Been on an inpatient oncology floor almost five years. I love my patients, but nights are wrecking my sleep and I'm tired of fighting for a bed every time someone neutropenic gets admitted through the ER.
Our outpatient infusion center has an opening. Days, no weekends, no holidays. Base pay is the same, but I lose my night diff, so it's roughly a $7k cut. They said I'd be running chair turnover fast, like 8 to 10 patients a day with premeds, hypersensitivity reactions, port access, all of it.
What worries me is whether I'll lose my acute skills. If I ever want to go back inpatient or ICU, does infusion count for anything? Or do I just get labeled outpatient forever?
If you've made this jump, did you miss the floor or never look back?
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Post replyKeep your certs current and pick up a per diem inpatient shift once a month if your system allows it. Hiring managers care way more about recent acute experience than about the word outpatient on your resume.
The neutropenic patient boarding in the ER for 14 hours because there's no bed is exactly why I'm job hunting too. Admin acts like we're exaggerating every single time.
Does your center have a rapid response team, or do they call 911? That tells you a lot about how much acute stuff you'll actually be managing.
I'll push back a little. Infusion is not easy mode. With 8 to 10 chairs, pharmacy delays, and a reaction or two in the same afternoon, you won't sit down until 5. It's a different stress, not less stress.
Made this exact move after 6 years of nights on a BMT unit. The first month I kept waiting for something to go wrong, and then I realized I was just sleeping. Haven't missed the floor once. The diff cut stung, but I stopped spending it on DoorDash and energy drinks anyway.