experience?

[D&Ggirl]

hi everyone! i'm a new grad (Dec 07) and am finding out quickly that bedside nursing is NOT my thing! legal stuff in general has always interested me so i was wanting to know if i should even pursue LNC since i have such minimal experiece. if i shouldn't, is there anything else I can do to stay in the legal area? thanks in advance!:bowingpur

[RN1989]

It is generally recommended to have at least 3years of experience before attempting LNC. Depending upon what TYPE of experience a person has, they may need even more years than that to do the job.

You will be putting yourself at risk if you attempt LNC at this point.

I do not know of any type of legal nursing job that you could do with less than a handful of months worth of nursing experience. Even to attempt case management/risk management, you will need more exposure to the various ailments, treatments, and outcomes.

If you want to get away from nursing altogether, you could always get your paralegal.

You could look for a different job in a different area. Or hang in there like most people and re-evaluate things in a few years.

[elkpark]

Everyone is unhappy with their first nursing job within the first several months, and it doesn't necessarily mean there's anything wrong with the job (or with you :)). The transition from nursing student to "real" nurse is notoriously difficult and frustrating, and everyone struggles with it. I would strongly encourage you to stick with your present job for at least a full year before a) writing off bedside nursing altogether or b) attempting to get into a non-clinical nursing specialty. You may be surprised at how differently you feel six or nine months from now, and, even if you don't, you will have gained important skills and experience that will benefit you wherever you go from there.