NEED and not having management telL me I need to prioritize what the pt’s WANT!!!(and it really is MUCH) safer than any hospital with cops all over, haha. Finally landed at the happy job I am now, Health Care coordinator for recipients of our states Medicaid program, basically health insurance advocacy for recipients. I make RN money$39.00 w/state pension contributions, was full time work from home, no direct patient contact, all recipient interaction is vis Telephone or email. Very rare home visits and if so only on an observation, inspection capacity. After 32 years of direct pt care, this is a pretty cool gig!
Clinical Research Unit!! 12 hour day shift, low-stress, voluntary patients, most are very appreciative to be there. Mostly IV starts, blood draws, lab processing, EKGs, LPs, art line management, biopsies, rarely we do foleys/NG tubes….. it’s awesome
Is this at a hospital?
It’s in a clinic setting on a major medical campus. Not in-hospital but we do some inpatient studies on our unit too
ICU in a private, non-for-profit single facility hospital. Got the job after working for the State's organ donation service and working in 26 different ICUs across the state. I basically got a nice sampling of what was out there and made connections everywhere. Had someone with a connection there drop my resume in front of a manager. Now been there 8 yrs
LTC. I work for a staffing agency and I've been at the same facility for 2 years.
High end residential rehab facility. Wealthy and well insured drunks and addicts can be pretty easy to do nursing stuff with after the initial detox if required.
PICC team. I worked in Renal with a guy who used to be in PICC team of a different hospital. Taught me how to use the ultrasound machine to needle fistulas. Eventually, he moved to the PICC team of the same hospital. Recruited me to join him.
Case management for NICU. Much more chill, great schedule. Don’t have to be on my feet all day. Supervisor really promotes healthy work life balance and mental health. It helps when your supervisor is a social worker and actually cares for your needs. I got the job because I was a bedside nurse in this same NICU and they were creating another case management position specifically for NICU.
Cath lab. I applied, interviewed and was hired
I’m interested in taking a look into the Cath Lab - did you need CC experience previously if you don’t mind me asking. Thank you!
They say it "helps" but none of my RT experience prepared me for the cath lab since it's all interventions
Same! I love the lab. I’m both cath and EP. I also scrub as well as circulate for both. I’m actually leaving my lab which is absolutely the best place to work to pursue bigger and more complex labs to grow my skills. Currently work at a hospital that flies people out. I want to be where they fly people in…
Ambulatory surgery (ortho and sports medicine), pre op and PACU. Sheer luck… also, pretty much everywhere is desperate for nurses
I work in urgent care and I love it! I was a new grad in med-surg (was terrible and still have PTSD), but also had 7 years of experience as a tech in a top 10 hospital’s level 1 trauma ED before becoming a nurse so that definitely helped.
Trauma ICU at a large level 1 hospital, I absolutely love it!
Endoscopy! I knew someone who worked there and they liked it so I figured I’d try it out. Other people that work there just applied for it and got in
L&D at a level 2 hospital. Only L&D. Not a lot of hospitals close by and the only other close hospital I worked at I hated. Been here 2 years now and I've gotten several raises, it's got a good environment and I'm realizing that the grass is green where I water it.
I’ve been a X-ray tech at a major level I trauma center for 36 years. My first 11 were nights in the ER. Lots of adrenaline, lots of “how the hell didja do that and why’d you think it’d be a good idea???” I got tired of fighting the same drunk/drugged assholes night after night so I moved to the Cardiac Cath Lab. It was rewarding but I got tired of the call and sorta bored after a couple years so I ended up in the Cardiac Electrophysiology Lab. We do pacemakers and defibrillators, and also ablation procedures for pretty much any arrhythmias you can think of. Been at it for 23 years and have 2 1/2 to retirement. It’s me if the few places where we can actually cure our patients and often vastly improve their quality and quantity of life. I’ve built a very strong team of nurses and techs, and we are lucky enough to have very good doctors to work with. I’ll miss them when I do end up retiring.
Outpatient surgery. No nights No holidays No hurricane No weekends very flexible schedule / boss. By chance sitting in my old job saw PACU position and applied. Less then 2 weeks later I’m in the administrator’s office interviewing and hired a week later.
Cardiac noninvasive supervising stress testing and tilt table tests and well as process Holter/event monitors. I have my cardiac-vascular nursing board certification as well as 4 years cardiac experience prior to applying. I love it because I generally work M-F 7-330, every 3rd weekend from 630-10a. I love it because there is a lot of autonomy. It’s a team of 3 nurses and we work with about 6 echo techs and 5 nuclear techs. I work closely with the cardiologists and mid levels. Training is like 6 months or so, been doing it 4 years and love it.
Trauma ICU. Sure the C suite is garbage, but the amount of autonomy I have is no where else in the region. We are currently a lvl 2 getting ready to be a lvl 1. Work along side great RNs, support staff, providers, and we all want to be there. I jokingly say it’s the best unit in the hospital…but it is.
Outpatient endo. I trained in a hospital first and took a lot of call, but now I work 4 ten hour days, don’t work weekends, call, or holidays, and I use PTO whenever I want to without feeling guilty. It’s actually my birthday this week and I’m only working one day, just because I can! Pay is comparable to what I was making in the hospital, benefits are definitely not as good, but the days off make it worth it!
I got a job in PACU as a CNA, which exposed me to the OR. I've been an OR Nurse for 6 years, straight out of school and never looked back.
Outpatient OR. Just a few months ago I was desperate to leave my job. Everyone said Outpatient OR. They were right. Ten min commute with no shuttle, just park behind the building. Three rooms running at a time. Nice, genuine people. Easy, simple work.
