New RN, Ok to do ambulatory/clinic?

RxOnly · Nov 15, 2012

Any experience is better than no experience! And you might love it! Go for it..

jessicafore13 · Nov 15, 2012

I worked on a med surg floor right out of nursing school and ended up not liking it...not my niche...ive been an RN for around 2 years and have been working at a clinic for a neurologist for a little over a year...I love it...so, yeah I think it's possible.

LuckyDevil2020, BSN · Nov 25, 2012

I don't think it is the best place to start. I started on a cardiac telemetry floor, then spent 5 months in the ED (not for me!), and landed in a clinic on a large Army base. I have to say that the two years I spent out of the clinic and on the floor were invaluable. The floor teaches assessment skills and time managment skills that you just will not get in the clinic, and it will be hard to go from the clinic to a floor.

Good luck!

JillyRN · Nov 30, 2012

My first RN job was in an Family Medicine Clinic and I thought it was a good environment for a new grad. It was a busy but small practice. I didn't find it overwhelming as it kind of eased me into the new role of a nurse. I had time to gain confidence that I seriously lacked after graduation. I agree with snow angel that it can be difficult going from a clinic to a floor nurse position. However, I think it depends on what kind of learner you are. If it's been a year since graduation, it may be time to take whatever positive you can find.

JZ_RN · Nov 30, 2012

I worked in rehab and LTC for 1/5 years before the clinic. I hated LTC and the clinic has stresses but it's 10000x better than ltc. Besides getting up early lol!

allnurses Guide · Nov 30, 2012

If you've been out of school for a year I wouldn't worry too much about that. Back in the day when there was a true demand for nurses, telling people to work for a year in med-surg pre-supposed that the new grad had multiple job offers to choose from. That's not true anymore and most HR people are aware of it. Every job teaches you something unique you can carry forward throughout your career. Best wishes!

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Nov 30, 2012

I did, I did!

And have not been unemployed for 20 years as a nurse now. And have enjoyed almost all weekends and holidays off.

Sure, sometimes I think I might have enjoyed acute care, but most of the time it sounds hellacious!

Knyc12 · Nov 30, 2012

I worked in an office based surgery center right after graduating nursing school. It was a great experience and I learned alot. I got experience in many different nursing roles, all at once...operating room, recovery room, clinc nursing etc. I think working in an office or clinic type setting also helped me learn about the business side of medicine, and how it works to run a private practice. You also get alot of patient experience, and most of the time get to build a relationship with them because they return often for followups etc. Depends on the type of practice you are looking at, but I had a great experience.

Becca_Anne · Dec 5, 2012

I am 9 months into my first nursing job at a women's clinic. It has been a perfect fit for me. I think as long as the RN has good critical thinking skills and common sense it is fine to start out in a clinic. I don't think it would be easy to transition to a hospital afterwards, but that is fine with me since I feel the direction is going towards more nursing jobs being in the community rather than teriatry facilities. I love building relationships with our patients and the opportunity to case manage and help them achieve better lifetime health outcomes.

krwrnbsn · Mar 27, 2013

My first job was an outpatient surgery center. I loved it! I worked in the OR and found my calling. You never know what exactly you will like sometimes you just have to try it!