I recently obtained my RN license but have absolutely no desire to do traditional bedside nursing. I love working with people just not in a hospital setting. What alternatives are there for a BSN - RN prepared nurse with no clinical experience (outside of college clinical rotation experience)? I have heard about insurance companies hiring RNs to review cases, etc...however that sounds incredibly boring. I KNOW there are lesser known jobs other than traditional bedside nursing or pushing paper. Could you all give me some suggestions to look in to?
Esperanza, you can do non-bedside as a new grad! Many I know in NYC had their first job in clinics, homecare, rehab centers, case managers at insurance companies, etc. VANurse, I don't know If your area hires new grads only as hospital nurses but to say someone isn't qualified for any other type of nursing is unfair. In NY and large cities of the east coast non bedside jobs are easier to get while hospitals don't hire many new grads. Esperanza, if you know your passion is non bedside go for it anf let your interviewers know that. Non hospital employers appreciate people that will stay a while and not leave as soon as a hospital offers them a position.
I didn't say "hospital bedside nurse" - I said bedside, which includes home care, long term care, etc. In other words, if you don't have any clinical experience, get ready to do some hands on patient care.
Specializes in MedSurg, PACU, Maternal/Child Health.
Bedside usually means hospital. I only ever heard coworkers, managers, friends working in other settings, etc refer to bedside as meaning in the hospital setting. Home care , clinics, insurance companies, etc are not considered bedside. The original poster said she likes to work with people just not in hospital. So bedside is not for her, good thing she knows right away, so she can focus on non-hospital settings. Plenty of homecare companies hire RNs for assessments in the home, as case managers (mostly do paperwork) and clinics are simple for the most part also.
I am a new grad and I don't want to work at the bedside. I am aggressively searching for non hospital jobs in places like community health and in clinics.
Thank you so much for sharing about your summer camp nursing job, nurseinstinct. I love hearing different nursing stories like yours because they keep reminding me to follow my heart / dreams; really listen to what it is that I want. Also, reminds me why I chose to go into nursing: so many paths that can be taken. I completely agree that different people are cut out to do different things. I need to remember that what works for someone else may not work for me and there is NOTHING wrong with that.
Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, C-NPT, FP-C.
Im glad I'm not the only one who doesn't find bedside nursing too appealing. My goal is to get my two or three years of ED/ICU time and move to transport medicine. It's where I feel the most comfortable (after doing bedside and transport care as a medic)
VANurse2010
1,526 Posts
I didn't say "hospital bedside nurse" - I said bedside, which includes home care, long term care, etc. In other words, if you don't have any clinical experience, get ready to do some hands on patient care.