Does working as a nurse state surveyor hurt your nursing career?

[shea12358]

I am considering taking a position as a state surveyor in Texas. I would also like to have a part time weekend job at a skilled nursing facility. I am concern that maybe a facility could be reluctant to hire a state surveyor, for obvious reasons. So my basic question is this, could working as a state surveyor hinder my attempts at finding a part time job? And also, does working as a state surveyor at all hinder my career down the road in nursing?

[rachel33138]

I dont know if it will hurt you in Texas, but here in Florida having that experience can open many doors for you. However the the positions that are usually given are usually if not always management position, but not while employed as a surveyer. Hope this helps

[SuzieVN]

I've worked LTC for 'ever', and without fail, the RN surveyors were dismissed as 'wanna be DONs that can't get hired, so they turn traitor'. And in management meetings, most of them were derided as 'if you can DO, if you cannot, SURVEY', ala the same saying about teachers. But maybe you just want to avoid trying to apply at a place you gave a bad survey too, whether or not it was justified? On the flip side- if you helped a place get a five star rating? I'd think they'd welcome you. I always thought that to be a surveyor, was sort of bottom of the barrel total drudgery- more so if you go to the same awful place, and know that your efforts may not be helping clean a place up>?

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Hmm - very interesting. I've never worked in LTC, but I would have thought that having experience as a surveyor would be perceived as a very positive career asset, particularly to those that hire LTC nursing leaders.... wouldn't these be the facility owners/administrators rather than the DON?

But, if the surveyor job is not full time, are there any conflict-of-interest limitations that would prevent you from working in a LTC to supplement your income?

[madisson]

Someone posted that some of the nursing surveyor manuels were online.Can anyone give me the links?.. I am thinking about applying to DADS in Houston.

Any advice would be awesome.

[elkpark]

When I worked as a hospital surveyor years ago, the rule in my state agency was that we couldn't work at any place that we could possibly be sent to survey, because of the potential conflict of interest. So, basically, you couldn't work anywhere in the state in the same type of facility you surveyed (e.g., if you were an LTC surveyor, you couldn't work in any LTC facility in the state at the same time).

When I was working as a surveyor, people (hospital administration folks) told me all the time, "Oh, you would be so marketable if you decided to leave surveying; this is really going to help your career." But I haven't found it particularly helpful when I've been job hunting since then. One of my surveying coworkers (a social worker, not a nurse) left our agency to take a v. cushy job working for a company that does consulting to help facilities be ready for surveys. 6 figure salary, flying all over the country for jobs, etc. I know that she took the job; I have no idea how it worked out for her over time.

[amoLucia]

I've known ex-surveyor nurses to become consultants to facilities, as private freelance or coming in as the facility chain's 'regional corporate nurse' (or some such title).

They wore the nice clothes, nice jewelry, nice shoes, 9 - 5, holiday time on the real holiday, PTO if sick without feeling guilty, etc.

And there is a conflict of interest within state for any surveyor wanting to work. So I've known some surveyors to work in the neighboring state.