Published
After talking with some nursing friends, our numbers have all varied dramatically.
Please tell me:
1. How long have you been a nurse?
2. How many different UNITS have you worked for? (even if one is ortho and your next one was a ortho trauma - same kind of nursing, but different unit)
3. How many areas have you worked in? (This is wear ortho trauma would count different than just ortho)
17 years RN experience under my belt to date with 4 years in the US Army and 13+ in teaching hospital in North Central Texas. Have been at the same unit, CICU, for those 13 years and I hope I never leave it! Without nursing being the heartbeat of me, I would feel worthless and quite useless. My patients have no idea what they have done for me.
BSN, RN three years. 18 months on a community hospital tele unit. Left there because promises about a shift change were not upheld, but instead my preferred shift was given to new grads. Now I'm at a teaching hospital as a float to tele, medical, surgical, rehab, in-facility SNU, and a very specialized floor serving a specific population. I did adult PDN as a PRN for about five months, but I quit because I was bored to tears!
I'm getting the itch to try something new on the side, but I'm just not sure what yet.
Almost 15 years in the ICU. Would love to do something else, have applied EVERYWHERE - radiology, interventional radiology, GI lab, stress testing, cardiac floor, home care, outpatient cardiac clinic, dialysis. Not just in one hospital system either ... ZIP! I can run every machine in the ICU, take any patient, yet I've been typecast in ICU and cannot move out. So much for diversity in nursing.
Almost 15 years in the ICU. Would love to do something else, have applied EVERYWHERE - radiology, interventional radiology, GI lab, stress testing, cardiac floor, home care, outpatient cardiac clinic, dialysis. Not just in one hospital system either ... ZIP! I can run every machine in the ICU, take any patient, yet I've been typecast in ICU and cannot move out. So much for diversity in nursing.
Have you tried short procedure?
I'm surprised you haven't been able to land anywhere...at least IR, Dialysis.
It's truly all about the timing, sometimes...
Twenty two years as a nurse. Traveled for ten years so I've worked MANY different units.
Longest I've ever had a regular perm job was 4 years.
Have done med/surg, hospice, LTC, psych, consulting, clinical assistant (home care office), adult day care, home telephonic disease mgmt, dialysis, corrections....that's all I can recall right now. :)
Bumping this because I find it interesting.
As for me - worked on the same unit in L&D from 2009-2012. It was a busy unit and was starting to feel burnt out towards the end.
Had a baby in 2012 and took 2 years off to stay home.
In the meantime we moved to another part of the country.
Recently went back PRN L&D at a new hospital.
Also accepted a position to teach maternity clinicals for a nursing school next semester.
Also just had an interview for a PRN job in the NICU which has been a dream of mine for awhile.
Some career goals are - NICU (fingers crossed!!) pediatric surgery, pediatric oncology, pediatric home care, outpatient surgery, school nursing, travel nursing and maybe going back to school for my FNP.
It's a lot but hopefully I'll work for another 30+ years.
I love how much variety there is in nursing.
I get antsy doing the same thing for too long and I realized I'm happier holding several part time or PRN jobs vs one full time job.
KaroSnowQueen, RN
960 Posts
Been an LPN for 30 years.
1984-5, LTC
1985-88, Stayed home with my kids
1988-1990 LTC
1990-91, Agency working for 2 hospitals
1991-2001, LTC
2001-2007, hospital
2007-2014, reviewed claims major insurance co
Right now, am unemployed and taking summer off to relax, draw my unemployment $$ and spend time with grandkids. Probly look for a job in August and see what turns up.