Outpost nursing in Moose Factory - New Grad?

[RN2B123]

Has anyone worked in remote northern ontario communities as a new grad? Moose Factory is hiring new grad RNs in their Weeneebayko hospital...its a 37 bed hospital and its 1 RN on nights, 2 RPN's and PSW's apparently. I don't know the exact ratio on the day shift but its more than 1 RN

Would this position be too difficult for a new grad to start out in? I talked to a recruiter and she told me they send you to a 6 week obstetric course in Kingston as eventally you are expected to assist with deliveries...

Has anyone worked in this hospital or similar outpost nursing jobs? How was the work environment, staff, support, etc?

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

Outpost nursing is a great deal of responsibility for a new nurse. When you're "it" and you're faced with multiple situations all going sideways, you will wish for back up. You need to be very sure of your skills and your assessments, be highly organized and extremely assertive if you're going to tackle something like that. You will want to be able to do things without thinking about them and that usually only comes with experience. You might want to think about this type of position for a while before committing to it...

[RN2B123]

Hi jan,

it is not super remote like your by yourself. From what I was told, there is a physician always in the hospital 24/7, the hospital holds 37 beds but they told me usually its not totally full (usually around 20 or 25 pts at one time) and on nights its 1 RN, 2 RPNs and a health care aide. I figure if there is always a physician in the hospital then it couldnt be that bad compared to the remote areas where its only nursing staff and the closest physician is like 1000 km away.

Im still deciding though since it seems like a difficult job for a new grad to handle even with a physician. Having RPN's there would certainly help too so I dont know...

I have also applied for a burns and plastics nursing position at a large teaching hospital in southern ontario and have applied for surgical positions, etc which i have interviews for new grad positions.

I think it might be better to get a year or two of working in a teaching hospital under my belt. I can't decide to take the plunge and start working there or to get some large hospital experience first...

Outpost nursing is a great deal of responsibility for a new nurse. When you're "it" and you're faced with multiple situations all going sideways, you will wish for back up. You need to be very sure of your skills and your assessments, be highly organized and extremely assertive if you're going to tackle something like that. You will want to be able to do things without thinking about them and that usually only comes with experience. You might want to think about this type of position for a while before committing to it...

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

In this sort of situation, the RN is "it"... you're in charge, you are responsible for supervising and delegating to the RPNs and aides and ultimately responsible for all of those patients. Having a doctor on the premises doesn't mean that the wheels won't fall off, and when they do, their presence might save the patient but only with you doing most of the work. It won't be the doc calling for xray, it won't be the doc arranging transfer of a critical patient, it won't be the doc doing compressions and pushing drugs. It'll be you and your RPNs.

Ultimately it's your decision. Make sure you give it as much thought as you can, maybe do a couple of shadow shifts on nights so you can see exactly what it will be like, and make a fully informed choice.

[RN2B123]

after thinking about what you have said and about the job in general, i think ill look for jobs at teaching hospitals and then maybe in a few years I'll look into working in outpost when I have more experience.

I think it would be way too much responsibility for a new grad - maybe after a couple of years experience who knows?

thanks for the help!

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

You'll probably find that to be the most sensible thing to do. You will learn a lot, hone your skills and be far more comfortable when you're there on your own. Don't give up on the idea, just make sure you're ready.

[coola]

Wow, daunting job for a new grad! Kinda depends on what you were doing before you became a nurse...maybe a champion phlebotomist, a MASH medic or ER doc?? :icon_roll There's a real future here and special training available at Dalhousie University, possibly (still?) Red River Community College in Winnipeg...I know I've read of others. For anyone interested, do a web search. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Here's more insight into this challenging job from:

http://www.medhunters.com/articles/knowThyselfOptionsWorkEnvironments$outpost.html

"Outpost nurses are registered nurses who work in Canada's territories and in the northern regions of the provinces. An outpost may be an ambulatory center or a small facility (usually referred to as a health center, but we are using the term outpost interchangeably) with ambulatory services and a few inpatient beds. Some outposts are located in fly-in communities without road access, others are along roads, which require nurses to have valid drivers' licenses in order to travel between outposts. Outposts generally serve villages of 300 to 2,000 inhabitants, with all or the vast majority of the population being Inuit or Native Canadian (e.g., Cree).

Outposts are generally staffed by one to four nurses, who function with high levels of responsibility because doctors, if they even visit, come only once every one to six weeks. (Doctors can be consulted via telephone.)

An outpost nurse functions in a combined/expanded role of clinic nurse, community/public health nurse, ER nurse, and flight nurse.

Due to the high level of responsibility, a minimum of two years of clinical experience is almost always required. Having additional training/certification from a northern clinical program, outpost nursing program, or equivalent is sometimes required and is always an asset.

Outpost nurses must have independent, take-charge personalities, and need strong assessment and teaching skills. They are required to perform triage, start IVs, do dressing changes, perform suture/staple removal,provide pre- and post-natal care, perform deliveries, collect specimens, prescribe drugs (according to standing orders), and take/interpret labs and x-rays. Outpost nurses must take call"

[ERtraumanurse]

I am hopefully soon going to be trying this branch of nursing out for size...I have been an ER nurse for 2 years and I was an RPN for many years prior to that - I am nervous but excited at the same time - If all goes well I should be going within the next month or so!

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

How exciting for you. Out of the frying pan... Just kidding. If you've worked an urban ER then you should be okay.

[ERtraumanurse]

LOL - yes I was thinking to myself what am I in for - but I have a colleague who does it on a regular basis and she loves it - so I thought why not? - hopefully I will be disciplined enough to write about my experiences - we shall see :)

[ERtraumanurse]

Well it is official - I leave on May 25th - very much looking forward to this new adventure - will have to journal and take pictures of my time up there!!

[Higgs]

got nothing to add about outpost nursing, but gotta love those place names!!

:)