Nurses who never worked in the hospital

MissyNik · Mar 3, 2014

Wonderful dialogue due to the fact that there are so many things I want to do as a nurse. I really want to find my niche.............

PediGIRN12 · Aug 10, 2014

I think it all depends on you career goals. I always thought that I wanted to work in a Pedi ICU. My first job out of school was on an adult med/surg/tele unit. I had 6-7 patients ALL with trach and/or vent, some kind of enteral tube (you know the G's/J's/NG's/NJ's and what not), a central line with multiple IV meds and other stuff like wound vacs or folly's. Did that job for a year and hated almost every second of it, but scored some AMAZING skills. I ended up transitioning into Pedi Private duty home care. Still use all my skills and LOVE the one on one care. After a few years I went per diem and took a job in acute care on a pedi/med/surg floor because I was curious and wanted to test the waters. Lasted 6 Months and I WAS OUT. I have never worked with a such a bunch of entitled nurses in my life. Not one of them could do a central line dressing or give a nebulizer "We call people for that stuff". This was also at the same time i realized that I wanted to do more patient education as we kept having the same kids coming in over an over again (diabetics, asthmatics, trach kids with chronic pneumonia). So I went back full time at my agency doing Pedi PDN and enrolled in grad school to become a Pedi NP. It took me a long time to realize I wasn't missing out and that I actually do enjoy homecare/community nursing. I also find it to be helping me a lot more in grad school then acute care experience would. So again it all depends on what your long term career goals are. You can always keep an eye out and if something you like comes up test it out, it may or may not work :-)

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Aug 10, 2014

I've always enjoyed the flexibility of a non-hospital setting; my skills and knowledge have been transferable to the hospital setting as well-my ability to educate, think outside of the box and utilize the nursing practice has been able to transcend the specialties I worked in, whether it be acute care, rehab, home care, ambulatory care, or nursing informatics.

I have resolved that nursing is everywhere; one can hone their practice outside of the acute care setting and is equally as valuable as the community health nurse, the research nurse, the nurses educator, the nurse legal consultant...that's the beauty of nursing. :yes:

AlaBro2010 · Aug 10, 2014

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

I was willing to start wherever- I was eager to learn anything. I looked for a position for about 3 months.

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?

When I became a nurse it was always because I enjoyed the clinic type environment. I wanted to work alongside a physician at an office. I have never been to the hospital except for childbirth and didn't have any touching stories, etc. I did however volunteer often in the hospital. I ultimately wanted to become a CNM, but lost my interest in deliveries so now it's WHNP. I was willing to commit long term to whoever saw my eagerness to start my career!

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

I work as a public health nurse in a small health department so I wear several hats. I do immunizations, place PPDs, prenatal care, previously did pediatrics, case management, family planning, etc. I've been there almost two years- my first position.

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

Not applicable since I am still there, however, I am about to begin a WHNP program with the goal of working in a clinic environment as I do now. I have done things in this position that I never would have signed myself up for in the hospital but gained experience doing, for example, drawing blood from toddlers when our clinic did pediatrics. I never thought I would give 5 immunizations at one time either to kids.

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

None. In fact, most of the time I feel as if I regret my choice it is only because a lot of individuals give me grief about how I've never done "real nursing" aka working in the hospital. Sure, my patients are not acutely ill but it's not a piece of cake either. I love what I do.

UpennRN · Aug 12, 2014

None of my responses are actually relevant to your question because I've only worked in a hospital. But I hope that my responses may ease your feelings of missing out on the experience because IMO it's not all glory like it seems.

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

Yes. Prior to graduating, I accepted a job on a medical floor in a hospital. I was offered the position because I was a nurse extern there. I frowned upon other types of jobs because I thought that the hospital was the be-all, end-all.

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?

I have worked in 3 different hospitals as a CNA before graduating college/nursing school. I had an "in" at those three facilities so finding a job wasn't a problem for me. However, I am realizing my passion for community health/primary care and that hospital nursing encompasses everything I hate. We are told every week of more tasks we need to do in our day-to-day. The workload is unbearable. It's not even about patient care; it is about quality metrics and HCAPS scores.

3. What area of nursing are you working in now? Hospital. Medical telemetry. Planning on leaving.

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

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

nurse4ever08 · Aug 12, 2014

I did but hospitals were not hiring. I had been a CNA and LPN so I worked rehab. Now I have a hospital job. I prefer it.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Aug 12, 2014

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

The answer is no.

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?

During nursing school clinical rotations I saw how poorly some of the floor nurses in the acute care hospital setting were treated by doctors and families, and I decided I didn't want that.

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

I work at a freestanding rehabilitation hospital.

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

Of course. We don't know what we don't know.

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

I have no regrets at this time. The acute care hospital systems in my area do not pay very well and the work is thanklessly hard. In my current position I receive downtime, autonomy, and a comfortable pace. I'm the type of person who could go an entire career without ever having working in acute care.