Any new grads start in a position other than acute care?

[BrooklynRN26]

I graduated Dec 2009 with my ADN and finally landed a great job! I am so thankful!! I'll be working as a home care planner within a hospital facility for a healthcare company that offers many pt services (including long-term care, home care, hospice and even their own in-house acute care facility). While I will be working with dr's, case workers and interviewing pt's and their families, I will not be giving direct acute care. I think I will really learn a lot from this position and am very excited about it. I know I want to pursue my masters in family or womens health in the future, so will this lack of acute-care experience affect my future prospects as an RN? Since I am technically working in an acute-care facility, w/ acute pt's, does it count as experience? Will I be missing out? FYI, I live in NYC where all RN jobs are scarce.

[Rljohnson8]

Hi, I am a new grad May 2010 and new licensed RN July 2010. I have been offered an excellent position in a rehab facility as a RN that works with case workers, social workers, family and physicians to develop care plans and Id also be responsible for daily head-to-toe assessments, med admin., wound care, IV therapy, foley's, catheters. As a RN there I would also participate in planning for discharge to LTC, Hopsice or home. I feel the same way you do in regards to feeling like it might affect my long-term career prospects since I am technically not doing a whole lot of "bed-side" nursing. I understand how you feel about the whole job- market too, contrary to popular belief its not easy finding a RN position as a new grad! Congrats on your new job too! Take that happiness and apply it into the work you do, you cant go wrong with that!

[Bobbkat]

Congratulations on the position. Whether it hurts your chances for acute care later down the road or not, it certainly is better than being unemployed, and will look much better on a resume (should you decide to apply elsewhere) than a long period of unemployment or non-RN employment.

[BrooklynRN26]

Thanks for the positive feedback. You are both right. I will use this opportunity to learn and grow as a nurse and to count my lucky stars!!

[m_aidez]

It depends on what type of graduate program you want to get into.

If you're thinking about administration/management OR teaching then you don't necessarily need bed side nursing experience. However, if you want to specialize as a NP or CNS then yes, you have to have bed-side experience, at least 2 years in some school's I've looked at.

[BrooklynRN26]

Thanks for the info.