Desperately need advice!

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jan 26, 2017

Hi everyone! I graduated in May 2016 and have been working at a LTCF/SNF on a rehab floor since I passed my nclex. I definitely love my patients and coworkers, but we are understaffed a lot and it gets stressful.
i have been applying around at random to hospitals in the area but it's extremely difficult. I have applied probably 70 places and got one call back from a hospital after I applied to a surgical unit, so I was very excited about that. The interview however turned out to be on a geropsych unit (the surgical unit forwarded my resume to them). I am seriously considering this job
my question is... would a geropsych unit in a hospital help me eventually get into a Med/surg floor or another specialty? Or would it turn people away? I love the geriatric population and do have a passion for psych, but my dream deep down has been ER, and I eventually would like to end up there
thank you in advance!

Your statement that you've been applying around "at random" bothers me a bit. You're going to have difficulty with callbacks and interviews if you don't have a focused resume and cover letter for the job to which you're applying. If you want Med/Surg experience, apply to medical floors, surgical floors and Med/Surg floors . . . and be prepared to discuss why you want to work there. Your dream being ER is probably not a good reason. The manager may (rightly or wrongly) feel that you'll jump ship before you become a competent, contributing member of her staff.

Ridereee · Jan 26, 2017

How do you make a focused resume? I've only worked one place as a nurse, so I have my nursing experience listed, cna experience listed, a part about my experience as a waitress listed. I have another part about my skills/ certifications, then a part about clinicals. At the top of my resume is my objective of finding a place in a Med surg setting.

I meant my dream as an ER nurse as something I would want to do after I've learned some more skills and have become more experienced, and who knows, maybe I won't want to do that after I find my niche. By applying at random, I just meant when I have the time to, I apply to hospitals who have openings on Med surg floors :)

my point of this post was just if working in Geri psych in a hospital would either help or hurt my resume if I was to want to pursue something else in a different settingbif it turned out geri psych wasn't what I could see myself doing forever.

thank you for your response! I really appreciate any input

tch1920, BSN, RN · Feb 15, 2017

In my opinion, working in geriatric psych would greatly improve your skills and your resume. I'm sure that working on a rehab floor has already introduced you to the older generation and the psych problem that are mostly associated with that population. It will also put your foot in the door to the hospital and allow a change in settings later on, a little easier. Good Luck

ivyleaf · Feb 19, 2017

yes. once you are an internal candidate it def gives you an advantage. my friend got from adult psych to med surg that way

Reyn04, MSN, RN · Apr 7, 2017

My first suggestion is probably resume polish. Others may disagree, but I say listing "standard" nursing skills is a waste of limited resume space, list special skills & factors that make YOU special - apart from every other nurse with your experience.

clearly state your objective: To obtain a position that will expand & contribute to my med surge nursing knowledge base or skill set.

no, you may not be everyones perfect candidate but with 70 applications I feel like you should get more than 1 call back. This tells me your resume isnt getting to the right people for some reason.

Finally trade on friendship. Do you have friends from nursing school, former coworkers who moved on, former managers, connections where you did clinicals, past instructors, people you're friendly with calling from hospitals to give report on patients transferring in... talk to them about opportunities in their facilities. Ask for manager introductions. I found connections smooth the way in often.

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2017

Gero-psych certainly wouldn't hurt anything. We see a ton of that in the ED, so having some experience with it wouldn't be a bad thing at all. But to be honest, if your passion is ED, then go for ED-with one caveat... if you don't expect much more than a sink-or-swim orientation and you are a person who can deal with that, then go for it. If you need a lot of hand holding, then please don't. The ED is a busy place, and if you don't have the ability to pull up those hip waders and wade right in, then it may not be a good fit.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Apr 20, 2017

I would not advise going to Psych if what you really want is ER or Med/Surg.

Once you go to Psych, you are going to pretty much stop acquiring new and stronger Med/Surg skills.

You'll still do some dressing changes and give lots of meds, including injections, but you will like;inot

see patients with IV's, tubes, wound vacs/drains, ortho equipment, etc.. Maybe some tube feedings.

But patients have to be cleared medically before being admitted to Psych, at least in my experience.

Psych patients have plenty of medical issues - HTN, DM, Seizures, GI, GYN, etc., but these conditions

have to be stable before patients are admitted to Psych.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Apr 20, 2017

Gero-psych certainly wouldn't hurt anything. We see a ton of that in the ED, so having some experience with it wouldn't be a bad thing at all. But to be honest, if your passion is ED, then go for ED-with one caveat... if you don't expect much more than a sink-or-swim orientation and you are a person who can deal with that, then go for it. If you need a lot of hand holding, then please don't. The ED is a busy place, and if you don't have the ability to pull up those hip waders and wade right in, then it may not be a good fit.

Sounds like a horrible way to orient anyone.