Are There Jobs for Inexperienced RNs Besides Floor Nursing?

Nurses New Nurse

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I graduated in May and started my first job as an RN in July on a busy surgical floor at a local hospital minutes from my home. It was a perfect set up. The nurses I worked with were awesome, the supervisors were supportive and helpful, and as mentioned before, it was minutes from my house. The problem was I was about to be off orientation and I was terrified! I am definitely not cut out to be a floor nurse. The thought of taking care of 5-8 patients all by myself scared me to death!! I felt overwhelmed and worried that I was going to miss something when I no longer had my preceptor to catch me when I fall. The type of fear I was feeling wasn't normal new grad fear. It was clearly my personality and I can't change that. Anyone who has been a floor nurse should know what I mean. You either can do it or you can't. And it's not safe to "wing it." I recognized this was not where I belong as a nurse. I was always running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. So, needless to say, I decided to leave my job. Now I am unemployed and truly worried I have wasted the past 4 years of my life going to school for a career that I am not going to be able to do. My husband and parents think I'm a failure. I'm beginning to believe it also. :(

I love patient care and would work a lot better in an environment where I could spend more one-on-one time with my patient, but where are jobs like that when you don't have experience? And now I'm worried it will look bad that I quit a job after 3 months, but I truly felt like something bad was going to happen if I didn't get out now. I have applied at 2 dialysis centers, ECT, and considering correctional nursing. But again, all of those positions state experience required. I applied anyway, but not feeling too confident.

If anyone has any sound advice for me, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you! I finally found someone who can relate to me!

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
Other potential areas of nursing for RNs who lack experience include home health, private duty, hospice, long term care, assisted living, adult daycare, jail intake centers, personal care group homes for IDD/MHMR clients, and physical rehabilitation.

All of these are possibilities but a nurse should have a good foundation in med surg/ assessment of patients etc. I have done LTC where an RN may have as many at 30 patients in his/her care IDD/MHMR homes etc where I was in charge or 36 patients and over saw unlicensed staff passing meds under my license, ... I am back at my passion which is psych and usually have 16 to 22 patients under my care.

You really do need experience to do these jobs. I would suggest that you get some counseling for your anxiety and throw yourself on the mercy of your old employer.

Being scared and nervous is normal but most facilities have "go to" people

who are available to help you. It takes a good year or so to be really comfortable at being a floor nurse.

Good Luck

Hppy

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First, you are NOT a failure. Let me be very clear: You are not a failure.

Secondly, you WILL find another job and it won't take long.

Like you, I decided towards the end of my orientation that a CV Progressive unit wasn't the place I needed to be as a new nurse. Perhaps you did quit a little too quickly (that comment is based on what you wrote about having supportive colleagues). But that is in the past. You need to move forward, learn from the experience and don't spend a minute worrying whether or not you did the right thing.

In my position, if I would have asked for additional orientation time, it would have been held against me. Asking questions was viewed as not possessing "critical thinking" skills sufficient to do the job.

I applied for three Nursing Jobs after leaving my original position. I was offered interviews for all three positions. I only interviewed for one job because I accepted that position immediately. It is a psych nursing position, which is the direction I should have pursued following graduation.

Floor nursing isn't for everyone. You were lucky to work in a supportive environment. And a Nurse Residency Program is meaningless. My former employee had one in place. Was it useful? No. But it does make the hospital look good on paper!

Remember that you have marketable skills. You will land another job.

Best of luck!

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Thank you for your comment, but please be careful who you advise to get "treatment" unless you know their whole story. The last thing I wanted to do was get into controversy over an internet post, but I take that remark VERY offensive. Not everyone is the same and just because one does not have a "personality" to be a floor nurse is certainly not a reason for psychiatric treatment, assuming that is the type of "treatment" you are referring to.

I wasn't referring to any particular type of treatment, merely whatever might help you manage your fear through the learning process. And I only offered that as what you described will impact you in any new nursing role. There are no low stress roles out there for new grads.

Home health was suggested, and I understand why, but the patients coming home from the hospital now are challenging for our experienced nurses as the acuities and calls for sound judgment have gone way up.

LTC and skilled nursing are also tough.

Private duty requires, or should require, previous experience.

Any other job is going to have a lot to learn with everything coming at you at once.

The solution is to (searching for a word that won't offend) your fear response.

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I think I understand your fear comment. But please correct me if I am wrong. I truly believe that any new grad who doesn't operate under a cloud of fear is dangerous. Nursing school really doesn't teach anything beyond the basics. And knowing the basics isn't enough to keep patients safe.

However, when you are comfortable in your position, the fear is manageable because you are more confident. If you aren't comfortable in your position, the fear can be quite unmanageable.

Again, correct me if my assessment is wrong.

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Specializes in PDN; Burn; Phone triage.

I also find clinic nursing to be less stressful then the floor/ICU I worked on before but I definitely do NOT get more one on one time with a patient, if you truly think that is something important that you want out of a nursing job. I manage a load of about 30 to 40 patients at one time. Dialysis or SNF would give you mostly the same patients over and over again which might kinda scratch that same itch?

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.
Thank you for your comment, but please be careful who you advise to get "treatment" unless you know their whole story. The last thing I wanted to do was get into controversy over an internet post, but I take that remark VERY offensive. Not everyone is the same and just because one does not have a "personality" to be a floor nurse is certainly not a reason for psychiatric treatment, assuming that is the type of "treatment" you are referring to.

