VERY discouraged. Anybody ever transfer from outpatient setting to hospital? Not possible?

klone, MSN, RN · Jul 4, 2015

A coworker RN who has only worked clinic (peds) transferred into inpatient mom/baby within our hospital network. She later decided working nights and 12s was not for her, and went back to clinic.

So yes, it's possible, and the grass is not always greener.

verene, MSN · Jul 4, 2015

Given the number of threads I've seen on here encouraging new grad nurses to get a year or two of experience in LTC or out-patient work to gain experience and make themselves more marketable for hospitals I would think it is very possible to land a position in acute care.

I'm not a nurse yet, but I've spent the last year and a half in an LTC/out-patient setting as a CNA and just interviewed for a hospital CNA position. I haven't been made an offer yet, but it has been heavily implied by both manager and HR that I should expect one as soon as my background check clears. My lack of acute care experience did not seem to be held against me at all, if anything the manager praised a lot of the skills I've picked up in my current work as being very valuable for the unit and kind of work they do.

If you want to make the jump to acute care focus on what skills you do have and sell those; every specialty is a little different and skills can always be refreshed and new skills can and will be learned.

RNJill · Jul 4, 2015

It is definitely possible as I worked with at least a handful of people who'd moved from dialysis/LTC/clinics to my inpatient unit.

Funny thing is, I feel like on the impatient side there were always those people who were desperate to go to outpatient settings after a year or two í ½í¸„

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Jul 4, 2015

I work with a former LTC RN, and one who went from clinic to floor to SICU. I finished my BSN with an ED RN who started in peds homecare.

Not having current hospital experience can be an obstacle, but doesn't have to be a mobility killer.

How well would you say you sell your LTC experience? By becoming competent in geriatrics, you demonstrate your ability to learn in depth about your patients and thus think with the big picture in mind. You demonstrate your ability to assess without all the bells and whistles and machines that go ping!!--in other words, good old fashioned nursing assessment. You demonstrate your ability to manage a hectic environment under pressure. You demonstrate your ability to lead (assuming you are paired with several CNAs, possibly without an actual charge nurse.)

You have nursing skills. Sell them as the assets to inpatient that they are.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jul 4, 2015

It's very possible. You have a wealth of talent from both your LTC and your peds work. You need to highlight and capitalize on them when you're applying for jobs. The BSN will help, as a lot of acute cate jobs want/prefer a BSN nurse.

But I have to agree with a few of the other posters here. You may find that inpatient is not quite the plum job that you hoped it'd be.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jul 4, 2015

Funny thing is, I feel like on the impatient side there were always those people who were desperate to go to outpatient settings after a year or two ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½

True that. Not long ago I worked with a new grad who planned to transition to outpatient as soon as she racked up enough experience to qualify. And I know quite a few younger (experience-wise) nurses who are looking to jump ship to outpatient, but the competition for those jobs is tough. Not only are we union, pay is determined based on experience and not setting--so an outpatient nurse would make the same hourly rate (base) as an inpatient nurse, instead of having to take a pay-cut to have 9-5 hours.