It’s been 3 years since I graduated and don’t have bedside experience.

[Streetnurse42]

I’ve worked in community (eg home healthcare, public health, etc.) since I graduated from nursing school in 2018. I love community nursing and did not want to work in a hospital setting.

But my friend encouraged me to apply for a job posting at her hospital. I’m going to give it a try and I know I will have a hard time securing a hospital job due to my lack of acute care experience. It’s in a med-surg position and has 8 weeks of orientation for those who do not have relevant experience. 

How can I address this gap to hiring managers? Or should I work in a nursing home first? I live in Canada and we don’t have SNFs. Thanks for your advice. 

[caliotter3]

53 minutes ago, SmilingBluEyes said:

Hell I would skip the beside altogether. It' ain't where it's at. Most are miserable any more. Just develop your skills where you are. You are lucky to be where you are.

This.  There are some people, I am certain, that devote their entire nursing career to community nursing and they come out at the other end just as retired, and just as satisfied, or dissatisfied, as anyone else.  Paycheck spends the same.

[Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN]

One thing you have as a big advantage is precisely that you have home care experience. You can visualize how they might do at home and know the questions to ask about how they will manage p discharge. Most bedside nurses don’t fully appreciate all that entails, even though they think they do. Now that hospitals are very aware of readmissions because people “fail” at home, you are in a position to make a big difference by doing better assessments. You might find yourself helping others with that just in conversation in the break room or giving report. 

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

3 hours ago, Streetnurse42 said:

When I was working in home healthcare, I had some clients who would have been better helped by someone with more years of experience.

Don't sell yourself short. Community and hospital nursing may have different skill sets, but hospital nurses are no more nurses than you are. If you are interested in the hospital experience for you, go for it. If you're interested because someone else told you it would be better, or you think it's just something you should do, don't bother. And if you already like what you're doing, you've got it made and you shouldn't go anywhere. Good luck!

[lmichelle25, BSN, RN]

Before the interview, come up with some of the qualities and skills that will help you in the hospital. For example, we constantly have to deal with family members, so, you can say "home health really strengthened my communication skills with clients and their family members" and "I had the opportunity to treat clients after their discharge from the hospital. This gave me a unique perspective in understanding the importance of thoroughly educating clients." You see where I'm going with this. Even someone who worked at Burger King can phrase their job experience in a way that relates to the hospital. Definitely focus on patient safety and patient satisfaction if nothing else. Good luck!

[LibraNurse27, BSN, RN]

I would think about what you like about community health and what you don't, and why you think you might want a change. Think about what interests you about hospital nursing but also the challenges. Acute care can be cool in terms of learning a lot, thinking on your feet, fast pace, learning to respond to emergencies, gaining hands-on skills and seeing a variety of conditions. But community health is also great and so important! 

I started in a community clinic but tried hospital for the reasons I tell others not to = ( LOL like better pay, wanted "skills" and "acute care experience," and everyone told me/felt like I "should." I'm glad I did it even though it was not all that enjoyable at times. I feel like a stronger person because of it, and it opened my eyes in a lot of ways. Just full disclosure that it can be overwhelming and you get screamed at and physically attacked. That is what I really don't miss. 

[Streetnurse42]

1 hour ago, LibraNurse27 said:

I would think about what you like about community health and what you don't, and why you think you might want a change. Think about what interests you about hospital nursing but also the challenges. Acute care can be cool in terms of learning a lot, thinking on your feet, fast pace, learning to respond to emergencies, gaining hands-on skills and seeing a variety of conditions. But community health is also great and so important! 

I started in a community clinic but tried hospital for the reasons I tell others not to = ( LOL like better pay, wanted "skills" and "acute care experience," and everyone told me/felt like I "should." I'm glad I did it even though it was not all that enjoyable at times. I feel like a stronger person because of it, and it opened my eyes in a lot of ways. Just full disclosure that it can be overwhelming and you get screamed at and physically attacked. That is what I really don't miss. 

Thanks! Yes I felt compelled to pursue acute care because everyone told me to do so. How long did you work in acute care for? 

[LibraNurse27, BSN, RN]

2 hours ago, Streetnurse42 said:

Thanks! Yes I felt compelled to pursue acute care because everyone told me to do so. How long did you work in acute care for? 

I did it for five years. I think I felt the peer pressure and that I wouldn't be a "real nurse" if I didn't get hospital experience. I did learn a lot and I'm grateful for the experience but it totally trashed my mental health. Some people love it though, and handle the stress much better than I did. If the only reason you're planning to try it is because people tell you to and you're not interested in it plus you like your current specialty, I'd stay skip it! But if you're curious and need to see for yourself how it is/if you like it, then go for it! Luckily it's pretty easy to try different areas of nursing and go back to one you liked if what you try doesn't work out.

[CoffeeaddictRN85]

I am in the same boat. I have done home health for many years. I have not done bed side. I always feel like I'm not a "real" nurse. The truth  is I like home health, and I don't particularly want to do bedside.  Although my clinical skills are rusty, I still do assessments and I have to use critical thinking all day, and I communicate constantly with patients and their families. I still do feel like I am not considered a real nurse. I hope to get over that eventually...

[LibraNurse27, BSN, RN]

8 hours ago, CoffeeaddictRN85 said:

I always feel like I'm not a "real" nurse

If you have a license that says RN, you're a real nurse!