Private Practice Nursing Many people assume nursing roles are all similar; however private practice nursing is very different from working in a hospital. There are benefits to both, and of course cons to both, but it narrows down to the individual person, and what their preference is. Pros of Private Practice Nursing - Great Hours- no holidays or weekends may be a very valuable asset for some nurses. If you happen to have large family gatherings, and you prefer not to be working on the holiday itself, this can be a great benefit. If you have kids that play sports on weekends or attend dance recitals, it can be great not to always have to say you are working, or sleeping due to work. - Slower Pace- private practice nursing is not necessarily easier;however, most nurses agree it moves at a slower pace. You spend more time taking information from patients and less time running room to room. - No Medication Administration- you will still give shots, and the occasional pill may be necessary, however you won’t be giving out medications during your entire shift as you do in a hospital setting. - Familiar with Patients- working in a private practice the odds are you will become familiar with many of your patients. If you enjoy getting to know people this can be a deciding factor, many of the patients come to know the nurses very well. Related: 5 Things To Avoid When Your Patient Starts Crying Cons of Working in Private Practice - Slower Pace- this can be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on the person. Many nurses that are accustomed to working in a hospital say that the day seems to drag on forever working in private practice. - Off Days- while you will usually get holidays and weekends off working in private practice, you rarely get that option that hospitals offer, or working three 12 hours shifts per week and having 4 off days. You will almost always work a 5-day work week at 8 hours per day. - Variety of Patients- If you enjoy meeting new people, and don’t care to get friendly with repeat patients, this can be more of an annoyance. Patients may remember your name, and occasionally expect you to remember everything they told you on a previous visit.
Pros of Working in a Hospital - The number one thing most nurses agree is great about hospital work is the 3-day work week. Granted, those are long days, 12 hours of running around and on your feet, however 4 off days is worth it to most nurses. - Variety- if you appreciate constantly meeting new people and seeing new faces then a hospital is right up your alley. Patient turnover is high in most hospitals. - Co-workers- in a hospital setting you will have a large group of coworkers. You are not limited to an office manager and staff; you will have a large group of peers to share information with, and to get advice from. Related: Patients on Dialysis Cons of Working in a Hospital - Those long 12 hour days can take a toll on you until you get used to them. Your feet hurt, your back aches, and you just want to go home, shower, and go to bed. There just isn’t a lot of time once you arrive home from work; you have to return in just 12 hours. - You don’t get to know the patients, which can be a negative or a positive. If you enjoy getting to know people and being familiar patients, you are out of luck in a hospital, turnover is high. - In a hospital, you will have a larger group of coworkers; however you may not get to know them as well. Not only are you very busy, but you see new faces on a regular basis. - You will also answer to multiple doctors in a hospital, and not just one. There are times 10 different doctors want 10 different things, this is a very rare occurrence in private practice. Personality and work style preference plays a huge role in where you work preference lies. It’s actually a good idea different people want different employment; otherwise one would suffer from a severe shortage. Related: Acclaimed Registered Nurse, Donna L. Carroll, RN will be Displayed in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter