When You Choose the Private Practice Setting

If you're looking at joining a private practice as a nurse, you will find that there are just as many benefits as there are problems with this arrangement.

The benefits include:

* Regular hours - Because you are only working when the doctors are there, you can establish a more regular schedule. This works well for nurses with families that need their care.

* More chance for patient interaction - When you're only dealing with one patient at a time,

you can feel more connected to the patients you do meet.

* Smaller patient population - This allows you to learn and to remember patients that come in regularly. You also can have less stress than in a hospital setting.

But the disadvantages to this setting are:

* Lack of unionization in many cases - This can cause your job to be at risk for termination at any time, regardless of seniority. Your benefits will also be decided by the practice management instead of being supported by a union representative.

* The pay can be less - While some practices pay better than others, the pay is often much less in a private setting as the revenue can be smaller.

* There are fewer jobs - You might not be able to get into a higher position as a private practice nurse, plus the number of jobs available is fewer.

Whether you choose the hospital setting or the private practice setting, you will still be able to do what you do best - care for patients. However, most nurses find that one setting is a better fit than another. And that decision is up to you.