Need advice on what my next step should be...

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I've been a RN for over 4 years now and last year I decided to leave my 1st employer, where I worked nights in the ICU, for a day position at a different hospital working in the OR. I instantly knew that the OR was not a good fit for me & I was extremely unhappy, so I left after 6 months & chose a career in home health at another hospital. I like the flexibility of working in home health & how autonomous it is. I also like the fact that I have the time to educate my patients, which I feel is hard to do in the hospital. However, home health has it's drawbacks, such as the amount of work you can bring home with you & I'm concerned that I am losing my clinical skills. I'm thinking about transferring within the hospital I work at now (to a tele/CCU floor), but I'm afraid that for the past year or so I've been jumping around & won't this look bad??? Suggestions please?!?

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My opinion for what it is worth is that once you are in home care it becomes more difficult to get out the longer you are there. Get out of home care unless you want to stay forever but I bet you will get tired of the hours, weekends, holidays and call. At least with CCU experience and eventually a Masters you can get a nice administrative position if you want to. I have found that home care experience has hurt my chances at hospital jobs.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

I continue to be dismayed that we define nursing practice only by acute care. Each type of environment has its own set of skills but only acute care technical skills are valued... by employers also. But this is our reality today, so PP is absolutely correct.

Can you continue to work in Home Care and pick up some PRN work in a hospital? This would enable you to keep your clinical skills current & look good on your resume.

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Thank u both for the advice. The hours of full-time home care makes it too difficult to pick up extra work, so I'm starting to look at transferring within the hospital & maybe do home care per diem.

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