Hierarchy of the best first RN experience?

[lullaby]

hi,

i'd like your input regarding the best types of nursing experience that will eventually land you an acute hospital job. i am currently working full time as a charge nurse in a SNF (first job out of school). i am thinking about relocating to another state in 6 months where the jobs are even slimmer and just trying to figure out what my next best option would be.

most of my classmates have been working in home health care since graduating. i am mostly curious if it is typically considered more or less desirable to have SNF experience versus home health experience? and where does working in an allergy clinic, medical office, IVF clinic etc fit in in terms of opening doors for hospital jobs?

experienced nurses and/or recruiters i'd really appreciate your input! how do the following fields rank in terms of desirable experience for landing a hospital job?

* SNF / long term care

* home health care

* allergy clinic

* medical office / small clinic

* IVF nurse coordinator

* LTAC (i would assume this would rank highest)

anyone out there work in any of these fields for 1-2 yrs and then land a hospital job?

thanks for your input!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Yes! By all means, move into an LTAC of possible. These environments offer all of the 'high tech' and complex patient interventions as acute care - the patients are just there for longer periods of time. Work schedule & responsibilities are also very similar. One of the most difficult challenges in a typical acute care job is time management - caring for groups of patients. With the exception of LTC, none of the other areas you have listed will give you that type of experience.

[adventure780, BSN, MSN, RN, APN]

Yeah I work in LTC you really have to figure how to manage your time with doing admissions, med pass, answering calls and making calls to doctors, writing orders, charting along with treatments. In acute care you have to work fast but with less patients, but they are more in need of care as they are sicker. You really have to impress them in interviews and make sure your resume is good. Also it helps to have good references.

[lullaby]

thanks for your input. my goal would be to get with a LTAC setting, and feel that SNF is the best experience to work towards that. i also agree that home health and certain clinic experience does not challenge your time magagement and prioritization the way a SNF does. i think an IVF clinic would also be good experience and perhaps leed to an OB/GYN job.

can anyone who has worked in home health as a first job for a year or so comment on jobs they got afterwards? just wondering how home health really looks on a resume to recruiters?

thoughts on allergy clinic experience?

[adventure780, BSN, MSN, RN, APN]

quick question what does SNF stand for?

[lullaby]

Hi, it stands for skilled nursing facility and its a term used in certain nursing homes that have a unit for more accute patients. Its basically a medicaid term, i enjoy working on mine and am doing a ton of things i learned in hospitals, ivs, traches etc.

[edmia, BSN, RN]

quick question what does SNF stand for?

Skilled nursing facility aka nursing home.

But I'm not great with abbreviations...