New RN who wants to skip the hospital.

[alynn2018]

Hello all.

A little backstory: I'm a BSN student nearing graduation in December of this year. I've been a CNA on a busy med/surg floor for over 2 years now. The thought of being a bedside nurse in any capacity (in any specialty) makes me nauseous after watching what nurses go through on my floor. I'm interested in community health/school nursing, both of which are non-hospital. Is there anyone on here who skipped the hospital and went straight into school nursing? Or some other kind of outpatient setting? My heart isn't set on anything- just considering my options before job apps start here in a month or two.

[Golden_RN, MSN]

My friend went straight into County public health dept after finishing her BSN.

She did have about 10 years of bedside nursing as a CNA and LVN, but never did bedside work as an RN.

[beachynurse, ASN, BSN]

I have been a nurse in a high school with almost 2,000 students and 250 faculty and staff members for the past 16 years. I don't recommend coming right out of nursing school and into school nursiing. You are the only health care provider in a building full of god knows how many children and staff.If there is an emergency, you have to be able to make a decision on a dime, all while assessing and proccessing the data in your head. I really think that a solid 2-3 years on a med surg unit gives you a great background for this kind of nursing. It gives you the time to sharpen your assessment, and critical thinking skills. There is no backup, or time to make a phone call for advice from another school nurse in these emergencies. Best of luck to you.