pre-nursing student with questions

aimeee, BSN, RN · Jan 15, 2005

It is wonderful that you are interested in hospice work and have this as a goal. It is very difficult for new grads to enter hospice work directly. If there are inpatient units for hospice at a hospital in your area, or a larger free standing hospice, those would be the best types of situations to begin hospice without other experience. Those types of units are most likely to have experienced staff there who can mentor you. Also, working in a unit may suit your family situation better too since you would have set hours that you can schedule child care around.

For home hospice care, you really do need to have at least a year of experience under your belt in oncology, med surg, or skilled long term care, because you will be out in the field and need to have the rock solid skills and knowledge to know what to do independently in a wide variety of situations. You may find organizations that may be willing to hire you without that experience, but please do yourself and your future patients a service by planning your career path to get that experience first that will prepare you well.

I wish you success in all your future studies and endeavors! :)

reipie · Jan 17, 2005

Thanks for the advice and information! It's much appreciated :)

Rei

skd1019 · Feb 8, 2005

I also think that it is wonderful that you are considering hospice work. I graduated from nursing school in Dec. 2002, and have been working in a free-standing inpatient hospice unit for almost 2 years now. I guess I was an "experiment" of sorts, because I was the first new grad ever hired. My manager openly and readily admits that hiring a new grad was a risk...but one that she has never regretted. Since you are just starting out, I'd like to share a few things I learned while in school.

Keep an open mind, and don't be surprised if you find several types of nursing that you enjoy (and some that they couldn't PAY you enough to do!) I was fortunate enough to know in my heart that hospice nursing was my calling. My dream at the start of school was to work on a Mother/Baby unit...maybe even become a lactation consultant. (I certainly went to the opposite end of the spectrum, didn't I?)

EVERYONE, EVERYONE, EVERYONE will tell you that "you need at least a year on Med/Surg" before going into ___________(anything/everything). If you are still interested in hospice work, and aren't fortunate enough to have an inpatient unit nearby, ABSOLUTELY do the year (at least) in Med/Surg!! A new grad is not equipped with the skills needed for home care!! If you have an inpatient unit...GO FOR IT!!! The same goes for most other fields of nursing. If you know where your calling is, and the education/support needed to learn the job is made available to you, follow your heart!

Getting through nursing school is time-consuming, scary, intimidating, frustrating, exciting, wonderful, rewarding. While in the middle of it, it seems that school will never end. When they hand you that hard-earned degree, the time will have seemed to fly by. You will have packed more knowledge into your brain than you ever dreamed possible, you will have made friends that will be friends forever, and you will have experiences that will stay with you a lifetime. Enjoy your time in school!

It's OKAY if you walk down that graduation aisle totally confused about where you want to work/what kind of nursing you want to do. You might even take a position that ends up being the wrong fit for you. Don't be afraid to change. You will have worked too hard to earn that RN after your name to end up not liking the kind of nursing you're doing. Try something else!

Be assurred that most everyone eventually lands where they are meant to be. Best of luck to you!

reipie · Feb 8, 2005

I also think that it is wonderful that you are considering hospice work. I graduated from nursing school in Dec. 2002, and have been working in a free-standing inpatient hospice unit for almost 2 years now. I guess I was an "experiment" of sorts, because I was the first new grad ever hired. My manager openly and readily admits that hiring a new grad was a risk...but one that she has never regretted. Since you are just starting out, I'd like to share a few things I learned while in school.
Keep an open mind, and don't be surprised if you find several types of nursing that you enjoy (and some that they couldn't PAY you enough to do!) I was fortunate enough to know in my heart that hospice nursing was my calling. My dream at the start of school was to work on a Mother/Baby unit...maybe even become a lactation consultant. (I certainly went to the opposite end of the spectrum, didn't I?)
EVERYONE, EVERYONE, EVERYONE will tell you that "you need at least a year on Med/Surg" before going into ___________(anything/everything). If you are still interested in hospice work, and aren't fortunate enough to have an inpatient unit nearby, ABSOLUTELY do the year (at least) in Med/Surg!! A new grad is not equipped with the skills needed for home care!! If you have an inpatient unit...GO FOR IT!!! The same goes for most other fields of nursing. If you know where your calling is, and the education/support needed to learn the job is made available to you, follow your heart!
Getting through nursing school is time-consuming, scary, intimidating, frustrating, exciting, wonderful, rewarding. While in the middle of it, it seems that school will never end. When they hand you that hard-earned degree, the time will have seemed to fly by. You will have packed more knowledge into your brain than you ever dreamed possible, you will have made friends that will be friends forever, and you will have experiences that will stay with you a lifetime. Enjoy your time in school!
It's OKAY if you walk down that graduation aisle totally confused about where you want to work/what kind of nursing you want to do. You might even take a position that ends up being the wrong fit for you. Don't be afraid to change. You will have worked too hard to earn that RN after your name to end up not liking the kind of nursing you're doing. Try something else!
Be assurred that most everyone eventually lands where they are meant to be. Best of luck to you!

Thank you! Your reply was very encouraging and I really appreciate your advice. Thank you so much. I will keep everything in mind.