for those of you with non-hospital jobs...

[beachgirl01]

For those of you who have left bedside nursing and found nursing jobs outside the hospital, in places such as clinics, community health, insurance, etc., how did you go about finding and landing these jobs? I've been browsing online job postings, and occasionally look in the newspaper, I applied for a few of them online a couple months ago but never had any luck...I know these jobs are quite a bit harder to come by, but I've been extremely unhappy as a bedside nurse from the start, and before I give up on nursing completely I'd like to try it in a different setting. I'm in a contract job now that will end mid-December, and once it's done I'll have 2 years experience in med/surg. I'm thinking that maybe I should just go to some of these places in person that say they have an opening and give them my resume and tell them I'm interested, I'm thinking this might give me a better chance than just posting it online? If anyone has any input that would be great, thanks!

[webbiedebbie]

First I would examine why you want to leave bedside nursing. Perhaps working in a different specialty might be worth trying. Are you working nights and want something on days? Perhaps a physician's office or surgical center might be worth pursuing for day hours.

Two years experience may not be enough to get non-bedside nursing position.

You could try insurance companies for Case management.

Best of luck!

[HealthyRN]

Two years of experience is plenty to find a non-hospital job. I found one with less than a year of hospital experience. It really depends on the area in which you live, but you should try online sites like http://www.careerbuilder.com or http://www.monster.com. Also, try searching online for the company website and see if they have career postings on the site. Of course, going in person and dropping off your resume is also a good idea. Make sure that you write an informative cover letter to go along with it.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Beachgirl,

I didn't really leave bedside nursing - just 'grew away' from it. I moved from bedside into nursing education; first as a unit educator, then department, then facility-wide, etc. Along the way, I also invested time and effort in continuing my education, so when new opportunities came open - I was ready.

Healthcare organizations tend to look internally, via a 'career ladder' approach to fill non direct-care positions (bedside). They look for people who have proven their worth to the organization - normally through involvement in activities outside their job descriptions. So - from your thread title & message I guess that these may not be the types of jobs you are looking for.

If you're just tired of the bedside routine, have you considered a non acute care environment like Home Care or ambulatory service areas? If you have established clinical 'expertise' (normally through clinical certifications or years of experience) you could probably snag a job with a medical equipment or pharmaceutical company - they are always looking for educators who can communicate with their client organizations.

[litbitblack, ASN, RN]

I left the hospital after ten years and started part time at a ltc alz./ dementia specialty center. Its assisted living really with suites that look at the residents move thru the stages of alz. I love it. I get to spend time with my residents. No stress. 8 hour shifts. Try looking at something partime just to get ur foot in the door. The jobs are hard to find because people don't want to give them up....

[Noryn]

Generally the good jobs are harder to come by. Two years experience likely is not enough for most of them (not all). Also people downplay med-surg nursing, I think it is the most challenging, but many want to see ER or ICU experience.

I had worked 5 years in a hospital before getting my first out of hospital job.