Preceptorship Placement

[jha256]

I'm about to start my final semester of my ABSN program and I just got my preceptorship placement. I will be at an outpatient clinic in the cardiology department. This is the worst possible placement they could have given me. I know I want to be an acute care nurse and put my top three preferences in as ED, OR, and med-surg. All I really wanted was to be in a hospital. I have already been a medical assistant in an outpatient clinic and absolutely hated it, so I know this type of nursing and this setting just isn't for me. I also know I don't like cardiology from my experience in my med-surg rotation in cardiac step down care. I'll try my very best to go in with a positive attitude, I've just never been so disappointed, especially thinking about my future after this preceptorship. How will this affect my career prospects after graduation? Do I have any chance of being hired at a hospital doing inpatient care? Or am I stuck being a clinic nurse?

Also, does anyone have any insight into what kinds of things I might be doing in the outpatient setting?

[Ilargia99, LVN, RN]

I know how it feels to precept somewhere that you would never in a million years pick for yourself.

I live in northern CA and we were hit with devastating wildfires during my last semester of school back in October. As a result, we were very limited in where we could go for clinicals and preceptorship. We pretty much had to take whatever we could get just to be able to have enough hours to graduate.

I was placed somewhere (hospital) that I really couldn't stand and had done a ton of hours at already. I felt so defeated when I was told where I was going as I thought I was done with the darn place and never had to go back. I had no choice but to make the best of it so that's what I did. Did I want to be there? No! I would rather have gone anywhere else. I was extremely jealous of my classmates who got placed at the "good" facilities but I got over it.

I got through it and so will you. Your circumstances are different than mine so you may be able to ask your instructors if they would reconsider. I don't think being placed at a clinic will hurt your chances of working for a hospital after graduation. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure all new grads are viewed the same. Sorry you've been placed somewhere that you think you won't enjoy, that really does suck. Try to make the best of it if you can't change your placement.

Good luck!

(Sorry for poor grammar/run-on sentences. I worked all day and now I've got a sleeping child on my lap)