First doctor's office job for nurse with other experience?

[TNNurse65]

I am an LPN with experience in long term care and private duty. Recently I have been looking into making a change and have looked into moving into a clinic or a doctor's office position. However, all the clinic and doctor's office positions around here (Middle and East Tennessee) are posted with a requirement of at least one year's clinic or doctor's office experience. How does one get started in a clinic or doctor's office to get that experience? How do you find entry level positions in doctors' offices?

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Gosh, that's a tough one. Typically, offices are minimally staffed so there is no one on hand to act as a preceptor. They may not have the funds to pay someone while they are orienting. Larger clinic settings (such as outpatient areas of a hospital or multi-specialty clinic) would be more likely to hire and train.

If you can afford it, you may want to offer to 'work for free' or at a reduced rate while you are being trained. This may sweeten the deal for a physician's office that is working on a very low profit margin. Just a thought . . .