questions

[smartnurse1982]

just want to know from anybody-- is starting out a new career in nursing doing private duty nursing (peds) through an agency going to have any effect if i try to apply for jobs at a hospital or even a nursing home in a year or two from now? i hers from other nurses that if someone works in any other setting besides a hospital its going to be very hard to try to get a job in another area,. pdn is espiecially looked down upon because there is no time management, acute care involved, etc.( called glorified babysitting rather than nursing) any info appreciated

[RN1989]

Depends on exactly what you do at these non-hospital jobs, what job you would apply for later on, and how desperate they are for staff.

[northwestwind]

Starting out as nursing private duty peds is not the way to go. You need hospital experience for the first 2 years for any job thereafter - including being competent with private duty peds. You need hospital experience before you go into a home in order to be competent - the most important criteria.

[TazziRN, RN]

I would not feel comfortable hiring a new nurse as a private duty nurse.........

[smartnurse1982]

I have been doing private duty peds for 4 years, ever since i got out of lpn school. I became an rn in march, so the companies i worked for just changed my title and hourly wage. In that setting i do vent care,trach care, and gb care, which includes changing the gb and trach. also have worked on ngt and broviac. the thing is, i have learned a lot but i need something with sick days, personal, and overtime pay. Currently, i have worked 44, and 48 hours for one company and for the holidays i dont get time and a half because they said medicaid doesnt pay them extra, so they cant pay me extra. I feel real guilty leaving those children behind because not enough nurses do pdn in the first place and they are always short of nurses for days. I think to myself "I came into nursing for the caring and to help people and not the money. But i also get sick and dont get paid for those days and then i am short. I want to go into ltc.