Considering a Teaching Hospital For My Future

One of the many things I think about as I venture down this road to a degree in nursing is the type of medical facility I will begin my nursing career in. While it may be premature for me to already be thinking about such things considering I still have a ways to go before I graduate, I can't help but think of my future and where I will work, who I will work with, the patients I will care for, and the impact all of this will have on my nursing career. When I consider my options the one that sticks out the most is working in a teaching hospital.

According to AHA “teaching hospitals educate and train future medical professionals, conduct state of the art research, care for the nation's poor and uninsured people, and stand ready to provide highly specialized clinical care to the most severely ill and injured.” I found this to be the simplest definition or explanation of what a teaching hospital is. Generally when one thinks of a teaching hospital they think of medical students that have just graduated and doctors performing experimental surgeries, little is usually thought of the nurses working in those hospitals. But there are nurses working in those hospitals and they play an important role in the care of the patients and development of the physicians working there.

AAMC Statistics about the importance of teaching hospitals.

There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing the type of medical facility to work in. Teaching hospitals offer learning opportunities, exposure to a wider ranger of critical patients, more one-on-one interaction with doctors and medical staff, 24-hour access to physicians or residents, along with many other factors. It is also important to consider personal factors such as, what your learning style is, your personality, the type of environment you want to work in, career goals, and other factors that may be important in helping decide if a teaching hospital will be a good fit.

Working in a teaching hospital is not for everyone but I would like to think it would be a good fit for me. Teaching hospitals are important in health care and medical advancements in America. Teaching hospitals (all hospitals) make a difference and that is something I want to do as well and learn more in my field along the way.