Nurses who never worked in the hospital

NightNurseRN13 · Feb 28, 2014

1. Did you start out looking for a hospital job? If yes, for how long?

Yes, for about 4 months I looked.

2. What made you decide to pursue something other than hospital nursing? Was it a matter of not being able to find a job, or was this something you wanted initially?

A nursing school friend told me about a private duty nursing company she was working for and said she could put in a good word. Yes it was completely because I couldn't find a job. I thought PDN was glorified babysitting and I had a really bad attitude about going in to it.

3. What area of nursing are you working in now?

Private duty nursing with a home health agency, I work with pediatrics and geriatrics in their home.

4. How do you feel your lack of hospital experience impacts you in the position you hold now?

At first I thought I was missing out on something, I even made a post about it on this forum, but with time I've had experiences with my patients that makes me realize that I'm just as important as the trauma nurse caring for a critically ill gun shot wound. I love my job, I love my patients... I feel like if I ever wanted to leave what I'm doing now that the experience I've gained with 1 on 1 patient care is valuable. I do a TON of patient education and it keeps me sharp on my knowledge because you NEVER know what a patient will ask you about their condition.

5. Do you have any regrets about not working in a hospital?

None! I get continuity of care with my patients, I get to know them and their needs, I get to see the changes, I work with 1 patient at a time and can give them my full attention, my hours are flexible, I get paid more... the list could go on.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Feb 28, 2014

What is this research for?

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Feb 28, 2014

Did you start out looking for a hospital job? If yes, for how lon I had worked in hospitals for 14 years prior to becoming a nurse, I had an offer, but felt it was a bit too much for a new nurse and did not want weekends or shifts any more.

2. What made you decide to pursue something other than hospital nursing? Was it a matter of not being able to find a job, or was this something you wanted initially? Fell in love and my husband liked to partay on the weekends and i wanted to do it with him.

3. What area of nursing are you working in now? Research for 10 years, before that clinic nursing for 10 years

4. How do you feel your lack of hospital experience impacts you in the position you hold now? Not much, but occasionally wish i had IV skills

5. Do you have any regrets about not working in a hospital Not really no. Occasionally I think about it, but I am not at this age at all interested.

JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 2, 2014

What is this research for?

Not for research. Just for opening discussion on the directions a nursing career can take without hospital experience. Maybe to give hope to people who have been looking unsuccessfully for a hospital job and want to move on.

JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 2, 2014

1. Did you start out looking for a hospital job? If yes, for how long?
Yes, for about 4 months I looked.
2. What made you decide to pursue something other than hospital nursing? Was it a matter of not being able to find a job, or was this something you wanted initially?
A nursing school friend told me about a private duty nursing company she was working for and said she could put in a good word. Yes it was completely because I couldn't find a job. I thought PDN was glorified babysitting and I had a really bad attitude about going in to it.
3. What area of nursing are you working in now?
Private duty nursing with a home health agency, I work with pediatrics and geriatrics in their home.
4. How do you feel your lack of hospital experience impacts you in the position you hold now?
At first I thought I was missing out on something, I even made a post about it on this forum, but with time I've had experiences with my patients that makes me realize that I'm just as important as the trauma nurse caring for a critically ill gun shot wound. I love my job, I love my patients... I feel like if I ever wanted to leave what I'm doing now that the experience I've gained with 1 on 1 patient care is valuable. I do a TON of patient education and it keeps me sharp on my knowledge because you NEVER know what a patient will ask you about their condition.
5. Do you have any regrets about not working in a hospital?
None! I get continuity of care with my patients, I get to know them and their needs, I get to see the changes, I work with 1 patient at a time and can give them my full attention, my hours are flexible, I get paid more... the list could go on.

Like you, I also had a bad attitude in the beginning. In my case I looked for a hospital job for 6 months and then applied to an NP program. I got into an excellent school but I wasn't excited/happy/grateful for the opportunity. I felt like a failure because I couldn't find an RN job, and becoming an NP at that stage was my fall-back plan (my original plan was to work at least 3-5 years as an RN).

I'm an NP now for one year, working in pediatric pulmonology. The more experience I get as an NP in my particular specialty, the less and less relevant hospital experience seems to me now and the less I miss having it. I am working in an area where there is great need and I am making a difference in the lives of patients. The pay is better than an RN. All-in-all it worked out better than I could have hoped.

I still have regrets sometimes. I always wanted to work in PICU and part of me still has not come to terms that I will probably never have that opportunity. I miss seeing varied cases and rare/unusual diagnoses (well I still do see it once in a while but most of what I do is asthma).But I'm happy with where I"m at now and I couldn't afford to take a pay cut to work as an RN.

