New graduate experience in a rural critical access hospital

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Hello, my name is Libby and I have been offered a position in a critical access hospital in rural Montana. I graduated nursing school last december in Las Vegas, NV and then I moved up to MT to be closer to my family. I applied to both of the larger hospitals in the city that I live in, but they are not taking new graduates. My goal is to become a trauma nurse and I am afraid that taking this job in the rural community may hinder that. Would it be better if I waited until the larger hospitals are hiring new grads rather than take the position offered to me? What would be the best way for a new grad to become a kick-butt trauma nurse?

Thanks, Libby

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Dear Libby

I hope this message is received before you have made your decision about going to the rural hospital. I have been a registered nurse for 18 years. My experience has ranged from working in large hospitals and also working in a small community ED. I have been practicing as a perioperative nurse for the US Navy for these 18 years, but I did moonlight in my earlier years so I can give you some practical advise.

My suggestion would be to go to the small hospital and develop your new skills there. I can assure you the excellent trauma nurses have humble beginnings and if they started in a busy Knife and Gun club ER once they graduated from nursing school their chances of burnout is rather high. Getting the fundamentals down as a recent graduate can not be stressed enough. We emphasis this to all new graduate nurses entering the Navy.

Give yourself time to learn your profession and seek those nurses no matter where you go who will mentor you and show you the critical thinking and technical skills needed in our profession.

I wish you the best.

God Bless

Mike

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Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.

You have to be a Jill of all trades in a rural facility and you will learn a LOT - never enjoyed anything as much as working in a small hospital. Of course, it depends on your team members - their experience and judgement. I think you'll find is surprisingly less task oriented than a bigger place. Good luck.

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Thanks for the advice! I feel much better about working at a rural hospital now...

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Specializes in Case management, UM, AL, psych, CD.

Rural Nursing should be it's own specialty! You are IT at a rural hospital......until you can transfer critical patients out. You may be very suprised what great experience you can gain working in a rural hospital! I say go for it!

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

I am sorry but my first response was to spit out my coffee with a big laugh...You want to be a trauma nurse and you feel rural hospital nursing will negitively effect you???? OMG it is quite often the "rural nurse" that gets the fresh trauma...that same nurse preps that unstable pt for transport to the trauma center. I have worked in small hospitals in the ER as well as in a large city ER that was the trauma center for a third of the state. Honestly I thought what you thought too until I had one of the trauma center nurses give me a compliment that I dont even think she new she gave me. I was going on and on one of my first shifts about how fortunate she was to be in a big TRAUMA center and to see all she sees. After a couple hours of my comments she looked at me and said "honestly its you smaller ER nurses that see all the kewl stuff". She then told me that she had never given TNK...we do that before we transport to the bigger hospitals. Trauma centers tend to have "teams"...rural hospitals have a couple of nurses and ancillary staff oncall. It is super scary at first but I have to tell you that I have seen and done sooooo much more in a rural hospital then I have done at the trauma center. Dont get me wrong they are both great but if you want to master your assessment and critical thinking skills start at the smaller hospital and I would almost promise you that you will not have a problem getting a job anywhere! Good luck and hope nursing gives you all you hope for!:nurse:

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Specializes in ICU/CCU, Med-Surg, ER, Home-Health, Corr.

I currently work in a critical access hospital in Montana. 21 yrs exp and worked mostly ICU with a sprinkle of other nursing positions. Do ER at times here and YOU are it. If it were me, I would get into a large hospital, into the area you think you like. You will learn more in 6 months than you will in yrs at the critical access hospital. It's OK to start and fun at times, but your skills will go downhill. Do the small hospital for a year or so and try to get into something bigger. Don't let a big trauma ER frighten you. If you can find a place that will take you in and allow you to learn (and the staff to teach you), you will be able to do just about anything you want after a while. Just do what you think is right.

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i tend to agree w/ the last post. i'm a new grad living in rural colorado w/ a critical access hospital. out of school i chose not to apply there and instead drive 2.5 hours one way to denver to work three 12's and sleep in my car between shifts in order to get my skills up to speed. my thought is even though trauma and sepsis and mi's happen in small towns once a month they happen nightly in the city and i want to be competent and safe and provide excellent care for my pt.'s. after a year i might feel more comfortable working in a rural setting but i still plan to keep working a shift or two a month in the city to keep my skills fresh. if you can make it in the city in an er that sees 200 pt.'s a day then the rural stuff will be easy.

dan

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