I'm in an RN program and I could use a little advice. Before starting the RN program, I worked in a hospital as a nurse aide in med-surg and hated it. I also work in a primary care clinic (mostly in pediatrics, some in family practice) as a medical scribe and I really enjoy it. It's early at this point and I just finished my rotation at a SNF, but I still dislike everything about bedside care.
I really like the patient flow and the vibe of the community clinic I work at. Patients come in, they get help, then they leave instead of needing to be tended to and monitored all day and all night. Obviously there are patients who need to be in hospital, and those hospital nurses are great, but I don't feel like that's a good fit for me personally. My clinic job is not easy and most days everyone hustles pretty much all day. We see about three patients per hour depending on complexity, but generally we see them one at a time. My previous job at the hospital was just crazy busy, especially for aides like me with 10 to 12 patients each. I'm never doing that again if I can help it.
Should I try for a new grad job in public health or primary care without doing time in a hospital first? I could probably do a couple years in hospital if absolutely necessary to gain experience, but I'd rather not. In the hospital setting I felt stretched too thin with too many patients to care for at once, and the nurses were not impressed with my performance (mainly my speed) even after a year. In the community clinic, it took only a few months before everyone respected me and wanted me to be their scribe. I'm very concerned that if my first job is in a hospital, I'll do poorly and get a reputation for mediocrity that might have a lasting negative effect on my nursing career.
I'm a bit torn by what I hear about the ICU. It's bedside care but only one or two patients at a time, and I've heard you get great experience doing detailed assessments which increases your medical knowledge. However the ICU patients are fragile and very ill, so they have multiple problems to manage and as a new grad maybe i would not have the necessary knowledge to care for them.
At the clinic where I work they just hired a new grad RN to train as a pediatric triage nurse, so I know at least a few of those jobs are out there. However, they tried this several months ago with another new grad RN and she quit for a hospital job saying she felt like she needed the experience. The veteran pediatric triage nurse does have misgivings about new grads in triage without hospital experience. The RNs in the clinic do mostly triage and case management but also help with catheterization, etc. I actually love talking to patients. My dream job would probably involve wellness checkups, triage and patient education.
Helpful advice is much appreciated. Telling me I'm lazy for wanting a day shift clinic job or that I simply won't be a real nurse if I don't do bedside care is probably less helpful, but if that's the way you feel go ahead and share. I'm so sorry for this long post I can't stop writing! Thank you for any help!
Wow! I'm so surprised at all the negativity & lack of support. This is why nurses get a bad wrap for "eating their young" When I was half way through nursing school I realized I could not do bedside nursing due to a skin condition. I've found a rewarding & successful career in public health (psych) that I love. Some friends from nursing school have commented that I don't do "real" nursing, too. Today we need nurses in such a wide range of practice bc of our aging population & poorly run health care systems. I applaud this student's bravery for bringing the question!
Yes, acute care/bedside nursing is valuable experience but definitely not necessary.
Some other options (several already mentioned)
* Public health RN (through County, state, non-profit or home-care agency
* school nurse
* hospice RN (in facility or home)
* case manager
* correctional RN (prison, jail or workhouse)
* urgent care
* VA home care programs
* CD treatment center or eating disorder treatment
Just a few ideas. One other suggestion I have is to find a nurse mentor! Good luck to you!
And I'm so surprised at adults who choose to confuse reality with negativity. (And it's "rap," not wrap.) There are no negative posts here, except possibly this post. There are dozens of positive, realistic suggestions for OP to pursue.
And by the way? A majority of your recommendations are unsuitable for a new grad. So your "positive" post is really just shooting unicorns & rainbows at OP - unrealistic & non-helpful. Give me realistic advice any day, no matter how much I might not want to hear it.
Wow! I'm so surprised at all the negativity & lack of support. This is why nurses get a bad wrap for "eating their young" When I was half way through nursing school I realized I could not do bedside nursing due to a skin condition. I've found a rewarding & successful career in public health (psych) that I love. Some friends from nursing school have commented that I don't do "real" nursing, too. Today we need nurses in such a wide range of practice bc of our aging population & poorly run health care systems. I applaud this student's bravery for bringing the question!
Yes, acute care/bedside nursing is valuable experience but definitely not necessary.
Some other options (several already mentioned)
* Public health RN (through County, state, non-profit or home-care agency
* school nurse
* hospice RN (in facility or home)
* case manager
* correctional RN (prison, jail or workhouse)
* urgent care
* VA home care programs
* CD treatment center or eating disorder treatment
Just a few ideas. One other suggestion I have is to find a nurse mentor! Good luck to you!
No one is being negative and all anyone has done is offered support and ideas to the OP.
* Public health RN (through County, state, non-profit or home-care agency
* school nurse
* hospice RN (in facility or home)
* case manager
* correctional RN (prison, jail or workhouse)
* urgent care
* VA home care programs
* CD treatment center or eating disorder treatment
Just a few ideas. One other suggestion I have is to find a nurse mentor! Good luck to you!
Yes, some of those have already been mentioned, and most, if not all, of those positions would, as already mentioned, require some significant amount of clinical nursing experience in order to be considered a qualified candidate.
Not to be rude but I don't think Nursing is for you. You should consider business or some other career. A lot of health care involves bedside care and well you know involves patients that you have to assess and come in contact with.. maybe you could be a secretary at the office! Lol... sorry hunny but I really don't think this is your thing and why make patients hate their experience when you land a job that you hate doing and feel miserable at? People can sense that.
These positions I know for a fact often times do not require any clinical/bedside experience.
Medical device sales
Pharma sales
Medical device educator
Pharma educator
Health insurance utilization reviewer
Clinical research
I also know several hospitals that hire new grads into the NICU. From what I could see and was told it was a very "cherry" job. Not every baby in the NICU is critically ill and many of the babies that are just feeders are given to the new grads until they earn their spurs.
I am probably one of the few nurses who believes adult med surg is not necessary to be a good nurse. If you absolutely feel you must work in a hospital try a peds floor or post partum as it seems you perhaps prefer these areas. I have been a nurse for 20 years and I've never done adult med surg! Neither have any of my co workers, who are great nurses. Do what you love, and you will learn what you need.
I'm an LVN Case manager and I definitely spend more time in front of a computer than a patient. Seems to me that your scribe experience would be helpful there and you can still work in a hospital setting if you want. There are roles for utilization management outside the hospital as well. I work in the UM department of an insurance plan. There are plenty of opportunities out there in and outside the hospital. Good luck!
I'm not sure where you live but in my geographic area they are desperate for all different types of home care nurses. You can do a home care nurse where you are just doing assessments no direct care. Also school nursing hires new grads, I was offered a job in that area. It's easier where I live to get a job outside the hospital.
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roser13, ASN, RN
6,504 Posts
And I'm so surprised at adults who choose to confuse reality with negativity. (And it's "rap," not wrap.) There are no negative posts here, except possibly this post. There are dozens of positive, realistic suggestions for OP to pursue.
And by the way? A majority of your recommendations are unsuitable for a new grad. So your "positive" post is really just shooting unicorns & rainbows at OP - unrealistic & non-helpful. Give me realistic advice any day, no matter how much I might not want to hear it.