How do I get experience in other specialty areas?

live4today, RN · Jun 22, 2005

I've often wondered the exact same thing. I've concluded that it's a "who you know" thingy. :rolleyes:

It really gets to me when I'm told I need to be experienced in the area I'm asking to work in AS IF everyone working in that area were born with the experience. :uhoh3:

enfermeria · Jun 23, 2005

Hi! How can I get experience in other areas (ICU, ER, NICU, etc) when nobody will hire me without a year of that experience?! Thanks in advance!! Lyn :uhoh21:

I believe that most hospital now has intership programs that help nurses change specialty area. Some of them don't even have the contract for those interships!

LynRN04 · Jun 23, 2005

I believe that most hospital now has intership programs that help nurses change specialty area. Some of them don't even have the contract for those interships!

Wow, really?! Thanks! I feel better! :) I was beginning to think I was doomed to a life in med-surg... :crying2:

zambezi, BSN, RN · Jun 23, 2005

i would say either an internship or join the float pool. Our hospital is making a big push for people to join the float pool...sign on bonsues, extra pay etc...there are four float pool areas: maternal/child (L&D/Postpartum), NICU/PEDS (these two may comingle, I can't remember), Critical Care, and med/surg (which includes ortho/neuro, surgical, and mabye tele)...psych in there there somewhere too...

llg, PhD, RN · Jun 23, 2005

I always recommend the obvious -- identify an area that you are interested in and ask the people who do the hiring in that area (e.g. head nurse) to give you some career advice. Write a letter stating your interest and that you have a few questions on how to best acquire the type of experience that they are looking for. Include your phone number and ask them to give you a call. Say that you would like to meet with them to talk, but that if they don't have the time for that right now, you would be happy to just be able to ask 2 or 3 questions over the phone.

If you don't hear from them within a week or so, give them a call and ask if they received your letter. Then ask your questions.

I have been in nursng leadership positions in a variety of hospitals for about 20 years. Most people I have worked with would answer such questions in straightforward way if someone went to the trouble of asking us. My experience has been that the overwhelming majority of applicants simply fill out the application and then wait for a "yes" or "no" on their particular situation. Very few ask for career advice as part of the application and/or pre-application process. The nurse recruiters at the hospitals you are most interested in might also be able to answer some of those types of questions.

Good luck,

llg

swillmsrn · Jun 25, 2005

I am currently a traveling nurse working in psych (15 years experience) and would desperately love to change fields, at least for a little while. I am interested in learning dialysis, but meet with the same "need 1 year experience" problem previously discussed in this thread.

While the suggestions all were excellent, my situation is slightly different as I am only in an area for 13 wks and it is hard to propose that someone hire me to teach me for such a short time. I keep hoping that I will find a travel position that I just "love" so I can extend because then I will have more time to learn my new skills. So far, I would cry if I had to stay longer at the places I have worked, so extending hasn't been an option yet.

So, suggestions anyone? I really would appreciate any help you can give me.

suzanne4, RN · Jun 25, 2005

i would say either an internship or join the float pool. Our hospital is making a big push for people to join the float pool...sign on bonsues, extra pay etc...there are four float pool areas: maternal/child (L&D/Postpartum), NICU/PEDS (these two may comingle, I can't remember), Critical Care, and med/surg (which includes ortho/neuro, surgical, and mabye tele)...psych in there there somewhere too...

Float pools areonly good if you already have experience, especially for the specialty areas. No facility is going to give someone three months orientation in some of these areas and that is what you need to be able to function on your own competently. I have seen new grads offered float pool for PICU and NICU, and no experience in either. Quite scary........

llg, PhD, RN · Jun 25, 2005

While the suggestions all were excellent, my situation is slightly different as I am only in an area for 13 wks and it is hard to propose that someone hire me to teach me for such a short time.
So, suggestions anyone? I really would appreciate any help you can give me.

I think you have done a good job of assessing your situation. As you have realized, few people (maybe no one) is going to invest in teaching you if you present yourself as "someone who leaves" rather than as "someone who stays." It's just not reasonable to expect an employer to give you a free education unless you can offer them a realistic expectation that you will stay long enough for it to be worth it for them.

Since you have been in psych for so long ... and want to go to the highly technical/physical care of dialysis ... that adds an extra hurdle. Perhaps it would be advisable to first get some experience in some "in between" area first -- either through employment or through an educational program (such as graduate school). Someone looking to hire a dialysis nurse is going to wonder what makes you think you would actually LIKE dialysis and succeed in it. Having some transitional experiences might help that a bit. I'm not an expert in this area of practice: can you perhaps think of some non-psych jobs that you might be able to get and enjoy enough to stay in them for at least a year?

In the end, I think you know that you will need to make a committment somewhere to someone to stay in some job for a while -- perhaps be willing to sign a contract for 1 to 2 years. Either that ... or completely re-tool yourself with a major investment in re-education.

Good luck,

llg