Dr office vs. hospital for first job

[snappycindy]

Hello! I am a recent grad and just passed my boards....officially an RN!

I went into school with a strong desire to work in Maternal/child health, but kept an open mind. Now that I've graduated, I still have that desire. (Not really at all interested in adult nursing, unless its ob/gyn.) Just like everyone else, my instructors encouraged us to get our BSNs and a year of med-surg experience.

I plan to start my BSN this spring while I work. I recently had two job interviews....one in a hospital setting, nights, probably on a respiratory/med-surg floor. The other is in a very busy, large peds office as a triage nurse, no evenings, Sundays, or major holidays. The second being more appealing to me and in my field of interest.

Here's my dilemma....would I be killing any hopes of getting a hospital job in peds or mother/baby in the future if my first experience is in a dr office? Does having a BSN vs. ADN with dr office experience make a difference if I want to go into a hospital setting?

TIA for any and all advice!

[ggabri07, BSN, RN]

Hospital first. It will make it easier for you to transition to other specialty roles in the future.

[pbuttercups]

I think any experience is helpful and can be beneficial for future job opportunities. After getting experience at a Drs office, you could always get a position in an OBGYN clinic and not the hospital....you may like it better. Who knows! That's what's so exciting about the world of nursing...many different settings. Good luck finding where you fit in :) Each setting is very unique!

[Tinker88]

You already know what you want to do! The 2nd one sounds better for someone going back to get their BSN. You will have normal work days and have days off to study. Go with your heart!

[BloomNurseRN, ASN, BSN, RN]

While I think being in the hospital environment will open more doors more easily, I don't think working at a doctor's office first will put you at a great disadvantage. And obviously you have to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each. You get major benefits as far as a family friendly schedule in the office that would be impossible in the hospital position. And it really sounds like you want the position in the office. I say go with your heart and do what you know you're going to enjoy. Good luck!

[Melissa ICU RN]

I think starting in a hospital is going to open more doors for you long term. Good luck on your decision!

[snappycindy]

Hello....just wanted to follow up....

So I took the full time med-surg job at the local hospital, but I quickly realized that it is not AT ALL the type of nursing I want to practice. While I am learning a lot and getting experience, I am drained and unhappy. I have also started my BSN online.

Today, the manager at the pediatric office, who I interviewed with last summer, wants me to come in this week for another interview. The position would be for a triage RN, also doing some nurse visits throughout the week.

Here's my dilemma....I ultimately want to work in maternal/child health or peds, but I don't want to sell myself short with only 6 months of acute care experience, especially if I ever wanted to go back to a hospital setting.

It seems like "1 year acute care experience" is the magic formula to have if you want to be marketable. Is this true everywhere or just in my area? If I took this triage job and ever wanted to return to acute care, will 6 months of experience cause me to have to apply for graduate nurse positions again, even if I have my BSN?

I know ultimately no one can tell me what to do, but the posts I read here and the feedback really do help me.

TIA!