My first nurse paying job was in an elderly care facility - by what ever name you choose to call it. I say this for the important lessons I learned there. From here I went to various sized hospitals and settings. With my husband in the Navy, we moved around affording me many opportunities. Areas of work have included home health, physicians office, pediatrics, obstetrics including nursery, psychiatry, emergency, medical, surgical, outpatient clinic, same day surgery, oncology, urology, neurology, intensive care, and orthopedics.
Hospitals are a different story however.
For profit or not for profit makes a big difference in how patient care is delivered. Health care Reform also plays a big role in patient care. Insurance providers and government agencies all play a role in what the hospital can and cannot do. For these reasons, nursing involvement in legislature is very important. At the Nursing Spectrum , I found this statement about the future of nursing that I believe to be true.