new nurse, no acute-care experience... wanting a hospital job in Houston, TX

[linnie94]

Hello! I received my RN license in June 2015, however the only experience I have so far is home health for about 6 months now. I love seeing patients in their homes and getting to actually talk and teach them, but the scheduling has been taking a toll on me. I love my coworkers but we are very understaffed, and having a difficult time finding new nurses that are willing to take on a variety or patients in a variety of locations. The majority of my days are spent on the road rather than actually seeing patients. And I just feel like that is SO much of my day just wasted! IMO, it doesn't really seem worth it to me considering how much time I spend on the road and doing paperwork that I am not paid for. Plus the scheduling can be so last-minute, which I don't appreciate. I'm not afraid to say "no", and I have plenty of times.... but again, we are verrry understaffed.

Ultimately, I've been wanting to work in a hospital setting anyway. I've just been having a hard time. Will hospitals even consider me if I'm a new nurse (but old-grad) with no acute-care experience? Taking this home health job, I figured some experience is better than none at all. I'm expected to get my Bachelor's Degree in August, so I'm hoping that will help.

Any advice/tips are much appreciated!