mkrn32

I could use some help with this too! Starting a pediatric job in August!

Gotta love docs that stick up for their nurses!! And not cower any time a family member gets loud. We need more like him!!

My goal for the future is to become a nurse educator, as well, but I was told by ALL of my professors in nursing school that you must work at a hospital MINIMUM two years though of course every situation is different. How can you expect to teach students things you haven't experienced yourself? I'm not one to talk as I am currently in an outpatient setting as well as a new grad. Looking to move to acute care but the job market is tough for ADNs where I live. Have you looked into maybe teaching CPR or CNA classes just to get your feet wet and see really if you like it?

Great question! I am a new grad nurse myself and accepted a position in an outpatient surgery center (not affiliated with any hospital) 6 months before I even graduated nursing school! (I do conscious sedation in the Procedure rooms and rotate into pre-op and pacu). I had been working there for almost 2 years prior as front desk then a nursing assistant. I was lucky that I didn't need too much training after I passed my nclex because I had already been there so long but I couldn't imagine another new grad coming in and having as easy of a transition. I think it would definitely help to have some acute care/med surg experience under your belt. I actually plan on looking for a hospital job on the side to get some more experience. On the other hand, what are your future goals? Do you see yourself doing bedside nursing long-term or becoming a nurse practitioner or nurse educator? If so, you will definitely need some hospital experience at some point. If you think in the near future you'd like a steady schedule then I would definitely go with the outpatient center! Many times, those places require nurses to have at least a few years of acute care experience so you are very lucky!

She worked every other weekend (Sat and Sun) for the first year. Now that she has graduated to NCIM she works every third weekend which seems to have made her much more happy (with more of a social life). I'm not sure what her schedule was like during the week other than it was all over the place! For example two nights in a row, a day off, then on day shift the following day. I'm not sure if that's still how they're doing it! How long did it take for you to get an answer?

I can somewhat relate to your feelings of envy. Though I love my my job, my patient population and the tasks that I am assigned to do on a daily basis I am already beginning to feel content and am starting to look for a job in a more critical care setting. However, as previous posters have mentioned, you cannot compare your successes to others'. You have to find your niche and what makes you happy. Since you are jealous of the your classmates who now work in the ICU or PCU it sounds like that is where your heart is. Some hospitals offer ICU/PCU new grad residencies so if you look around and apply, you may get lucky. But if not, you are still a success for getting through nursing school!! Don't ever think you are not.

Congrats! Getting a job at Hopkins with an ADN is impressive! What floor are you on? I am an ADN new grad nurse as well and just interviewed there about two weeks ago but I haven't heard anything back yet. I'm worried that's a bad sign.. My friend went through the Pediatric Residency there and absolutely loved it. She definitely worked her butt off that first year but says she has learned so much and doesn't plan on leaving anytime soon, if ever. She said the hours were crazy for the first year because they self-schedule and she was on the low-end of the totem pole but if that doesn't bother you, you will be fine. Best of luck and I'd love to hear about your experience there once you get started!!

@jerez01 Thanks for the advice! I definitely plan on going into the interview with an open mind and I think you're right.. working at a hospital will definitely help with my future goals and make my MSN degree of more value. If offered the hospital position, I am considering telling my current employer I could stay on prn, if they aren't too angry with me That is frustrating that you haven't been able to find a job in acute care and is the main reason and I am eager to move to a hospital now! Is the outpatient office affiliated with any hospitals? Have you tried looking into new grad residency programs? And what kind of work do you do in your office as an RN? Maybe you can beef up your resume with some buzzwords. For example, adding if you do any EKGs, immunizations, wound care, case management, etc. It seems like most of the students I went to school with have had no trouble finding jobs where I am (DC area). Best of luck to you!

Thanks everyone for your responses! I can't believe its been over a year since I posted this. Here's an update and another request for advice.. After passing my NCLEX in January I decided to stay at the physicians office where I have been working. I was lucky enough to begin training as a nurse for 5 months before I even graduated which made the transition very smooth! They made me sign a two-year contract and gave me a 5k signing bonus because they are having a difficult time hiring nurses (they can't pay for the experienced ones) so we are a bit short-staffed. I love the nurses and MAs that I work with and have realized that I am getting a lot more experience than I thought we would. We have expanded and now do vascular, interventional radiology and women's health procedures. I obtained my ACLS certification and I rotate between pre-op, OR and PACU which I think would translate to a hospital setting well. While it was nice to not have to worry about finding a job after graduation I still felt I was missing out on something by not working in an acute care setting. My friend that works at a top ten hospital in the area gave my resume to her nurse manager and I have an interview scheduled with them this week. I was hoping I could get a prn job in this hospital and still keep my outpatient job but since I am still considered a new graduate I would have to do a PACE program which is full-time. Even though I obviously haven't gotten the job, I feel like this opportunity is too good to pass up. My plan is to eventually teach nursing at the academic level and since this is a teaching hospital and a setting that really prides itself on nurses continuing their education, I think I would get a lot of great experience. The only issue is that the floor is not a patient population I originally had my heart set on, though I am open to it. I realize I haven't gotten the hospital job yet but I am curious to hear other's opinions on which route I should take. The benefits at the hospital are far superior to what I would get at my office job (though the office job pays about $4 more an hour) and the hospital will even help pay for my BSN and MSN. I am starting an RN-MSN program in May and I know this tuition assistance would help tremendously but I worry about starting a new job and school at the same time. I also don't want to have to pay back my sign-on bonus. HELP!!

Hi all. I am a current 2nd career nursing student. I am enrolled in an ADN program and I am close to being done. I currently work in a physicians office as a CNA and I have been doing that for about 6 months. Before that I worked at the front desk of the same office as a receptionist for one year before getting promoted. The doctors that I work for have basically offered me a job as an RN once I graduate but I am worried that staying in a physicians office will limit my marketability as a new nurse. I have gone back and forth between what would be better for my long term career- staying in the physicians office or changing to a med-surg hospital setting? Could I do both? To clarify, my doctors office has a surgical suite in it where we do outpatient procedures so there is more nursing care involved than your typical PCP office. Just wondering if any experienced nurses have advice or have been in a similar situation. Thanks for your help!