T-Bird78 · Mar 2, 2014

Office (specialist) setting and that's the only setting I've worked and only one I wanted to work in. When I went to nursing school I was a single mom with a 5 y/o and knew nights and weekends would be out of the picture. I'm remarried with a 2 y/o now and I love having my evenings, holidays, and weekends off. I sometimes feel like other people don't think I'm a real nurse. People will ask what hospital I work in and when I tell them it's a doctor's office their expression all but says "oh, that's all?" I love what I do and know I do make a difference. I know my pts very well and see them on a regular basis. We have pts that do come in in distress or have a systemic reaction and we take care of them. It may not be level 1 trauma, but it's still nursing.

ETA--I'm a LPN

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Mar 2, 2014

Like you, I also had a bad attitude in the beginning. In my case I looked for a hospital job for 6 months and then applied to an NP program. I got into an excellent school but I wasn't excited/happy/grateful for the opportunity. I felt like a failure because I couldn't find an RN job, and becoming an NP at that stage was my fall-back plan (my original plan was to work at least 3-5 years as an RN).
I'm an NP now for one year, working in pediatric pulmonology. The more experience I get as an NP in my particular specialty, the less and less relevant hospital experience seems to me now and the less I miss having it. I am working in an area where there is great need and I am making a difference in the lives of patients. The pay is better than an RN. All-in-all it worked out better than I could have hoped.
I still have regrets sometimes. I always wanted to work in PICU and part of me still has not come to terms that I will probably never have that opportunity. I miss seeing varied cases and rare/unusual diagnoses (well I still do see it once in a while but most of what I do is asthma).But I'm happy with where I"m at now and I couldn't afford to take a pay cut to work as an RN.

I think you can be a good NP without bedside experience. But it may be more challenging at first. I wouldn't regret not working at the hospital...you have clearly found your niche. Have you ever thought of moonlighting in a PICU or Pedi facility.

Where I worked they had Pedi inhoue MD/NP that handled all pedi patient. This was a community facility and having the pedi inhouse was a blessing. They would come and see the pedi ED admits or when we were overloaded and responded to all pedi codes. I LOVED them.

JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 2, 2014

I think you can be a good NP without bedside experience. But it may be more challenging at first. I wouldn't regret not working at the hospital...you have clearly found your niche. Have you ever thought of moonlighting in a PICU or Pedi facility.

I compare it to going to college without going to HS first. Yes, if you're smart you can catch up, but you'll always be missing out on the experience.

As for moonlighting in a PICU... yes, I've thought about it. Still thinking about it. The doctor I work for is an attending at a number of area PICU's and is willing to take me on rounds, but it would be on my own time. I won't get paid for it, and it's on top of working 40+ hours. Also, I think to learn PICU you need to be immersed in the environment, more exposure than you can get by doing rounds a few hours a week now and then. But it's definitely something to consider down the line. At this point I'm happy with what I'm doing.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Mar 2, 2014

I compare it to going to college without going to HS first. Yes, if you're smart you can catch up, but you'll always be missing out on the experience.
As for moonlighting in a PICU... yes, I've thought about it. Still thinking about it. The doctor I work for is an attending at a number of area PICU's and is willing to take me on rounds, but it would be on my own time. I won't get paid for it, and it's on top of working 40+ hours. Also, I think to learn PICU you need to be immersed in the environment, more exposure than you can get by doing rounds a few hours a week now and then. But it's definitely something to consider down the line. At this point I'm happy with what I'm doing.

I see what you mean...and I agree that being at the bedside for a bit is an advantage...but for an exceptional few I think it is possible to thrive without it.

Rounding would be a pain especially if unpaid....LOL. Do any hospitals have a pedi hospitalist program? That night be a thught. The pedi intensivists/hospitalists worked 12 hour shifts. something to think about later.

JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 2, 2014

I see what you mean...and I agree that being at the bedside for a bit is an advantage...but for an exceptional few I think it is possible to thrive without it.

I do not know if I'm one of the "exceptional few." You do what you gotta do... I would have happily worked bedside if I had been given that opportunity. Since I wasn't, I took an alternate route and discovered that there are other paths to success in nursing. Nurses who haven't worked bedside are not second class.

Satori77, ADN · Mar 3, 2014

And some people really don't wish to work in a hospital. My mother was one. She spent a few months in a hospital after graduating and hated it. Spent the next 10 years in a doctor's office (as an LPN). After that she worked in an assisted living facility. That is where she found her passion. First as a nurse, then DON, and eventually as the Executive Director of the facility. Everyone needs to find their own path.