Is this a specialty or is it even considered nursing experience?

[rn865]

I work at an urgent care facility because I have no experience whatsoever and has a hard time getting into hospitals. I just got lucky I was hired here. I have read some posts that say an urgent care is a specialty area and you need a few years experience to be able to handle it. But then, one of our part-time nurses who works full-time in an ER said this is not considered nursing experience, I need to get into a preceptorship/internship as a new nurse.

Note: At our urgent care, I draw blood, start IVs, give health teaching, operate x-ray machine and other tests, do injections and coordinate tests with outside labs and more.

Edit: Please don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining that I have a job. I'm jsut wondering if I'm on the right career path. I really want to get into ER nursing.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Nurses Performing Radiologic Procedures

Try this from the Texas BNE.

[rn865]

Nurses Performing Radiologic Procedures

Try this from the Texas BNE.

Thank you for this link! Yes, we are Medicare-approved so I guess it's within my scope to perform it. Yay! I don't have to worry now if adding this to my resumes will hurt it rather than help!

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

sounds like your getting plenty of experience to me. Its all a bout selling yourself when you move on, the fact your doing iv starts and radiolgy things looks like great things to accentuate.

[rn865]

What a snotty co-worker...sounds like your getting plenty of experience to me.

Aww thanks! :) She's actually great though..She's helping me a lot with my IV skills and assessment. And she's also trying to help me get into an internship program at one of the hospitals where she knows the supervisors or HR people. I think partly the reason why she's telling me it's not counted experience is to encourage me to try to get into internship. I have tried applying, of course, but man, it's so competitive! It's just making me a little worried if maybe I'm just wasting my time working at an urgent care..Not that I appreciate I have a job, of course.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

I think the nurse you work with is trying to undermine you. She doesn't sound like a friend. Immediately cease discussing with her anything except your present patient, your present job. That is, do not talk about your future plans, your hopes and dreams, and definitely not anything personal - kids, spouse, other family, friends, or activities. She sounds like she's either afraid you might get HER job and be better at it than she is, or she's psycho, or she just plain doesn't know what she's talking about. Steer clear of her - get it?

The tasks you perform - IV's, VS, perhaps administering medications, assessing patients, charting, doing X Rays, for crying out loud (this is a fabulous skill to have. You might even want to become a full radiology technician.), and so forth - I fail to see how she can say this is not nursing.

Did you ask her what she meant by "nursing"? Maybe there's just a gap between your definition and hers.

If I were hiring for the ER, I would absolutely see that you have nearly a year's nursing experience. You had to have a license to get your present job, right? And you are doing things that nurses do. Keep on keepin' on and just ignore your detractor.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

Aww thanks! :) She's actually great though..She's helping me a lot with my IV skills and assessment. And she's also trying to help me get into an internship program at one of the hospitals where she knows the supervisors or HR people. I think partly the reason why she's telling me it's not counted experience is to encourage me to try to get into internship. I have tried applying, of course, but man, it's so competitive! It's just making me a little worried if maybe I'm just wasting my time working at an urgent care..Not that I appreciate I have a job, of course.

I wish you had put this in your original post - all her virtues. You led us astray, OP; made us think she was a kook or jealous.

I'd say to work on your communication skills. Not to be mean, I'm just aggravated that I wasted my time and got upset at your coworker but all the while you think she's great. You could have spared me if you'd been clear in your OP.

Also, here we go again - you "think" her reason is this or that. Why not just ask her and know for sure. (Yeah, she could lie. You never know.)

Hey, good luck.

[rn/writer, RN]

I don't think she led anyone astray. I never got the impression that the co-worker was a kook or jealous, just that she was trying to help the OP be realistic.

OP, even if urgent care isn't considered acute care, it is nursing experience. You will be able to keep your skills alive and well, while some of your classmates who haven't found nursing jobs may find themselves quite rusty when they finally do get hired.

You're learning how to function in a fast-paced environment, how to manage your time, how to relate to patients, how to do a number of skills. And you're getting a paycheck.

If you find opportunities like an internship or other training, by all means, go after them.

You've got a foot in the door. Now just work on wriggling the rest of you over the threshold.

[rn865]

I wish you had put this in your original post - all her virtues. You led us astray, OP; made us think she was a kook or jealous.

I'd say to work on your communication skills. Not to be mean, I'm just aggravated that I wasted my time and got upset at your coworker but all the while you think she's great. You could have spared me if you'd been clear in your OP.

Also, here we go again - you "think" her reason is this or that. Why not just ask her and know for sure. (Yeah, she could lie. You never know.)

Hey, good luck.

Hello..sorry, perhaps I was a little vague in my first post. It is easy to misinterpret too when we read something because there are no gestures, tone of voice and such. But anyway, thanks for you comments. I did ask her and that is what she said that I'd be better off with an internship than working at an urgent care.