Back to work! Advice please

[MountainMama]

Long story short.. have worked on and off for 10 years, FT/PT/casual, inbetween having my children. Took the easiest route and kept going back to the same small hospital on the CCU/telemetry floor. I haven't worked since December 2002, and am ready to jump into nursing again.. but only want a prn position. I have an interview Tuesday (8/3). My problem is - I do not know where I want to go. The HR lady asked me when she called to set up the interview, where I may be interested in working...(they are many many nurses short on every floor,as every hospital is) I told her I'd just like to come in and see as I wasn't sure. It would seem logical to go to a telemetry floor, but I DO not want to do that. I don't really want a steady dose of cardiac. I just kept going back to the prior hospital since I was already trained, etc..

Part of me really want to bust out and try something else, such as Emergency nursing or L&D/nursery... not sure how the orientation would work though, being I just want a casual job. It may not work.. Any thoughts?

[Genista, BSN, RN]

Could you do a more intensive orientation temporarily and then go to casual? I know of some nurses who have done that...you know, maybe a few weeks of 3-4 shifts/week for orientation, then drop down to your casual status. The ER at my work does 12 hr shifts, so a Fulltime RN works 3 shifts/week.You might want to check into that as well.

Whatever you decide, good luck! :balloons:

[SmilingBluEyes]

I agree w/the above. Plan on an intense period of orientation and THEN go casual, like I have. It's the best way to work!!!! Do NOT try to orient to a place like L and D on a perdiem basis. You need to get some serious experience under your belt to function there independently. And that takes plain old fashioned hours of orientation. But once done orienting, you will have it!!! It's worth it!

[MountainMama]

I can't wait to talk to them! I didn't realize how much I missed working, until I started thinking about it again. I must be crazy- especially the way nurses are working like dogs in the understaffed hospitals, but here I go again!

:nurse: