Been a nurse for a year and a half with no real skills

mtngrl, ASN, RN · Aug 24, 2006

If you go for the hospital then you better make real sure they know your skills are a little rusty. Because since you are not a "new" nurse you probably will not get the orientation that you really need. That's what happened to me. I worked part time in peds office for 8 mos then went to a hospital. I got ONE DAY basically of orientation even though I told them I was like a new grad skill wise, and I was told I'd get at least a month. So that was very scary and I left soon after. It's really hard to go that route so if I were you I would look for something like a clinic/office. You are very busy in an office believe me! I only work 2 hours a day with developmentally disabled adults myself....I would go crazy if it was any longer because there is not much to really do...it's not like they are SICK or anything.

RNinSoCal · Aug 24, 2006

Hello,

I have been in your position. I worked in private duty home health with one pt for over 4 years after nursing school. He was a high maintenance pt-on a vent/total care but needed no IV and had few meds. When I decided to try hospital nursing no one would hire me. They would hire new grads with a long orientation but they considered me a "re-entry nurse". It was a shock to me. I was only 30 and had finished nursing school when I was 25.

What I did to get back into the acute care loop was to take an RN refresher course that had clinical hours as well as lecture. The clinical portion got me up to speed and I was hired immediately after finishing. I had no IV skills at all until I took the refresher course.

The first year of acute care was difficult but never impossible. The hours do fly by in acute care. I hope you go after whatever area of nursing you desire. The fear will pass and you will get the hang of things.

Best of Luck!!

NiteRocker · Aug 24, 2006

Sounds oh to familiar. I started in Post Partum nursing...Mother-Baby. Loved it at first, but then felt like I was not using any of the 4 year degree that I worked for. Now I'm in NICU. I really love the challance.

The unit I work in is surgical, so many of our babies are growing...chroinc issues. I still love it after 3.5 years, but I look for the challange assignments...not always available.

I followed 3 RN's from my internship program (1st hospital) to my current job. They are all gone, but here I am. One's an NP, one moved away, and one went back to the 1st hospital as a sup. What should I do? I love the job, the people, but sometimes I feel so board.

Family comes first! With a 6 & 7 year old, I feel like I must just stick it out for now. Financially, not the best for me, but I can't do orientations or school right now. Kids come first.

I've thought about traveling...locally. Any thoughts?

tkhayman · Aug 26, 2006

nite rocker,

i am in that same boat with you. i used to work med/surg 3 yrs then got burned out by overstimulation and being superwoman. now i am at an outpatient clinic and it is very sub specialzed. I am bored too, because they are only so many ways to treat patients.

My dilemma is do i go back to med/surg or stay where i am at? I too get the same response when they look at my resume and consider me a re-entry and i have only been gone 2 years. i have now accepted there is no perfect job in nursing so to stimulate myself am going back to school for BSN, to open me to more career opportunities. Good luck to you and i hope this post helps.

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Sep 1, 2006

Thank's for all your posts, that really helped. I was starting to feel alone. People look at me like I'm crazy when I complain that my job's too easy. A friend's offered me a job in a free clinic, I'm thinking it will be a bit more interesting and I get to learn all about insurance, so it'd be some new knowledge. Maybe I'll be able to "work" my way up to a hospital or something. I'm planning on going back for my RN too eventually, so maybe I'll go into a hospital straight after RN school.

Thanks!