Is hospital nursing a necessary rite of passage?

[RosieBrooklyn]

Hello!

I'm a teacher considering a career switch. Some fields that interest me are pediatrics, obgyn, aesthetician, and plastics.

My question is, would I *have* to start my career in a hospital or could I stand a chance at getting an office job? I have two babies under two years old and my husband doesn't love the idea of overnights for me :/

Any other teachers-turned-nurses? Hows the job market in your town?

[SC_RNDude]

If you are lucky you could get an "office" job right away. Others have.

However, I wouldn't go into nursing counting on that to happen. Most jobs are in hospitals, nursing homes/rehab centers.

[RNperdiem, RN]

If you want to be an RN, there are just not that many jobs in doctors' offices available.

MAs have taken over in most offices, but some places use LPNs and medical assistants interchangeably.. Nurses working in offices tend to be nurse praticitioners around here.

Hospital is not always a rite of passage, but they do offer a training that nursing school lacks. Long ago, nursing school was taught like an apprenticeship with students working in hospitals and learned by doing so new graduates were well prepared to take almost any nursing job in or out of the hospital. Now, the theoretical portion is the majority of what is taught, but most of us graduate with underdeveloped clinical skills. The first job in nursing is where most of the real learning happens.

[amoLucia]

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but like PPs have said, you most prob will face a difficult time securing the 'plum' positions that you seek.

Assuming you're from New York, many nurses there have been having a hard time landing a first position. Calif, Boston, Miami and other big metro areas have similar problems, altho some exceptions are noted here & there. So it is possible. More often than not, it's 'WHO' you know that gets you a foot in the door.

Office positions for nurses are becoming rarer and rarer as most offices are staffed with Med Assistants (and LPNs) nowadays. They are just CHEAPER and their function/practice scope is broader and more loosely regulated.

And the specialties you seek are the most highly desired ones. That doesn't help. Inexperienced nurses have a tough time; even nurses with YEARS of experience are having hard times, esp in trying to break into your preferred areas.

School will take some time. So your exposure to the professional healthcare environment will most likely introduce you to various opportunities that exist within the industry. A chance to see what's available out there.

And your little ones will be getting older. Your motherhood obligations will be shifting as they age and with the demands of school.

So hospital may not be so adverse for you by then.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

No, hospital nursing is not necessarily a rite of passage. For instance, I have not worked a single day in an acute care hospital in my 11-year nursing career.

Nonetheless, the nursing jobs that offer bankers' hours (Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:00pm) are fiercely coveted and usually go to the nurses with experience and/or friends in high places.

Very few doctors offices and clinics utilize RNs due to the substantial labor costs. As other respondents mentioned, LPNs and medical office assistants are increasingly utilized in these settings because they can be paid considerably less than their RN counterparts.

As a new grad in NYC, the nursing home/SNF setting offers the best chance of obtaining 8-hour day shifts, usually from 7:00am to 3:00pm. The work is not glamorous, but you will be home with your husband at night.