Public Health RN job outlook?

guest464345 · Oct 6, 2015

I've occasionally read posts on this site from folks saying they never worked in a hospital & were hired directly into public health. I feel your pain - I did not love working in a hospital myself. As soon as I got close to a year of hospital experience, I started looking for other jobs.

My own department doesn't hire new grads - most of my coworkers came to PH with 10+ years of bedside experience. I was fortunate to get hired with my measly one year....I suspect mostly because I'm bilingual, and they didn't have many qualified candidates.

Triage, even in a primary care clinic, is not a good place for a new grad. I know it seems like it would be easier or less high-stakes, especially if you're a little intimidated by hands-on skills and the pace of a hospital, but any triage job requires a lot of experience. You need to have seen a lot of patients to quickly and safely decide who gets an appointment today, who gets a 911 call, and who goes on the normal schedule.

I sincerely hope that I never work in a hospital again. But for what it's worth, I did learn a lot of things that help me in my current job. I'll grudgingly admit that it was necessary, and of course I have a whole new respect for nurses who make a career at the bedside. I am jealous of coworkers who have 10 years of that experience to draw on, actually - I wish the knowledge could be transplanted into my head, without actually having to live the experience. But, that's not how it works....

flyfarfaraway · Oct 13, 2015

Currently looking for a public health job. I have 3+ years of hospital experience and the few jobs that are available say you must have 1 to 2 years of community health experience. BLAH

vickymarie · Oct 13, 2015

I went directly into public health from nursing school and never looked back. I'm from Northern California too and I know that my agency is hiring at least two entry level PHN's. I think other nearby counties are recruiting very actively also!

There are some nurses in the clinics (not necessarily PHN's, but work in the health/human services department) who do triaging, but I think help/advice line nurses are often through healthcare providers like Kaiser and Sutter.

Mia415 · Nov 8, 2015

Every county and every state has different budgets and different opportunities for nurses. I work in San Joaquin County in CA and we hire new grads like twice a year! Other counties dont hire new grads or rarely have any openings at all :/ sooo just depends on which county you are looking at!

Also no, triage and advice nurses usually require EXTENSIVE experience in emergency and hands on triage nursing. Very difficult positions to land as far as I have heard.

Start by searching county employement opportunities. Good luck!

SiwanRN · Nov 9, 2015

The job market for public health nurses waxes and wanes, same as any other job market. With that in mind, I can tell you that new grads can and do get hired straight out of nursing school. I was one! Part of what helped me to secure my first public health nursing job out of nursing school was that I did my senior practicum in the local health department for my area. The staff was familiar with me, and when a job opening was listed shortly before graduation I interviewed and was hired the following spring (I graduated in December). Mia415 has given you some excellent advice to look at the county employment opportunities for the places you want to move to. Since you still have a few years to go until graduation, might I also suggest you look into the United States Public Health Service Corps? They have programs for junior nursing students that can help with the cost of your education and help you find a job within the USPHSC sites. The pay and benefits are excellent, and if you work with them for 3 years you retain some of your federal benefits for the rest of your days. It's a pretty sweet gig, and difficult to break into later down the line. Going in as a student is the easiest way. It's worth exploring, and something I wish I had considered doing. Check it out: http://www.usphs.gov/student/

annabash_rn · Dec 2, 2015

I'm a new grad RN and I was recently hired as a public health nurse. My first degree is in social work and I have a mental health case management background, which I feel has really helped me transition into this role. Most of my coworkers were also new grads who were hired right out of nursing school, but then there are a couple other nurses I work with who spent years working bedside. They bring a lot of valuable knowledge and I often go to them with questions. I am so thankful for them.

I've only been here a few months, but sometimes I worry I am "missing out" in a way by not starting out in med surg. I hear mixed things from nurse friends who are starting their careers in med surg. I do not know if I want to be in public health forever, but for now it seems to be a good fit.

vickymarie · Dec 10, 2015

For me personally, I don't feel like I'm "missing out" on anything, having skipped floor nursing experience. I came in as a new grad and love public health - though I'm considering maybe in the future moving to a better-paying county.

I think that in many programs, bedside nursing experience is helpful of course, but not a dealbreaker by any means. I know that a lot of people think that you should "do your time" in med-surg or something first, but I am against that school of thought.