Home Care RN Trying To Get Into A Hospital Setting

[lobi722, BSN, RN]

Hello Everyone!

So, here is my situation. I graduated May '14, passed my NCLEX February '15 and have been working in Home Care as a Field Nurse ever since (1.5 years). I now want to be in a hospital setting. But I never get any good feedback from my interviews. I've been told that I don't have hospital experience and Home Care doesn't count as experience which I think is ridiculous. How can I get hospital experience if no one hires me??? I want to know if anyone else is experiencing the same thing as me or has experienced this. Also, I would like some advice on what I should do. By the way, I live in the NYC area.

[ProBeeRN, BSN, RN]

I moved from home care to a wound /ostomy nurse position in acute care (after obtaining my wound care cert). I was asked about my lack of hospital experience and I sold myself by talking about the acuity / variety of patients I handled in home care (many inpatient managers are not aware of the acuity in today's home care patients), and played up my autonomy, decision making, and critical thinking skills. In my opinion the nursing skills that you don't encounter in home care (for example, IV push meds, complex drips, inserting NGs) are pretty easily picked up if you have a strong base in assessment and critical thinking - which home care does provide.

You may want to ease your way in through a skilled nursing facility or subacute rehab associated with the Healthcare system that you want to get into. After 6 months you can usually bid on an internal acute care facility and have some inside connections.

Good luck and keep applying. NYC is a very difficult market. Move upstate if you can relocate!

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Apply to a hospital based home health care position. They are desperate for nurses. It is a huge $$ maker . Put in your 6 months or the year ( whatever is required.)... then apply for an internal transfer.

[uniqueguy34, BSN, MSN]

I'm in the same situation. Doing some side jobs, school nursing, home care.. Long term care facilities.. Unfortunately depending on where u live it may be difficult to get a hospital job.. Why? Because hospitals have to pay you while you're being oriented.. So they invest money and time into teaching you.. And who knows if you're going to stay.. So it's a money issue for them.. Instead. They can find an experienced nurse and avoid all the training..

I was able to get a hospital job, it was a ltach.. Long term acute care. It was very hectic, crazy work load, they hire people straight out of school and fire people, and people leave.. I was terminated 3 days before my probation ended. But I learned a lot about how the hospital system works.

My advice is this.. Since you have Homecare experience. Try applying to subacute facilities. Try hard to sell yourself.. You may still get hired into a hospital it's possible. Don't give up. But I'm going to warn you.. It's totally different in hospitals.. You may decide to go back to Homecare eventually. That's what I decided to do..

[uniqueguy34, BSN, MSN]

Btw. I live in nyc metro area. I know a hospital that will be hiring you without much experience.. Pm me I can tell you which one