Out in the Middle of Nowhere

[JoDanielle]

Hello nursing world. I am a RN student about to graduate in a couple weeks. I am thinking about moving back home for awhile to be with family and help them out. Therefore, I am looking at getting a nursing job near home. The catch is that home just happens to be in the middle of nowhere Idaho. The nearest hospital to me is an hour an a half drive and it is a little rural, critical access hospital. I have done my precepting hours there and I love it. It's a wonderful place. At this hospital there aren't specialized floors or nurses, your it for everything. During my precepting we had a lady partsl delivery, 2 babies postpardum, COPD patient, Knee replacement surgery, and 2 pediatric tonsilectomies all in one week. Needless to say you've gotta be flexible and know allot in all areas. My question to you is, do you think this is a good place to start as a graduate RN? Am I limiting myself as an RN or getting the most out of it with all the different areas of service?

[JBudd, MSN]

If it fits with what you need to do in your personal life, go for it. Sounds like you got a good idea of what to expect, ("it's a wonderful place") and no, I don't think you are limiting yourself. You will have a well rounded, multi-disciplinary background to offer in the future. Not a lot of new grads get that wonderful place to start with.

I would hate the commute, but a lot of people I know do that without a second thought.

[Tencat12]

Hi! I lived in the middle of nowhere Idaho for a while myself, but before I was a nurse. Have you thought about the weather issues? It might be a bit difficult to get to work in the middle of a blizzard......

As to working in a small hospital, I did work in a rural one that sounds similar to yours, and it was a great experience. I saw a bit of everything and I found it a good foundation for finding out what I wanted to specialize in. I'd say go for it, especially if you liked the place. Once you get some experience, you can look at what you might want to explore further. Good luck to you!

[Zyprexa]

Aww, your hospital sounds lovely I think you would get a great foundation there, being trained for anything and everything. The commute is a bit far though, but I'm guessing there won't be a lot of traffic.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

Such hospital is one of the best things that can happen with a new RN. Go for it, you hopefully will be able to arrange for several shifts in a row and sleep in a motel in between if driving 3 hours on workdays would be too much.