need advice, new nurse, bad experience, stuck in home care? please help

Nurses New Nurse

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Ok here goes..I originally made 1 post I would say a few years back about my first traumatizing experience as a new grad RN..basically I worked in this hospital during nursing school part time as a unit secretary in a med/surge unit and ended up taking a position next to my floor on a tele unit..the total amt of orientation was 6 weeks if I recall correctly and to make it worse this floor was being renovated so I oriented on an orthopedic unit for the majority of my orientation and the last 2 weeks on my new floor..very very different and I was overwhelmed and had asked for more time as I felt I wasnt ready..basically they refused to give me any more time despite the educator telling me she would see what she could do...all lies...I ended up resigning b/c I felt unsafe and didnt want to lose my license..oh and I ended up meeting with the educator, HR recruiter, unit manager and basically asked to get transfered to another unit perhaps med surge and they refused and gave me my options which included running the risk of getting fired if I didnt meet their standards, i could resign or just continue. So I resigned and my ego was shot.

A few months later still feeling like a failure I was lucky enough to land a job part time in an adult medical daycare...I was desperate so I took it as a MD I used to work for referred me...I basically just gave meds, BS, assessments, injections here and there and thats basically it. Although I was grateful to have something this part time was not helping me experience wise as I did not apply nsg skills I learned and felt like I was losing my skills so I continued applying with no luck.

Finally got lucky and started a new job last fall as a visiting nurse part of a new grad program. It was ok, I was desperate for experience and took what I could as my past hospital experience still had my confidence shattered at the type of nurse I was. Anyway fast forward and Im 8 months into homecare and I am very confused and honestly fed up with being taken advantage of. It turns out the company I work for has a high turn over rate, just recently a few nurses left and HHA's have told me that nurses never stay and that they love new grads because they know we are desperate. I get paid salary which sucks because we work "8 hours" but really it is more than that when you add phone calls and documentation and travel time. On top of that my location was moved 3 months in and I went from a 30 minute commute to about 1 hour commute. I also went from covering 3 territories to 5 territories with basically no notice, my manager one day just tells me oh by the way heres your new patients. I also case manage about 25-30 patients maybe more depending on how many referrals at the time. I used to cry in the beginning well when my caseload increased and of course periods of overwhelment as I found myself working all day everyday even on days off...I can say I have become highly confident in my assessment skills and over all nsg skills and I have learned alot these 8 months but the driving, locations, documentation and finding myself working all the time makes me feel like work has become my life and I am at the point where I feel like just quitting...Ive read in the home care section that nurses mainly quit because of this and now I feel like I am stuck in homecare. I guess what I am looking for is advice if someone will read my long post and respond. I have recently updated my resume as I cant continue in home care much longer. Oh and I forgot to add I am Spanish speaking and am the only Spanish nurse in the company as I get calls from nurses to call patients for them, Ive even gone on JV's with other nurses to translate and just recently was given a patient in a territory that isnt mine just because I speak Spanish! I feel like Im taken advantage of alot. Anyway I really want to go back to the hospital. I feel like I am ready, I know the hospital is going to be just as hard and I am confident that this time around I will make it if given a fair orientation and opportunity but I feel like homecare will not help me get a hospital position. Does homecare count as med surge experience? Can a homecare nurse find a hospital job or am I going to be stuck in home care forever? Also in my resume should I include my first job at this hospital where I resigned at the end of my orientation due to my risk of being terminated? I dont feel right lying and I feel like honesty is the best policy, but will it hurt my chances? Or do I simply list that hospital when I fill out an application and discuss with them? Any advice will greatly be appreciated. I have applied to a few hospitals already and not even 2 days later got an automated response saying I was rejected as I didnt meet minimum qualifications. I am determiend to get another job but at the rate its going I feel like homecare might not get me anywhere. I was also told that homecare nurses are a joke and our experience does not count. Please say it isnt so. I thank you for reading this if anyone does. I am grateful for this site.

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Specializes in ER.

I think you'd do fine in a hospital position, and I'd be honest, that you didn't feel ready. Your manager shot herself in the foot by saying work or quit. It sounds reasonable to me to ask for more time, even with experience, and you were fresh out of the gate. Most managers want you to be honest about your abilities, and will work with you.

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You feel that the time you spent working in home care has given you priceless opportunities in learning time management, organization, and assessment. And you are bilingual in English and Spanish, and so useful that they gave you Spanish-speaking patients outside of your regular area because of that and your other skills. You liked the patients but the traveling around was getting to be too much, and you want to settle down and be a member of a team in a traditional setting.

How's that sound to you? I think it might sound pretty good to a M/S hiring manager.

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Thank you both for responding it means alot...I recently heard home care doesn't count as experience for a hospital job so now I'm feeling like ill be stuck in homecare forever :/ I'm not happy there especially with all this driving...am I really going to be stuck in homecare forever? Am I cursed? I feel like I'm going to have to change careers because of this ....thanks for responding

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Don't give up. My RN BSN bestie worked in an allergy clinic ( the only job she could after searching for 6 months without luck and she graduated from a prestigious program) for 1.5 years. Someone her mom knew put a good word in for her and now she is in the hospital working on a cardiac step down unit.

She was always worried the clinic would ruin her shot at the hospital and it didn't. She had a great orientation and is doing very well in her new position. She never gave up though and went out countless hospital interviews until she got a yes. You will get a yes, it may not be next week or next month, but if you keep at it, it will happen.

And perhaps an idea for you. In my area, the major hospital systems have home care, and the employ RN's of course. Does your area have this? You could get in, have a foot in the door and transfer to the hospital later on.

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I do not believe home care nurses are a joke. In fact I believe that this is where the real future of nursing lies. Less people will be in hospitals and more people will receive care in their homes or in a local community clinic. I look forward to the day when I can become a home care nurse and help give people dignity and freedom while caring for them - something that seems to be missing from hospital care these days.

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I have been a Home Care nurse for 2 years. I love the patients and the teams of nurses I work with, but the after hours charting is insane. We drive 20-40 miles to Pts homes for wound care, health checks, education etc..There is NO time to chart on the job with the case loads we have 8-10 Pts daily + drive time. We are paid salary or per Pt, but all the many hours, MANY hours, we spend after hours and weekends charting is all free to our company. Many of my fellow nurses are so run down and burnt out, and our health is definatley affected by the after hours we give up. We have all said " This company owns us, we truly have no life". If we arent out in the field seeing patients, we are charting until we fall asleep, everyday. Its depressing because the company knows were overworked and understaffed,and they know the only way to stay on top of our charting is to do it at home. The gulit of leaving and knowing my fellow nurses will have it harder with more patients is the only reason I stay. I love my patients very much, but this job is sucking the life right out of me. Is this how all home care companys are?

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