A changing mind

I am going to be graduating in a couple of months, and I really have no idea what i am going to do. Our school had a speaker come and talk to us about hospice care, it kind of inspired me to go in that direction. I am just not sure that as a fresh nurse should i do that or should i go some where else to get experience first. Any opinions?

are you asking if you should start out with med/surg first?

you'll find varied opinions on that, but i started out in hospice; had a great orientation, plenty of support and never regretted it.

i say follow your heart. and good luck.

leslie

Jenny, there might be opportunities in your area for a hospital based hospice unit, or a large hospice house that could provide the necessary support and training for a "fresh" nurse but for home hospice care you will need some experience in med-surg, oncology, or acute long term care. Home hospice care is a very independent role that calls for highly developed assessment and time management skills coupled with critical thinking ability.

I am going to be graduating in a couple of months, and I really have no idea what i am going to do. Our school had a speaker come and talk to us about hospice care, it kind of inspired me to go in that direction. I am just not sure that as a fresh nurse should i do that or should i go some where else to get experience first. Any opinions?

Jenny, while I would agree that woking in the hospital is a good idea, I have been surprised by the number of new nurses that have done well in Hospice. The key is to have the support - so wherever you go, you need that more than anything - and a great orientation. The downside to doing hospice care first is if you decide in a few years that you want to do something different, you may have to go back to the hospital to work to get that experience.

Thanks you all are helpful!!

my first nursing experience was at a home hospice agency company; I was the only RN for a 5 county area...i had no training, and no support, i ended up turning them in for medicaid fraud (because they wanted me to document nurses and cnas going out giving 24h care to patients and they were really temps from the owners brothers temp agency)...\

not saying you will have a bad experience, but if you are in georgia and this facility is in griffin and starts with a "c" beware...

linda