Oh lord :sarcastic: How do you expect to be able to handle any type of nursing?

Libby1987 made a salient point.

Please don't react like a "special snowflake" and not take any self responsibility for your own rash decisions and emotions. Just talking to a professional may ease your anxiety and help you to realize goals that are both attainable and realistic.

Reaching out for help may have prevented you from quitting. Reaching out for help as a nurse can help prevent you from killing someone too!

You may need to do some soul searching and google accountablity.

And please remember that this is the internet that you started a post on, it's not gonna be all rainbows and sunshine responses, plus it's like getting free therapy...whether you like it or not buttercup.

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Oh lord :sarcastic: How do you expect to be able to handle any type of nursing?

Libby1987 made a salient point.

Please don't react like a "special snowflake" and not take any self responsibility for your own rash decisions and emotions. Just talking to a professional may ease your anxiety and help you to realize goals that are both attainable and realistic.

Reaching out for help may have prevented you from quitting. Reaching out for help as a nurse can help prevent you from killing someone too!

You may need to do some soul searching and google accountablity.

And please remember that this is the internet that you started a post on, it's not gonna be all rainbows and sunshine responses, plus it's like getting free therapy...whether you like it or not buttercup.

I appreciate your comment. In my 40+ years I have never been called names like, "special snowflake" or "buttercup." I'm actually laughing. :) Yes, I did start this post. But I guess what I don't understand is the fact that if floor nursing is not for a nurse, then why is there something wrong with that nurse?? My posting was not asking to be ridiculed for any anxiety I may have toward taking care of 5-8 patients at a time. The posting was simply asking for any advice toward jobs that are available besides bedside nursing for inexperienced new nurses. Please re-read the title.

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Try applying at SNF and get a 3pm-11pm shift. You'll learn a lot, especially assessment, delegation, time management, IV therapy, communication, etc. It's stressful being the only RN Supervisor, but can be rewarding once you get the hang of it. Not as fast paced as a Med/Surg floor, but it feels like one. Nowadays we are seeing more acute diagnoses in SNF with vents, PICC line, etc.

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I'm still a student ^.^ but I have a friend who manages home health accounts. They pay VERY well apparently and you can request to work with one particular patient if they have no one assigned. My friend also said that there are a lot of child patients, the parents take over after your shift (12 hours 1 patient!). Hope you find what you're looking for!

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.
I appreciate your comment. In my 40+ years I have never been called names like, "special snowflake" or "buttercup." I'm actually laughing. :) Yes, I did start this post. But I guess what I don't understand is the fact that if floor nursing is not for a nurse, then why is there something wrong with that nurse?? My posting was not asking to be ridiculed for any anxiety I may have toward taking care of 5-8 patients at a time. The posting was simply asking for any advice toward jobs that are available besides bedside nursing for inexperienced new nurses. Please re-read the title.

You've really never told someone to "suck it up buttercup" in all of your 40+ years? That's what people with perseverance do anyways.

I'm not sure if this is just another post where a person went all the way through nursing school with rose colored glasses on or not but nursing is hard...no matter what field is chosen or tried.

I dont think "floor nursing" is the issue here.

Why do you think dialysis or correctional nursing will be any less hard or stressful? That's diminishing to the nurses that work their tails off and and do these jobs justice (and their patients for that matter). I'm sure it took them more than a couple of months to get even remotely good or comfortable in their skills. You're missing the point.

I suggest you go back and read your post...what was written beyond the title.

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Specializes in LTC Management, Community Nursing, HHC.
....... I love patient care and would work a lot better in an environment where I could spend more one-on-one time with my patient, but where are jobs like that when you don't have experience? And now I'm worried it will look bad that I quit a job after 3 months, but I truly felt like something bad was going to happen if I didn't get out now. I have applied at 2 dialysis centers, ECT, and considering correctional nursing. But again, all of those positions state experience required. I applied anyway, but not feeling too confident.

If anyone has any sound advice for me, I would greatly appreciate it.

I have 2 suggestions on jobs for you. When I was looking for a new grad job (been an LPN for years, but I'm a fairly new RN) I found several private duty / community nursing-type positions with home health agencies that clearly stated that they were hiring new grads and experienced employees. You could make an appointment with one of those companies and talk to them about their opportunities for a ONE CASE type position where you're just working with the same patient every day. There are such positions. Not all home health involves seeing many patients in a day. You'd be trained with an experienced nurse, they'll check you off on your skills (and train you if they're not up to par) and you'd then work on your own in that patient's home.

The other option that could work well for you is that of a nurse in an Assisted Living facility. Don't hesitate to apply for positions that are looking for LPNs / LVNs, although you'd have to be prepared to work for less money (or to negotiate with them for more). Most ALF need nurses who will do monthly wellness checks, give shots, check vitals, and other non-invasive, non-critical-type work. Would you be comfortable doing those things? If so, then consider one of those facilities. In my state they hire RNs for management-type positions at ALFs and LVNs for the floor nurse positions, but I've seen some that hire RNs for floor nurse positions too. Ultimately, if you can sell yourself well, and if you're willing to give ALFs a chance, I think you could succeed there, even if the money is a little less.

Good luck!!

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