Non hospital or Bedside nursing position as a new grad

[Sakae Kidd]

Good morning. I’m currently living in Los Angeles and taking my prerequisites for nursing. I know I don’t have a desire to do bedside nursing in a hospital after graduation. Does anyone work in a research lab/on a clinical trial?

[Kat12340]

Do you plan on staying in LA after graduating? New grads don't have to work the bedside but it can be market dependent. I wouldn't be surprised if all those non-beside jobs  (especially research gigs) haven't been taken already in the LA area, or is very competitive to break into... I would continue to look into all of your options before graduating and be open minded.

[SmilingBluEyes]

check your market. Some new grads have no problem getting non-bedside care jobs. Others with years of experience can't seem to break into it. Start looking at facebook groups on work from home positions etc and interact.

Good luck.

[Mty69]

You can do procedures such as cath~lab, endoscopy, and dialysis. You can also work in ortho, primary care, and mini clinics. There’s a lot that you can do as a nurse that does not require you to be at the bedside. Do your homework and research non-bedside nursing positions. You’d be amazed at what’s out there.

[Blatant Shannon]

I highly recommend that you do at least a year as a bedside nurse. It gives you all the skills you need to carry on in other facets of nursing. When I first graduated, I didn't want to do floor nursing, but I don't regret doing it. I have made myself a resource for many other nurses and helped countless lives. Some things I didn't really learn or get the hang of until my second year and so forth. 

Also, getting a little bit of experience will make you unimaginably more marketable than having none at all. I can't believe how often I get called for work. Coming from poverty to now, I am glad I got the chance to do the grueling, thankless job of bedside nursing. It taught me more about how I manage my stress, how to cope with major (and small) challenges in the nursing world. It also makes you more relatable to other nurses. Believe it or not, nurses judge each other fairly harshly. Get that experience as a bedside nurse to better prepare for other departments you'll be working with.