Hospital to PDN?

[FutureResearchRN]

Hey all,

I am a fairly "new" grad RN...Been working in med/surg and ICU (it's a small hospital so we don't see a whole lot) for 8 months. During nursing school I knew I wasn't a fan of the hospital but took the job for experience. I still am not a fan of the hospital, though it's a little better now. Anyway, I'm interested in private duty nursing and have an interview for an agency soon. I like the idea of having just one patient to focus on At a time, rather than being pulled in 8 different directions like I am All the time in the hospital. I also am independent and introverted and enjoy working alone. My questions to you guys are 1) are my ideas of private duty nursing similar to how it actually is? And 2) is 8 months of med surg enough experience? I'm still not completely confident at work but I'm a heck of a lot more confident than I was at first. I have been recognized for being attentive to detail, good with patients, eager to learn, but I get stressed when things get super busy.

Thanks in advance!

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

I think 8 months is good. A lot better than entering PDN with no experience. I've worked a variety of PDN cases. Some I just felt like an over paid baby sitter & others you have a lot of medications & treatments to give. It will be tough to find a supportive agency. Plus it can be difficult to deal with the families. They general want things done their way or it's the high way.

[ceebeejay]

Yep, I have been shown the highway! Yes, 8 months is plenty experience for most PDN. You can be quite autonomous. It can feel like a glorified babysitter, but for the right family and the right kid it feels good because you know how much your being there helps. For some families you feel like a square peg in a round hole. If you had the chance to work with the vent/trach patients in the hospital it will be beneficial for PDN, as I have found that vase majority of my patients are those with other complications around it.