CommunityOB

I recently accepted a new role in community mental health with an organization that does homeless outreach. We primarily focus on homeless individuals who have severe mental health issues. As you can imagine, there are A LOT of new medications I am trying to learn. Does anyone have any good resources that can breakdown all the different psych meds/anti-psychotics? Especially in which cases you would use which medications?

I think it wouldn't hurt to apply. They could really like something else on your resume and be willing to give you a chance. Let a potential employer decide if you have enough experience.

not a traveler myself, but what i have heard from travels that come to our facility is that the weekends you want/need to have off is work into your contract. so make sure it is known when you put in your information for hire. good luck.

I think its hard to say, but i think that if you have experience it will be easier to find a position. Where i live (seattle area), there is an over saturation of new grad FNPs with little experience. I have heard and seen, if you have a background that will set you apart, you will be ok. Good luck.

Is there a nurse at a neighboring health department you can contact for resources? If not, i would say, ask your supervisor what do they feel is the biggest need right now and start there. Is it immunizations? infectious disease? community education on a topic? try to focus on one project at a time until you figure out what is happening in your community.

I have gone back and forth between case management and too. On your resume make sure you emphasize your ability to multitask, educate, and care for patients' emotional and social needs. If you have time, talk to the unit social worker and ask them about some of the resources available in your area and how they do referrals. Since you already have a few years of L&D, see if there are case management positions open in L&D units. Additionally, there are frequent community health positions open for nurses to work with pregnant patients in communities. Sometimes OB clinics or public health departments hire a nurse educator/case manager/coordinator. As far as transitioning into "regular people hours," its nice to be back on a regular schedule. I do miss having the days off, but I too worked nights and never felt like i was fully rested or really able to do much. Also, when i switched to clinic/case management, my benefits were better, and I could get close to, if not more than my base hourly salary. Good Luck! I love outpatient nursing and case management.

In my experience, labor nurse for 2 years, it's easier to transition to NICU from labor. In labor you are working with adults and children and especially if you are also working post partum, you can be dealing with some moderately sick kiddos who are on the boarder of going to nicu. Plus, NICU and labor tend to work pretty closely together. I'm sure you will get to know some of the nurses on the unit. Our nicu is essentially attached to the back of our labor unit. Good luck with your upcoming job search.

Hello friends, I am in the final stages of applying to MSN-FNP programs. I plan to do a classroom based program in large cities. However, recently, I have heard/seen that a lot of new grad FNPs are having a hard time finding jobs. I am hearing that, a lot of younger nurses are not staying at the bedside and are now going into FNP programs, so the field is over saturated with new, inexperienced nurse practitioners. I want to work primarily in a community clinic or some kind of public health program but all I am hearing is that new FNPs will be "stuck" doing pain management and/or "sketchy" phone a doctor clinics/retail clinics. It makes me nervous to go to school if the job outlook is not promising. I have a few potential back up plans, one being an MPH instead to manage public health programs, or potentially down the road doing a PMHNP program instead. background if interested: i have been an RN for 5 years with a mix of both family/OB clinic and labor and delivery. What has any one else's experience been with finding a reasonable job as a new NP?

Hello friends. I have been an RN for 3years now and am considering going to FNP school. However, I am currently working in labor and delivery and was wondering if I would be a comparative applicant. I kind of fell into OB, first working in public health, then clinic nursing and case management with pregnant teens and now finally labor and delivery. I am cross trained to mother baby and have all the certs that go with OB; NRP, STABLE, ACLS-OB. I have a strong desire to work with underserved populations and would love to work in a homeless clinic or school based health center. I am curious to see what your thoughts are, as I am nervous about the application process, having not done ICU or ER. Thanks for your thoughts and advice! Other background: BSN, GPA 3.6, background in public health, Spanish speaking, lots of community service. Don't want to be a midwife.

If you have time, instead of going for a soc/anthro I would actually suggest a foreign language like Spanish. I think in the long run it would be much more beneficial, especially if you want to work in any kind of international setting

Another great option is to go and get trained as a Doula. Frequently programs are short in length and a lot of hospitals have volunteer programs you can work in. It would be great exposure to women's health/OB and also a great chance to help women through an amazing experience.

No. They do not prevent PTL. Also, if she wants one for low back pain there are a ton of programs she can get them for free from. Some insurances and then also community support programs. If there is an ob case manager around, they might be able to help her find one.

I say, if you are not happy and have the opportunity to switch, go for it! I did the same thing as a new grad. I took a job I thought I would love then ended up not liking it and switching at about a year. Now I have a job that I love and feel challenged at. I didn't become a nurse to have a boring or easy job. If the next job hires you, they must think you are qualified and that one year was enough. Good luck

Thanks for the encouragement. It's nice to know that other community health nurses and case managers go non to become nurse practitioners.

thanks for the encouragement! I always loved the communication and education aspects of nursing. I plan on starting to applying this fall, and I recently got my graduate certificate in public health, so no GRE for me! If anyone has any other tips for selling myself in an application, that would be most excellent! thanks!

I am interested in becoming a family nurse practitioner in a clinic based setting, but was wondering if I would be competitive as an applicant. Let me give you some background: After I graduated nursing school, I knew that I did not want to work in a hospital. I worked as a CNA on a trauma floor for 2 years. I learn so much, but knew that it was not my passion. I wanted to work in the community. My first job as a nurse was in public health working primarily with STDs/Ims and case managing TB patients. I did that for about a year and then moved to a community/free clinic. There I worked as a case manager for at risk/low income pregnant women for about 2.5 years. I worked with a family practice doctor and with an OBGYN. I Loved my job. I worked with women both in the social aspect of their lives as a case manager, but also doubled as an OB clinic nurse doing NSTs, labs, and Ultrasounds. My question is, I see a lot of nurses who work in the ICU and ER become FNPs in clinics. Do you think that my experience in clinic setting with underserved populations will be a competitive background to get in, or will it put me at a disadvantage not having that "med/surg" background. I want to work with underserved populations as a Nurse Practitioner, but i am just not sure of my chances of getting in. I had a 3.65GPA in my BSN, and was very involved in the homeless community with a lot of volunteer work. any added opinions will be greatly appreciated! thanks