Need Advice on Senior Preceptorship Selection

[BlackBettyRN,OCN]

Hi everyone,

First off, forgive me, for I made a thread similar to this one several months ago. However, my circumstances have changed, and I am in need of some advice.

I am about to start my senior year of my BSN program. During our final semester, we do a preceptorship on the floor of our choice at the hospital/facility we would like to work at after graduation. We have to start the process of getting everything set up this semester, though.

My dilemma: I have been conditionally accepted into a PMHNP program (on the condition that I graduate in May and pass the NCLEX, of course) at the school whose hospital I plan on working for after graduation. This works out well for me because if you work at that hospital, your grad school tuition is waived. I could get my Masters degree for free, basically.

To add to that, this summer, I was accepted into a paid externship at that hospital. Basically, you are assigned to a nurse who is your preceptor, and you follow them around and get to develop your nursing skills. You also get the first interview for any new grad jobs at that hospital as a condition of the externship. So I pretty much have a guaranteed job at this hospital. My preceptorship was on a very specialized oncology floor. My preceptor was awesome, and he wants me to come back and do my senior preceptorship with him on this floor.

He is a very good teacher, and I learned a lot. And I've already been training on that unit, so I would already be familiar with the setting and my job duties. I also know that quite a few of that nurses on that floor will be graduating in May with their Masters,so there should be some job openings.

My original plan was to do my Senior Preceptorship on this hospital's psychiatric floor. However, there are rarely any job openings on that floor, and I'm afraid of spending five months precepting on a psych floor and losing my med-surg skills, only to not have a job in psych after my preceptorship is over.

So, considering that I am starting a grad program in psych after graduation, which option would be most prudent for me?

Thanks in advance, and I apologize for the length of this post.

[smf0903]

Ack I keep watching this hoping someone with experience will give you advice! This is my opinion (or at least what I believe I would do if I were in your shoes); If I understand this correctly, all options are at the facility where you hope to work on the psych floor, is that correct? (My opinion follows that assumption!) So, I would do the preceptorship with the preceptor you are doing the externship with (on the onco floor). If the chances are slim that you'd get a job offer on psych floor, but that's where you eventually want to be, then I'd stay with that facility in whatever capacity ESPECIALLY if the skills you'll obtain will allow for movement between depts. Staying there would, I assume, also give the added bonus of putting bugs in the ears of those who matter that you wish to move to psych. This way you'd be able to continue to hone your skills but would still have your ear to the ground when it came to openings in your "dream" dept :) And you have the opportunity to build a solid reputation within that facility.

That's my opinion. I believe that's what I would do in the given situation. Hopefully someone with experience will give their 2 cents! Good luck to you, I hope it all works out to your benefit!

[BlackBettyRN,OCN]

Thanks so much for your response! Yes, I don't like my chances of getting a job on the psych floor right away as a new grad. I was kind of leaning towards what you were saying, but I really just needed to hear it from someone else, I guess.

Thanks again, I think I'm going to take your advice.

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

Personally, I think the answer is relatively simple. You basically have a very good chance of getting a job after graduation at the hospital of your choice. While psych is what you really want to do, greatly consider using this time to develop your ability to move from department to department. This means working on "the basics" and essentially becoming a med-surg nurse with lots of additional knowledge and skills from working on the Oncology floor. This way you can pick up basically any entry-level job that comes your way, and that, at least, should get your foot in the door (and ahead) of most other people when a position on the psych floor comes up. It may take a year or two (or longer) but by then you'll know how the internal political game is played at that hospital as well and you'll have a very strong foundation for being able to move to probably nearly any department you want without too much trouble.

[BlackBettyRN,OCN]

Personally, I think the answer is relatively simple. You basically have a very good chance of getting a job after graduation at the hospital of your choice. While psych is what you really want to do, greatly consider using this time to develop your ability to move from department to department. This means working on "the basics" and essentially becoming a med-surg nurse with lots of additional knowledge and skills from working on the Oncology floor. This way you can pick up basically any entry-level job that comes your way, and that, at least, should get your foot in the door (and ahead) of most other people when a position on the psych floor comes up. It may take a year or two (or longer) but by then you'll know how the internal political game is played at that hospital as well and you'll have a very strong foundation for being able to move to probably nearly any department you want without too much trouble.

Thanks for your response. Yes, I'm sure this issue is much simpler than I am making it out to be. I agree with your idea of doing my preceptorship on the oncology floor and hopefully getting a job on that floor after graduation.

Do you think that not working on the psych floor will hurt me while I'm completing my grad program?

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

I agree with the other posts. Concentrate on being a nurse, then specialize later.

[kalycat, BSN, RN]

Do you think that not working on the psych floor will hurt me while I'm completing my grad program?

Hi there!

Congrats on having so many options! Not knowing your grad school program, this is purely speculation based on my inpatient psych experiences and NP psych colleagues/friends.... I would say no, it won't hurt you in grad school. I think your 5 months are better spent getting that getting a solid foundation, as others have said. I'm betting that your grad school program is going to offer you lots of options for specialty growth, and if a psych practicum wasn't a condition for being accepted, I really believe you will be just fine. If think your preceptorship will serve you well in grad school and beyond. Just my $.02 :) good luck!

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

[BlackBettyRN,OCN]

Hi there!

Congrats on having so many options! Not knowing your grad school program, this is purely speculation based on my inpatient psych experiences and NP psych colleagues/friends.... I would say no, it won't hurt you in grad school. I think your 5 months are better spent getting that getting a solid foundation, as others have said. I'm betting that your grad school program is going to offer you lots of options for specialty growth, and if a psych practicum wasn't a condition for being accepted, I really believe you will be just fine. If think your preceptorship will serve you well in grad school and beyond. Just my $.02 :) good luck!

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

Thanks for your response! That makes me feel 100% better.