124 Posts
Definitely a tough situation..
I'd say look into private duty/home health nursing.. there might be medically fragile kids in your area who need a nurse/nanny for the summer months while school's out. Though, you'll probably need to invest in your own medical malpractice insurance if you do private duty without an agency behind you.
Good luck with your search!
6,504 Posts
"Honestly, don't worry about hurting the hospitals. If you can get in somewhere even for a few months, take the opportunity. It will give you time for some solid orientation, and something to put on your resume."
I couldn't disagree more. OP, I think you're on the right track to avoid stabbing any hospital or corporation in the back like that. I admire your unwillingness to do that. It costs the hospitals thousand of $$ to train new employees, and it is not likely that you will work long enough to garner any positive references or viable experience.
955 Posts
"Honestly, don't worry about hurting the hospitals. If you can get in somewhere even for a few months, take the opportunity. It will give you time for some solid orientation, and something to put on your resume."I couldn't disagree more. OP, I think you're on the right track to avoid stabbing any hospital or corporation in the back like that. I admire your unwillingness to do that. It costs the hospitals thousand of $$ to train new employees, and it is not likely that you will work long enough to garner any positive references or viable experience.
IAWTC. Not to mention the fact that in the new grad world, a few months of experience is almost worse than no experience at all -- you're still not qualified for the vast majority of jobs that require at least one year, and most new grad programs will turn you down, since you're no longer what they consider a new grad (i.e. someone fresh out of school).
I wouldn't suggest breaking up with your boyfriend over this issue, but it sounds like you're at a crossroads: do you want to keep spending as much time overseas with him as possible, and taking advantage of all the (non-nursing) opportunities that that will bring you, or do you want to keep your options open for a real career in nursing stateside? If it's the latter, you may have to bite the bullet and commit to spending at least a year away from him (although not necessarily apart; it sounds like you're already used to doing the long-distance thing) in order to get a real, solid orientation experience under your belt. There's no "right" choice here -- it all depends on what you want to do with your life.
20 Posts
Wow, thank you all for posting. allnurses didn't let me know that I was receiving replies so I figured nobody had taken an interest. Yeah, for right now I am looking at being a wellness nurse for Maxim (I know, I have heard all about this company).... People generally don't seem to enthusiastic about Maxim, but I figure doing wellness probably isn't as stressful as doing direct patient care activities. I'm not exactly sure what the job entails, but it sounds like going to corporations and businesses in the area and performing BP/glucose/cholesterol screenings, etc. Anyway, I have yet to even send any information in yet, but its my hope to work with them temporarily this summer. These are all great ideas; if Maxim doesn't work out I will definitely be checking into these opportunities. Thanks so much for your thoughtful responses. :)
aura_of_laura
321 Posts
That is tough, since temp agencies usually want someone with > 1 year experience. Have you thought about trying for home health? I'm actually looking at moving to the Seattle (Everett) area soon, and I've noticed a number of jobs in home health.
Honestly, don't worry about hurting the hospitals. If you can get in somewhere even for a few months, take the opportunity. It will give you time for some solid orientation, and something to put on your resume. Just make sure that you give adequate notice when you leave, and make sure you are on good terms with your manager and coworkers. Ask for letters of reference when you leave.
There are far too many nurses who just up and walk out on a job, or make job-jumping a career habit. Your circumstances are a little different - sound like you have some great opportunities for travel, take advantage of them :)