going from school nursing to hospital HELP!!!!

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Hello! I have an interview today with the hospital. Anxiety is setting in! I haven't worked in the hospital for about 10 yrs! I pretty much went straight out of nursing school into school nursing. I miss pt. care and it bothers me that I am sooooo rusty on my skills. Any advice? A pep talk would really help me right now!:idea:

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Have you considered taking a nurse refresher course? When I went back to hospital nursing after 12 years at home what worried me the most was the new equipment. Patient care and nursing observation doesn't change that much but the equipment sure does. And after 9 years as a school nurse, the only piece of new equipment I have used is an insulin pump. I would want to refresh my working knowledge of mechanical things. Good luck.

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Specializes in Cath Lab, OR, CPHN/SN, ER.

If the hospital is big enough, hopefully they have something set up as a refresher for nurses that have been out of bedside for a while. It happens a LOT. People go straight out of nursing school into school nursing, occupational health, nursing homes. Nurses have kids and decide to stay home to raise them. If it's nothing something they have, push it- keep notes on what would have been helpful, ask here, and get a program started there for it!

I'd ask to spend some time in one of the busy skills units- ER, pre-op, day surgery to get a bunch of skills quick!

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I interviewed yesterday. They don't really have a refresher course. I will have floor orientation for 2 twelve hour shifts so I think I can catch on. The bad thing is that I plan to stay with school nursing and work in the hospital a couple of Saturdays a month and more during the summer. Until summer I will not really be able to work enough to really feel comfy but I just gotta jump in there! The job is ortho/med surg. Orthopedics has never interested me much but it will be a learning experience. Thanks for ya'lls replies! I appreciate it!

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Specializes in School Nursing.

just curious... why are you leaving school nursing?

i wish you all of the best with your hospital job !

hello! i have an interview today with the hospital. anxiety is setting in! i haven't worked in the hospital for about 10 yrs! i pretty much went straight out of nursing school into school nursing. i miss pt. care and it bothers me that i am sooooo rusty on my skills. any advice? a pep talk would really help me right now!:idea:
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I am not leaving school nursing. I have been in school nursing for 17 yrs and I miss pt care. I also do not like the fact that I've lost my skills. I miss working with others in my profession. I am the only nurse here. I miss the medical lingo..well heck I just miss it all!!!! School nursing has good things about it but I need to be in the medical field. People...parents and teachers expect you to be very knowledgeable and I want to be but its hard to stay up working in a school. I went into school nursing because I had 3 kiddos. It made life for all of us much easier but now my kiddos are grown. I think a little hospital experience along with my school nursing will be a perfect blend.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

i hear you....sometimes i feel just the way you do.

it can be very lonely in school nursing.. no back up, no one who speaks your language and no one really cares what you think in the education field.

:uhoh3: praiser

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Specializes in Cath Lab, OR, CPHN/SN, ER.

Glad you're not leaving school nurses!

Just a warning- bedside nurses have NO IDEA what school nurses do. I caught so much heck when I left the ER for the school. They really just have lice and bandaids in their head when they think of a school nurse- even the ones with advanced degrees who did school and public health rotations!

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My husband moves every 1 - 5 years with his job. I have left school nursing 3 times to go to acute as school nurse openings were not always available. The longest break away from acute was 6 years.

I was nervous every time, and each time going back was easier than I expected. Yes, new medications, new equipment, products, diagnostic tests and new procedures, and for me always moving to a new part of the country, new "norms" and foriegn acronyms.

The basics stay the same, the patients still need a caring nurse, and especially with computer terminals all over every unit, if you do not remember something or need a quick brush up, google and PubMed are steps away.

My own rule of thumb was to never bluff - always say if I needed supervision or help. I went out of my way to help out the nurses with their load who were so generous with their time and expertise with me.

I think it has been a real boon to my school nursing skills to have done this community / acute flip flop every few years.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!!!

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