Jus found a new job recently in a private clinic.. Completed my dip in nursing.. Indeed is kinda hard to find a job for a green horn like mi.. With zero working experience at all..

Alot plp adviced mi to start off in the hosp 1st.. But after long period of consideration, i decided to tak up a clinic job coz of the office hours.. Have a proper lunch break.. (In the ward, there isn such thing as lunch! U're too buzy thruout 2 leave!)

Boy, i was wrong!!

Practically everydae we're workin over time! From 8.30 it can stretch up to 6.30.. Tot that everydae can have proper lunch break of 1h, but nah.. We work thru lunch practically everydae! We take turn to eat.. & that is onli 10-15 mins each.. Depends on how fast u tak to gobble ur food down..

The doc is reali popular i guess.. Sees double the number of patients.. In a mornin.. From 8.30 - 1pm.. Sees abt 26 patients + / - ... Sat is worst.. Thouigh 1pm is our offical time to close, we end up closin at 3pm.. Every sat almost!

Everydae.. Sum times is a full clinic.. Sum times is onli half dae.. Or the dae of the wk is allocated for pt doin surgery..

We look 4ward to half dae clinic coz tat's the onli time we have to clear our paper work.. But then.. On and off.. The doc will say.. Okie.. I'm free 2dae, or there's no surgery.. Open clinic.. Urgh! There goes our time to clear paper work..

The onli gd thing is we get to claim time off.. On & off when there is no clinic, we can take time off..

Reali dunno if i can tak it any further..

!stly.. the workin hours is too long.. Haha.. I tot tat office hrs is beta.. But i realised by the time u off work.. is already so late into the evenin.. Everywhere is crowded.. & shoppin centers are closins soon..

Another is the workload.. Mayb i'm too new.. But i jus can't find enough time to finish my work.. I mx to cope okie when dealin with patients.. Doin several tests on and off..

But paperwork.. I've a big headache.. Always can't find the time to finish.. Work seems never ending..

I'm in charge of the drugs inventory.. Each time the stock is low.. Havet o call and mak order.. Find the time to key in into our system.. To juggle the lttle time we have when there isn clinic, claimin ur time off to have a rest.. Answer the phone.. No neat feat!

There are time we are alone.. The phone calls can mak mi go crazy!! Feel like a telephone operator at times.. The calls if to fix appointment is easy..

But then sometimes is call to request for this n that.. Takes up more time.. Handlin the calls alone.. Leave u even lesser time for paper work!!

U can be answerin tis call.. N while u still on the line.. Another phone will ring.. If not.. once u hang up the phone, the nx call will come in non stop..

Got so stressed up..Tat i started to "hear" the phone ringin..When in actual fact, there isn at all.. Gotten funny tat.. How come the phone isn ringin 2dae?

Often.. I have alot of stuff to pack.. Cotton balls.. Surgical instruments.. Pack it into papers or bags etc.. Then send it for autoclavin.. A procedure to sterilise all the stuff used..

@ least for the clinic.. I dun mind.. But recently.. The doc family uses alot of supplies.. Have to keep wrappin n wrappin.. Alot of time taken up..Lucky she's on leave.. So i mx to do it.. if not how!

I have to cut the paper, wrap it lik a present.. urgh..

I'm so stress!

Sorry 4 e long post.. jus lettin off steam!

You ok? How's the pay like compared to working in a normal hospital? If it's much higher then it's a figure you've got to go balance out yourself?

If you REALLY can't take it then you can always choose to leave before you break down? Otherwise, I'll advise you to slowly cope better with things 1st if ya can? Try to at least hang on for a while? Make it a period where it could be reflected on your resume as you've already mentioned that you've got no working experience...?

After a while, perhaps you can just go back to a hospital to 'relax' a bit? Work in an environment you're more familar and can better cope with...? When you've got yourself stabilised / bored or on the mood to venture into something different again, then maybe you can try for a private clinic again? At that point, your experiences with this clinic taht you've been working with and the hospital job might be able to better compliment each other? Hence you might even be expecting a better pay or acceptance when you're out for a job change?

Originally posted by Devil1976:

You ok? How's the pay like compared to working in a normal hospital? If it's much higher then it's a figure you've got to go balance out yourself?

If you REALLY can't take it then you can always choose to leave before you break down? Otherwise, I'll advise you to slowly cope better with things 1st if ya can? Try to at least hang on for a while? Make it a period where it could be reflected on your resume as you've already mentioned that you've got no working experience...?

After a while, perhaps you can just go back to a hospital to 'relax' a bit? Work in an environment you're more familar and can better cope with...? When you've got yourself stabilised / bored or on the mood to venture into something different again, then maybe you can try for a private clinic again? At that point, your experiences with this clinic taht you've been working with and the hospital job might be able to better compliment each other? Hence you might even be expecting a better pay or acceptance when you're out for a job change?

Thank u 4 ur advice..

Hmm.. I think i beta stay on abit longer.. Dun wan to appear tat i'm job hoppin..

