Peds private duty nursing experience

SDALPN · Aug 6, 2013

Hello all. I have been working in HH with one peds client for a year and a half. I want to continue working peds but I feel like my experience is getting me nowhere. My client has a trach & gtube. I've always wanted to be at a children's hospital but the goal seems impossible. Fact of the matter is I kinda enjoy home health but I'm wanting more. I don't feel satisfied. I want to learn and do a ton more. My question is: Is my current job a good stepping stone to moving on or is it hurting? Any thoughts would be helpful, thank you in advance.

You can always ask to float to increase your skills and maintain current skills. If you are an LPN, most hospitals won't hire LPNs. So other areas for different skills would be at a Dr office, ltc, etc. I float to keep my skills up and to avoid the monotony of the same case and same skills. Or you could choose a p/t job in addition to the work you are doing so that you could have the best of both worlds. I don't think the job itself hurts you. But specific areas of nursing tend to want nurses that are already experienced in that area. Great for you if you work for another agency in the future. But it could make other areas harder to enter. But the same can go for those who want to try PDN and have experience in other areas.

HisTreasure, BSN, RN · Aug 7, 2013

SDALPN has a lot of great advice! I would only differ in mentioning that it depends on the area, whether hospitals will hire LPNS. Our area hospitals certainly do, and in fact, one of our hospital systems has its own LPN program- so don't immediately discount acute care as an option in your search. I very ignorantly believed the hype that LPNs weren't hired in hospitals, and as such missed out on a great opportunity in ED when I first moved back home. My mom encouraged me to apply because the listing did not specify RN-only, and it so happens a classmate from my PN school got the job (saw her when my DH was admitted a few weeks ago)! You never know, but the sky is the limit. And continuing your education, even slowly, is always a good concurrent plan to have.

clearblue3 · Aug 7, 2013

Hi there! Did you take this job as a new grad? If so did you feel comfortable doing this job without experience? Just curious as I graduate in December and am already trying to think of a back up plan when I can't get into the hospitals around here due to lack of experience :-)

bub&sis · Aug 7, 2013

Hi there! Did you take this job as a new grad? If so did you feel comfortable doing this job without experience? Just curious as I graduate in December and am already trying to think of a back up plan when I can't get into the hospitals around here due to lack of experience :-)

Hi :) Yes, I was a new grad lpn. I became IV certified also but didn't need to be. I was very nervous because my client was not even a year old and the trach scared me to death. It didn't take long to become comfortable and now I feel like a monkey can do my job. The hospital here hires lpns but without experience it's tough. I even applied for nights & weekends. From my experience, HH was very easy to get into.

SDALPN · Aug 7, 2013

Hi there! Did you take this job as a new grad? If so did you feel comfortable doing this job without experience? Just curious as I graduate in December and am already trying to think of a back up plan when I can't get into the hospitals around here due to lack of experience :-)

You may want to read the posts about new grads trying to do PDN. It's a very bad idea because so much can go wrong so easily and you won't have backup. Yes, it can be a simple job...but that's until things go wrong. And at some point they will go wrong.

I did mention above that most hospitals don't hire LPNs. But some do. I worked in a hospital and got lots of valuable experience. But it can be a challenge if your area only hies RNs. I went out of state to gain hospital experience because in my area it's impossible. There are a few small hospitals about 60-80 miles from me that hire LPNs. But it's because they can't get all RNs or they would.

bub&sis · Aug 8, 2013

Thank you all for responding. I'm in an area where lpn's are hired in hospitals. I plan to bridge to an RN sooner than later but in the meantime I would like to gain more experience. LTC may not be the greatest field but there's a lot to learn there. Hospitals here are laying off nurses regardless if they are an RN as well as closing units. I think if given the option, if a client has a choice to be taken care of in the comfort of their own home or at a hospital......of course they want to be home. You would think home health would be a demanding field.

pbowman · Aug 27, 2013

Have you spoken to your agency about training up to a vent? Being a pediatric vent nurse is a highly sought after skill.

bub&sis · Sep 25, 2013

Have you spoken to your agency about training up to a vent? Being a pediatric vent nurse is a highly sought after skill.

I recently informed my agency that I would like to obtain any experience I'm qualified for. So, now I'm just patiently watching my email. Thank you, I will definitely keep an eye out for that opportunity!