beachlifeRN

Thanks for the info...The office I work at is part of a government agency we are a Pediatric office that is sponsored by/run by the govt so it is part of public health. I am interest in learning about other public health, outpatient and/or ambulatory care setting jobs. Just not sure what locations or where to search. Any help would be great.

I have officially completed my first year of nursing :) For the past year I have been working at a Pediatric Doc Office. I defiantly feel that public health nursing is my passion and is the field of nursing I would like to continue to pursue. The in-patient setting is just not for me, nor do I see myself ever interested in that type of nursing. I am interested in more preventative care. I told myself I wanted to stay at least 1 year at my first job to gain some experience and of course as a resume builder--I am now ready to move on find more of a permanent position. School nursing peaks my interest but I also want to learn about other PHN careers that are out there and where to find them. Does anyone have any suggestion where to apply for PHN jobs? What are other organization where PHN work? Thanks!!

I totally understand that the pay will be less in the areas of nursing im looking to pursue. To me it is more important to be happy and enjoy what I do then to have a huge pay check. I just am not sure where to look or what to do, I just feel lost....

I have a Bachelors of Science degree in Public Health and an Associates degree in Nursing.

Hello! After graduating nursing school in Fall 2012 I applied to literally 100+ positions (hospitals, doc offices, surgical centers etc) and finally landed my first nursing job in a Pediatric Doc office Spring 2013. The office is small- only 2 Docs (no NP or PA). The pace is steady. I feel like i have learned some really good skills including vaccines, strep & flu test, pku, urinalysis, phone triage, hearing/vision screen, vitals, and breathing tx. However...The pay is extremely low and my hours can vary from 20-30ish hrs a wk. My schedule can range from working 3-5 (on occasion 6) days a wk. I have very very limited benefits. The work environment is often very negative--several people in the office are very difficult to work with and talk bad about other staff/patients and i often feel like i am secluding myself b/c i do not want to be involved in the negativity. My plan was to stick it out for a year-gain some knowledge and some experience. I am now ready to start looking for a new position but I am feeling very lost and unsure of where I want to go. I defiantly know i don't want hospital/acute care/LTC/Hospice. I honestly do not see my self ever wanting to work in those fields of nursing. I really like the slower pace and low stress environment. It is really important to me to have a job that does not require you to work holidays, nights/evenings, and weekends--i want the 9-5 type job. I know there are MANY areas of nursing out there that would allow me to pursue that but i am just not sure where to look. I have been looking into school health but really do not know much about it at all. I also have been looking into health dept nursing but again I have no idea what type of nursing jobs the health dept offers. Health screening/biometric screening jobs seem interesting too- i have a background in fitness and nutrition and would love to use those skills too, but again do not know much about this area or how consistent the work would be. I know this post is getting way to long! Sorry! If anyone could share their opinions, suggestions, knowledge i would greatly appreciate it!