The pay wise ah.. Is almost the same as hosp pay.. Both the clinic and hosp got it pros n cons bah..

Think wat i'm upset is coz i can't cope with the work yet.. Plus now my boss family matters.. addin pressure to mi.. more work, less time..

welcome to the working world.

maybe its your expectations - to me its unrealistic.

Healthcare industry is like that... don't ask me why. If you have old parents or grandparents at home, you will understand why.

A clinic work may seem less stressful, but is otherwise.

A hospital work may seem more stressful, but you will be surprised at the amount of free time given. Of course, nurses will have their fair share of trouble, like unreasonable patients and their family members, those not listening to instructions, handle kids, etc.

Take your time to experience the working world, and both working environments if possible.

TIME TO WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE!!!!
WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD!!!!

Basically,

If you really feel that lousy at work....

if you really hate working there so much, then go find other jobs (take note other jobs MAY be worse)

I once heard a friend said " We spent about 2/3 of our time working, why torture yourself doing a job you HATE?"

You have to rediscover what is your purpose in going into nursing in the first place? What is your purpose for going into the healthcare sector? Is it because you wanted to do your share to help the sick and weak? Or you wanted to try out different things in this sector?

What prompted you to go into nursing industry is what drives you to go on despite all the stuffs that seemed to bog you down.

In honesty, i think your work environment is still very good compared to nurses working in hospitals.

Bosses treatment to emplyoees is also an important factor. Does the doctor treat you nicely? Or is she a mean person?

Originally posted by Deportivo:

In honesty, i think your work environment is still very good compared to nurses working in hospitals.

i would think so too....hospital jobs tend to be more menial and depressing...here you'll get to network and possibly for your next career move.....young people should not be afraid of hard work...use the opportunity to learn more.....

Originally posted by ahkico:

Thank u 4 ur advice..

Hmm.. I think i beta stay on abit longer.. Dun wan to appear tat i'm job hoppin..

The pay wise ah.. Is almost the same as hosp pay.. Both the clinic and hosp got it pros n cons bah..

Think wat i'm upset is coz i can't cope with the work yet.. Plus now my boss family matters.. addin pressure to mi.. more work, less time..

So you've heard from the rest of the forumites...?

I think a private clinic is more like a private business.. It probably won't be as systematic as working in a hospital... But the main pro would be that you're likely to be working under only 1 or 2 bosses...

In a hospital is more systematic and it's more likely that you can follow up by the black and white alone.. But you would have more bossess.. And yes.. Like mentioned by others, your networking would probably have to be more extensive too...?

PROs and CONs.... Stay a while for now...? Perhaps get into a hospital a little later if ya like? Make a comparison and see if you can make out your personal preference from there...?

aiya work is like that de lah, i also dun have time to eat lunch also take away eat at office also got ppl bugging me

congrats u just have some experience ^^

i shall now announced ur a black horn^^

Go public hospital. I thought Nursing student go hospital as 6mth attachment?

that s y i go to IMH… 5 more mths to ORD… interested in psy stuff and seem not a very stress job. graduate in year 2004. miss studying so much…

It's not easy to get going in a new environment. I think things will get better when you find a routine. Always try to find a more efficient way to do things or manage your time. After awhile you will be able to squeeze time for other things, like rest or your paperwork.

Try to find the positives, and enjoy working with your colleagues. It makes life easier

Wah! It sounds busy. Are you working in an ophthalmologist clinic? Build up rapport with your colleagues. They may even help you when you are busy!

it's all about time management

and also learning to 'tai chi' yr work to others..hahaha

Aiya..just hold it there man

actually ah... hospital is much worser lah
e wards are stressful becoz of e workload
e patients complaining...
n also becoz of e responsibility lah
juz imagine making mistakes with e IV drugs lah
OT nurse also super jielat...
e surgeon damn stressed wif e surgery... will yell at u loh
ICU also super xiong
but then working in hospital is very gd lah
in terms of getting experience
especially since u are fresh graduate
for medical field, most of e stuff are really learnt on e job one
clinic work alot is PR wif patient and paperwork
do u plan to work in ur clinic 4 long?
coz e experience u learn from e clinic
would be quite specialized
if urs is a surgeon's clinic
especially for opthamology lah
if not after tt... u may find it difficult to adapt to
e more mainstream ward stuff

heezz... in terms of slack job rite
clinic is more slack lah...
recommendation is work in SOC loh
though workload is also heavy.. but got gov benefits lah

but really... if u are looking into long term
i would suggest back to hospital ward lah
coz e stuff u learn from nursing sch is really very basic
juz treat working as learning experience loh
ward work is also more rewarding
in e sense when u see ur patients being discharged
all e smiley faces of they n their relatives...
it will brighten up ur dae too

For me I will consider
1) Pay (also in view of the work load and stress level)
2) Prospects.

But wah....eating lunch only 10-15 mins is really bad manz. Is like even super stressful job, most people still take a good lunch to relax and recharge.