Ocean County RN Graduate looking for job.

I definitely dont recommend home care. You are not an experienced enough nurse to do it, IMO.

From what i hear, the L&Ds in my area (northern NJ) are asking for some previous experience. So, although you dread the whole med-surg thing, you might actually just have to do it for 6 months to 1 year so that you can work in an L&D. Keep your goal in mind, dont lose sight of the big picture. THink of it as a stepping stone to where you want to be.

Call around though. You don't lose anything by researching. Whatever you choose, just make sure that you have a good enough orientation to carry you through. Some hospitals actually have new grad programs where they take you through an extended orientation and place you in the specialty. So, call around.

Congrats on passing your boards!

Hi Slurgee,

First of all, congratulations on your accomplishment! Welcome to the world of nursing and all it has to offer. I have been a nurse for 27 years and have worked in many different areas of nursing.

You are right in thinking that home care is not generally the easiest to get into as a new graduate. You're out there in homes by yourself and there's no colleague to readily come to your aid. It takes a bit of independence as well as creativity in finding solutions to things you don't encounter in the clincial setting. However, it is quite rewarding.

I enjoy home care and am doing hospice nursing right now. Our hospice agency is affiliated with one in Ocean county that has a new in patient unit as well as a home care census. We have the same in Monmouth County and I know we hired a new graduate who has been with us for two years on our in patient unit. If you tried that you could move to home care and not lose the time put into getting vested. (The Ocean County home care agency has a large non-hospice census as well as some hospice patients. The company offers good benefits. I'm not sure of the pay in Ocean County. If you would like more information or the name of the person to contact (the director of the in patient unit in Ocean County) let me know.