Work setting for new grads?

[work4choc]

12 years after changing majors right before entering clinicals in a BSN program, I am considering going back, redoing my prereqs and trying to complete it.

At one point after I got my BS, I started to go to LPN school, but dropped out because I thought (whether I was correct or not) that all I had in my future was either LTC or med/surg, and that is not where I wanted to go in my career. I also felt that being in the program after getting partway through a BSN that I was taking a step backward, and I was frustrated.

I had gotten to the point where I had convinced myself that I wanted to work in healthcare, but not nursing. I had pretty much narrowed my view of nursing to the standard image of the overworked RN on a med/surg unit, maybe in part to help me get over and justify my decision to change my major so long ago.

Recently I had the experience of being able to sit with my grandmother for 6 hours in the hospital on the day she died. My grandfather was so touched by the nurse that cared for her for weeks on the 7-3 shift, he couldn't stop talking about how wonderful she was. My grandmother was very sick and the nurses and other staff provided care to keep her comfortable and were very supportive to us (the family) on that day, answering questions and reassuring us and simply giving us time to be alone with her.

Since then, over the past few weeks, I have been reconsidering nursing. I still at this point don't want to do med/surg - I read the posts from new grads about how they want to cry and are in fear of losing their license and also the complaints from more established nurses. That would totally be me. I am pretty good about getting organized, and developing systems to stay organized but it is not a natural state of being for me, especially if the pressure and demands are high. I am just wondering what options are available for new grads besides being a staff nurse in a med/surg unit. I am most interested in working within a community, like for a primary care office or school nursing, or something like that. It is my impression though, that RNs in a primary care office do mostly telephone triage and consults and don't really do much hands on care, and I wouldn't want to be that detached from patient care. I have even thought about hospice after spending that time with my grandmother, as it really seems to be the setting where the art of nursing shines. I am aware that new grads need a good year or 2 to refine their skills and efficiency, but I am also not that young anymore and am worried that a year of high stress in an understaffed med/surg unit would burn me out to nursing before I really got my career underway.

Anyway, to finally cut to the chase, I am wondering if anyone could let me know what you think the opportunities are for new grads, and possibly the path one should take to work in a community care setting. I keep hearing that RNs have so many opportunities to do so many different things, but I am curious what the reality is.

Thanks.

[KatieBell]

There are a ton of opportunities, and it can be somewhat difficult to sift through them.

One option for you, since you are very interested in Hospice, would be to go into Oncology nursing. It is still floor nursing, and could be a bit hectic, however, some hospitals have specific "Hospice" units. I worked at one that had a hospice unit, it was a neat place, more home like than home, but gave the family less stress of having a very ill person in the home (As you may know many people want to do hospice, but then when their relative gets very very ill, they panic and call 911, and rush them off to the hosptial- the hospice unit is one way to provide a lot of the comforts of home without the panic of relatives who are unsure about whats going on).

Or you could even do Oncology clinic, where patients who are not hosptialized come in on a regular basis to recieve chemo. Its a lot of hands on nursing, administering chemo, and such...

Incidently, there are some great Med Surg units out there. I was shocked and amazed to find out the M/S ratio at one hosptial i was recently at was flat out 4:1 that was it. Ther nurses complained about being overworked, but compared tothe other hospitals in the area, it seemed they had time to really examine lab results etc, consult the appropriate consults etc.

I hope this helps you a bit.

[work4choc]

You know, that is a good idea. I like the idea of getting to know a patient and family over time, and oncology definitely would offer that. My mom has cancer and has been back and forth for treatment for the past almost 2 years now. Her infusions were done on an outpatient basis, but she was there all day at the center for each one.

Thanks.