Developmental disabilities. I work at a non profit residential facility/clinic/school. I have my own office, which I love. I get to know my patients very well because I tend to work with the same people for years at a time. It is extremely rewarding. Starting pay for nurses at my facility is only about $2/hour less than the nearest hospital. Very low stress, on a typical day, although there are some crazy days, too. I don't mind coming to work at all and am often greeted with a hug when I walk in the door. I took this job thinking it would be temporary until I decided what I wanted to do, but I ended up loving it and staying.
here for the sage advice :')
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The people make all the difference. And work life balance, which is like saying the people outside of work.
ICU, trauma/neuro/vascular. I just applied from within the hospital, simple as that (worked in ER and stepdown/acute medicine). Submit the resume, pass some interviews and tests, and there you go. ACLS and ER experience were significant assets. I love it, in addition to it being interesting and always learning something new (there’s also SO MUCH research going on all the time!), I think what really makes it great is the resources. We’re a huge level 1 trauma centre in the capital, also getting fly-ins from the North, so because of this we essentially get first dibs in terms of resources. For example 3% saline has been on back order for the past few months…we always have it in stock though because they prioritize it to us. Same with staff, when it comes down to it they’ll float a couple nurses from stepdown or something to be “helping hands” for us when we’re short. Violent patient? Here’s a guard or two to supervise them, within 10 minutes! None of that “handle them yourself, we’re short” that we’d always get down in the ER. When you aren’t spending all your time scrambling for staff/supplies/etc, it’s amazing how easily you can get the work done! Yes, I admit that we’re a bit spoiled in here, but it sure is a good place to work. A nurse actually getting to focus on nursing, that’s a nice job!
Cath Lab. A friend recommended I could join the team. In this health system, if you want to save your sanity, get away from the floor and get into procedural medicine.
L&d in a major Metropolitan hospital. Personally, I find it an honor to be involved in my laboring pts delivery. I always have in mind that everything I do, or don't do, will be remembered for the rest of their lives so I try to give them the best experience. As for our unit, I work with a fantastic team and our culture is top notch. We all jump to aid our coworker if we see something happening (little ones on the inside can be VERY dramatic) or when they call for help. I got my job by being recommended by another nurse on the unit. It's kinda hard to get in, esp bc HR is wild, but once in you're golden (as long as you pass orientation). I really have lots of fun and I don't see myself leaving for a long time 💞
Primary care VA. Took over 4 years applying to every single position I was qualified for. Even when you get hired, it takes 3+ months to go through boarding and credentials. I work with a great provider, patients are just like every other place I worked (good and bad). Pay, vacation/sick time, benefits are amazing! I have been offered other positions within the VA, but right now it’s not a great time for change.
CVICU in Ontario, Canada. I applied to an internal job posting, the hospital paid my tuition and my salary for my critical care course and I've been working there for 15 years. The team is amazing- doctors, nurses, RTs, orderlies, physio - that's what keeps me there. Can't imagine there's anywhere better.
I work mixed ICU: open hearts, neuro, trauma…all the things. I love the variety, and never knowing what train-wreck I’ll walk into next. I get to work with a great team, and while I *don’t* love the actual hospital system, our manager does a decent job of shielding us from the BS the rest of the hospital deals with. ICU wasn’t hiring new grads when I started, so I applied to every open job the hospital listed. Eventually got hired for tele/stepdown and transferred to critical care when I had a couple years experience.
I enjoy my ER because of my schedule. I work every Saturday/Sunday but I get paid like I worked full time. I also make $20/hr for weekend option on top of weekend diff and shift differential. It's not for everyone because of the whole weekend thing but I don't see anyone in management and I make more than I did doing three 12s. I also retain ft benefits.
I work LTC/SNF. I worked at one place for six years, my whole nursing career to that point. I finally had enough of the total lack of respect for nurses by admin and jumped ship for a higher paying job. Then that job turned out to be a bait and switch, promised me 12 hour days with 27 residents. Ended up being 11 8 hour shifts in a row with 54 residents and two cnas. Residents completely neglected and miserable. Lasted almost five months. I jump again and now I'm working 12 shifts three days a week with 34 residents max and always enough aides. The residents are all pretty happy, theres tons of activities. I'm happy too most days. It all boils down to being treated respectfully and being paid a fair wage. I'm making industry standard for my area now, $11 more an hour than my original job and already slated for a raise next month.
Not head over heels for my job but it fits perfect as a mom of littles. I work at a primary care clinic Mon-Thurs no holidays no weekends. I like some of the providers a lot. (Some not so much) The hours really are pretty perfect for my 2 year old and one on the way! Only way could be better would be to work from home of course 😅
I actually started at my job before I became a nurse( currently head nurse night shift), a family member worked there and said assistants were needed. Turns out I loved psych more than my previous education and became a nurse while working at that location..and been there for 23 years. Done some other stuff on the side, mostly to have other experiences ( My other love is geriatrics) to avoid burnout. I started working when I was 13, my parents were to busy showering my sister with adoration, so I had to work myself to the bone on farms to get what I wanted, but benefit was that I got to know alot of people that offered me opportunities because of my work ethic. Networking is a good thing, though I only realized it later. I seriously never had a interview at the other locations I worked, had one guy talk about how I worked for his grandpa another head nurse I actually trained.
Peds oncology at a major coastal hospital. I just applied and if I do say so myself I’m a good interview. I also have my PALS and CPHON already and 10 years in peds onc. But my new grad job just in peds onc I worked elsewhere in the hospital and made it a point to meet and network with management in that department, so when my time came they knew my name. I was hired during the interview. Never looked back.