RN refresher or RN-BSN

So I'm a 2009 grad and I've ended up in a SNF. Hiring freezes the entire year that I was eligible to apply for a residency......so I didn't get one.

I'm interested in working in mother/baby and I'm certainly on a track to do so: working with LLL, birth doula, getting all of the basic certs and memberships, etc. However, I do not have the 1 year of acute care experience required to apply for a position and I am no longer able to apply for a residency. So I need some advice.

I have applied to do my RN-BSN starting this Spring. I can do the senior practicum in mother/baby which should make me eligible for a residency again.......right? I can't get a recruiter to answer this question. But also, in my area there is a very strong BSN push. Will this work? Or should I just do a refresher and apply for a residency after that? The refresher costs about $3000 and I'm not looking to waste my time (I do have to work as well!) since I may still need that BSN.

What to do?

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

Residencies are usually intended for a new, inexperienced nurses, but a lot depends on what entity is funding the program, and the research criteria. Some are also open only to BSN grads due to the research aspect.

I was able to get a nurse into our program who had worked for a year in home-care, but only because she had never worked in a hospital before.

Do you really need a residency? Residency is totally different from orientation, and is intended to ease the transition from student to practitioner. You have a years experience right? Why not just focus on getting that acute care position?

[holisticallyminded]

Maybe you're right about just applying for any open position. But the posts usually say "either 1 year of acute care exp, 6 months in L&D or mother/baby, or completed a residency....." So I don't meet any of the criteria. And some residency programs here say, "new grads or refresher RNs." So I really wasn't sure. I'm still not. Thanks though.

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

Maybe you're right about just applying for any open position. But the posts usually say "either 1 year of acute care exp, 6 months in L&D or mother/baby, or completed a residency....." So I don't meet any of the criteria. And some residency programs here say, "new grads or refresher RNs." So I really wasn't sure. I'm still not. Thanks though.

Listed requirements are usually not absolute or all inclusive. You DO have a year or two of hands on care, and skilled care is only one step away from acute. You have nothing to lose by trying.

[holisticallyminded]

Thanks. That's a good point. I'll keep trying.