Potential to move from skilled Nursing to a hospital.

[mr cooper]

I have a position in a SNF and I plan on working there for a while. Eventually I would like to work in a hospital and was wondering what sort of expectations I should have regarding that. Should i focus on getting an 'in' through a hospitals rehab or ltc floor? Or am I pigeonholing myself.

[Nonetheless]

I personally feel like if you work at a SNF for too long, you may "pigeonhole" yourself to non-hospital only positions.

I think that if you can start at the hospital, do it, because there is a risk of being "pigeonholed". Especially in San Francisco, where your profile states you are from, "experienced nurse" positions are much more likely to be filled by people from other states with a couple years of experience under their belt than a local person with only a year or two of SNF experience.

BUT if you have financial need, or are okay with being outside the hospital for most (if not all) of your career, SNF's are good. Especially if the pay is comparable.

SECOND BUT: I think that getting into a hospital's rehab unit or LTC floor is a good "foot in the door". Why? Because after a while, you can apply for internal-candidate-only positions or be prioritized as an internal candidate.