Question for working nurses

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hello,

I am currently completing my second semester of an ADN program. I have been a Social Worker and have a Master's Degree in Counseling. I have been working as a Hospice Social Worker for the past 6 years. I was originally in nursing school several years ago but chickened out. I am now back again as working side by side with the Hospice Nurses and many other reasons has led me on this journey.

Do you feel that my social work background and counseling degree will be complementary to my ADN degree and will help with job opportunities? Thanks for your input.

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, ED, Nurse Instructor,.

Anything would help. Are you planning on being a Hospice nurse?

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I would love to do Hospice Nursing. The Hospice nurses I have worked with at two different Hospices were fabulous. I have also done a lot of work with worker's compensation as a case manager and have a CRC and CDMS. I know a lot of nurses that do that type of work and would also be interested in that as well. I do feel that I would like home health better than hospital nursing as I was a Home Health Social Worker.

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We have VERY similar backgrounds! I have a Master's in Counseling and had a position very similar to a Social Worker and experience in the health field at a hospital. I finished an accelerated Bachelor's in Nursing and hated every second of school. I am a tad bit older compared to the students who entered the program after their first degree. I thought I would get hired over them....I was soooo wrong. It took months and months of job searching for me while my former classmates found jobs very quickly. I had two interviews and was offered a position. I could not figure out for the life of me why people with less education, less work history, less life experiences were getting positions over me. Then I realized some HR recruiters and hiring managers were intimidated of education, work experience and life experience-they wanted to mold new grads who had little to no work experience. I am not sure if you will experience similar situations in hospice nursing. I am finding that nursing is less emotional draining compared to my previous field. I would come home exhausted. Now, in nursing my feet are tired.

My advice would be to complete your final internship with a hospice nurse if that is the area you want to work in. Hopefully the market will turn around when you graduate. Stay in contact with the company/contacts you worked at and hopefully something will happen. Or during clinical, you may find another area of interest. Start applying the semester before you graduate. Good luck!

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I think that any work experience that is related to nursing will be helpful. The best nurses I know come from all sorts of backgrounds and are able to use it to their advantage as a nurse.

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German...wow thanks for your insight. That is depressing.

Both Hospices I worked for prefer to higher older, more mature people who have life experience. They don't want people walking into homes of patient's and freaking out or going in shock over something they have not seen before. So, I do feel Hospice might be different in regard to what you are talking about. Also, I have found that Hospice in general thinks wayyy out of the box compared to other fields. I can see where a hospital might want to mold you to their standards and might be afraid of people who have too much experience and too much independence in their thinking. I am doing clinicals at a hospital, but don't think I want to work in a hospital setting. Unfortunately because of nursing school, I had to give the Hospice job up but plan on doing volunteer work when I can. I also have a prn social worker job for another agency that does also employ nurses and PRN nurses. I do think I would have a chance to get in here as a PRN nurse to begin with to get the nursing experience. At least I am hoping I can get in there. Thanks again for your insight.

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Specializes in Oncology.

Yes! Yes! Yes!! Please come work on my oncology floor. We need you!

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Sorry to be so depressing :( Hopefully it is different for you! Good for keeping a PRN social work job, that's great! You sound like a you will make a great hospice nurse :)

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Thanks for all the responses everyone. Blondy, what state are you in? I hadn't thought about oncology, but that seems like a great place for me with my Hospice background and experience with cancer patients. And German, it is okay. I know that it can be tough out there and I don't expect to be a shoe in, but thought I could utilize both sets of skills in nursing, since nursing is holistic anymore looking at the whole person.

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Specializes in medical surgical.

yes, yes and yes. You will be a valuable asset to your future employer. For one, you will understand what resources are available. We are entering a time when fewer resources will be available. You will have the knowledge to understand what is or is not available. The new RN probably has not had this training. I know that I have not.

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Specializes in ER.

yes.

Can't hurt, anyway.

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