pediatric clinic to agency?

[jacesmom2]

This is my first year as a nurse and I have been working at a pediatric clinic for the past 9 months and I'm extremely "bored" with my job! Each day is the same; I greet patients, get vitals and find out what is wrong with the child. Besides giving an immunization shot, inserting a cath, or removing a cast I am not utilizing a lot of my nursing skills.

So, just last week I got a job working at an agency, Interim Healthcare, where I can use some of my nursing skills. Well, I'm scared to death because I have little to none experience working with vents, trachs and working at a LTC facility. They pay an extra $7 p/hr than the pediatric clinic, but Interim says the pay is so great because these places expect you to have experience and they're taking in consideration my experience at the pediatric clinic. (What experience?) Am I way in over my head? Is working at a LTC really difficult to learn?

Please help!!!!

Thanks!

Jacesmom

[suzanne4, RN]

You are in way over your head, and your license will be on the line also.

Vents and trachs are a whole world in their own, and you have no experience in that area. And shame on that agency for trying to place you there. This would be reason to leave them before you even start.

A patient is a patient no matter where they are located and they deserve the appropriate care. Would you expect to take care of a patient in a hospital with a vent and a trach without having any experience in that area?

Sorry to be so harsh, but it is criminal of this agency to try and do this to you.

[babynurselsa, RN]

I have to agree with Suzanne. Agency nurses are expected to be experienced and able to hit the floor running.

Most reputable agencies require you to pass competency tests before they would even consider booking you to work any areas.

Consider your patients first of all, if this was your child how would you feel about knowing that the caregiver had no experience taking care of your vent dependant child? Wouldn't look good in court either.

[jeepgirl, LPN, NP]

if you want to do pedi trachs and vents, think about putting some time in on long term care (LTC) or even a PICU setting would be great. home health requires that you be EXTREMELY competent and very independant. There would be no one to lean on to to learn new things. And with kids and in a home setting... what "might" happen usually does.

Good luck

[Thunderwolf, MSN, RN]

Let's look at the legalities here. If negligence occurs on your part due to improper training and education "on your part", how would your BON or the plaintiff's attorney view you? Remember, what would a "prudent" nurse do? Part of being a prudent nurse is to not accept and shoulder responsibilities of care that one is not trained in...until training and education is provided or obtained. A psych nurse is not going to just jump right on in and work ER without training and orientation. A Med Surg nurse is not going to a Critical Care area and just jump right on in and push cardiac drugs on a tele patient without training. Like wise, it is unreasonable to expect a Critical Care nurse to just jump right on in and take 10 patients on a busy Med Surg floor. So the long and short...if you do not have the training...do not put yourself there...until you do have the training/educational experience. Be kind to yourself...for your sanity and for the safety of that patient. I wish you well.

Wolfy

[ceecel.dee, MSN, RN]

Agency nurses are expected to be experienced and able to hit the floor running.

Most reputable agencies require you to pass competency tests before they would even consider booking you to work any areas.

This is exactly right.