Going from peds home health to hospital

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  1. Peds home health experience - does it count when applying for hospital jobs?

    • 2
      Nope - you'll be viewed as not much different than a new grad
    • 10
      Slight - anyone with hospital experience will automatically rank above you
    • 0
      Yes - you'll get equal consideration as someone with equivalent hospital expeirence
    • 0
      Yes - peds home health experience is more valuable than adult hospital expeirence
    • 0
      Bonus points - peds home health experience is more valuable than even peds hospital expeirence

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I am a new grad in a city where the hospitals have all been laying people off by the hundreds and closing units/whole hospitals. It's not the best situation for job hunting, but such is life.

I may have an opportunity to start in a new grad program at a pediatric home health agency. I've seen the plethora of posts warning new grads away from home health, but this particular agency seems to be incredibly supportive of their staff and very serious about their training program, starting new RNs with the low acuity patients, and all of those responsible things that all agencies should do.

My question:

What would 2-3 years of successful pediatric home health experience (as one's only nursing experience) likely be worth to HR/nurse managers in hospitals if I wanted to move in that direction in the future? Would they see it as valid experience or would I again be competing with others in the "no experience" category?

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I am so following this. I am a peds trach/vent high acuity private duty RN for 3 years now. Im almost finished my BSN. HHN/PDN suits me for now ( I have three children aged 10, 6, 1) but Ive outgrown this setting and desire a peds job in a hospital. I hope someone with knowledge comments. It would be nice to have another opinion.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

Personally, I think that home health nurses are very competent and well-prepared for the usual hospitalized peds patient. If you're always the only person there when things go sideways, you develop certain skills and strengths that hospital-based nurses may never have. Of course there are some skills you don't practice in people's homes, but those can be refreshed in no time. Having said that, I'm not a hiring manager but I know a little about how they and HR work. HR looks for key words and phrases and if they don't see them the application goes no further. Managers do the same but with more key words and phrases that are more specific to the position they're filling. That's where customizing your resume comes in. Read the posting carefully, pick out the key words and find a way to make your qualifications fit. "Family-centred care"? Working in someone's HOME guarantees that so expand that with a few words in your "duties and responsibilities" section. Same with critical thinking and problem-solving. Growth and development are always good terms to use; "planning developmentally appropriate activities" and "consideration of developmental stage in providing care" will get you lots of points. They're things you do automatically and often don't think of but are real skills. Make yourself shine!!

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I agree with above. Especially if you work with complex patients.

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