Full time non-clinical & per diem clinical for a new grad? Advice needed

[PAnurse94]

Hello,

I need some advice from you guys with more experience in the nursing field. I am brand new, right out of school and looking for my first job.

For several reasons (I explained with every detail in another post lol) a job in a Monday-Friday 9-5 setting would be best for me, and I have an offer. It pays well, has benefits, it's perfect - except, it is not clinical. Now, I don't have a problem with this. I would still be helping people, just not hands-on. I think I would honestly be very happy with it.

My only concern is - what if for some reason it doesn't work out? I don't want to be stuck if I choose to leave this job, or choose to move into a clinical setting if this job isn't fulfilling, or if I get laid off in the future or something like that. With no other nursing experience on my resume, will I be stuck??

So the way I see it, I can look for a hospital job for a year or two to get that on my resume. I understand this would probably be the best thing/smartest thing to do.

However with my current situation, it would be extremely difficult to do that - if I have to, I will. But I had some advice from a nurse who works in a non-clinical setting to do what she does, and I wanted to see what you guys have to say about this:

She works in the non-clinical office setting as a telenurse full time. So she gets her benefits and all that good stuff through that job. She works per diem in a hospital and gets floated to different med surg and ICU floors. She said for her, she just likes having the contact with patients and that's why she keeps the per diem job. She said for me, perhaps I can take the full time office job and work a clinical per diem job on top of that for awhile so that I can have my "2 years of clinical experience"

My big question for you is - does that COUNT? Or am I still going to be stuck later if this job doesn't work out long term?

Thanks a bunch!!

~K

[seaofclouds21, BSN, RN]

The per diem job would count as hands on clinical work, but I'm not sure how good of an idea that is as a new nurse with an additional full time job. The first year of nursing is the hardest. You would be learning two new jobs (around the same time) and with limited hours in the clinical job, it may be a little more difficult for you to get adjusted to being a nurse, especially if it's a job that floats you to different parts of the hospital. I completely understand wanting the M-F 9-5 type of job, but I would probably look for something that is clinical and involves hands on care if you think you will ever want to head toward a hands on care in the future.

[PAnurse94]

Thank you, that definitely makes sense! The thing is, I don't necessarily want hands-on in the future, I'm fine with staying in a non-clinical setting, but I'm just afraid to shut that door completely since I am just starting out. Maybe I will try to just stick it out and do the hospital job for at least a full year. Thanks again!

[LovingLife123]

Most places won't hire a new grad as per diem, or even part time for that matter. There is so much to learn that you won't absorb it working nice or twice a month.

I agree that if you take a non clinical job right out of school, you will find it difficult to be bedside down the road.

It's up to you, but I would get some clinical experience first.

[WestCoastSunRN, MSN, CNS]

I'm not sure you will be able to get any per diem bedside job as a new nurse. Maybe at a nursing home? That said, if you are not ever wanting to go into acute care then you are probably fine taking the phone job. Are you at all interested in wound care? In an outpatient setting you'd have your M-F 9-5 and be building a very valuable skill set (with possible certification) that could later get you in the door in an acute care setting if you wanted. You have to like wound care, of course. If I didn't love what I do (which happens to include a ton of wound care), or I wanted/needed to change to M-F 9-5, I'd do outpatient wound care or get on the WOCN inpatient team. They are invaluable experts who will always be relevant.