Any advice on career transition?

[peaches88]

Hello everyone! I've been working in a nursing home for the past year and a half as a nurse and for five years as a CNA. I've never worked in the hospital setting, but I just got my first position working the Med/Surg floor at the local hospital. Does anyone have some advice for me on how to make this transition? Things to expect? What differences I may encounter? I have a basic idea from clinicals, but any advice from people that have gone through similar experiences is appreciated! :)

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Congratulations!

I think that tasks associated with the basic infrastructure will certainly be different. Nursing documentation has to support a lot of operational 'stuff' such as core measures, meaningful use, various quality improvement initiatives, etc. This can be very time consuming. You will probably have to take into account some different aspects of care such as case management & discharge planning when you develop & maintain your plan of care. Hospitals have also been hit with another new batch of "Patient Centered" requirements from Joint Commission and CMS - patients can now designate a "support person" who has the right to meaningful participation in their care... whatever that means - LOL. We also now have additional restrictions on management of interpretation/translation for non-English speaking patients.

Overall, the pace may not be faster, but the work will have a lot more variety for you. You will have to get used to prioritizing a whole new set of demands. You'll have much more frequent contact with physicians - for better or worse.

Best of luck on your transition. Keep in mind that you can serve as a wonderful example of how well LTC nurses can transition to acute care. This will certainly influence hiring practices in the future. Go get 'em!!

[peaches88]

Thank you for the information! I'm really excited to start this new position!