Sacramento Nurse Shadowing

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I am looking into switching to a nursing career but I wanted to see if I could shadow a nurse first before making any decisions. Does anyone know how to set up a day to shadow a nurse?

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I don't know for sure, so take this with a grain of salt, but I can't imagine that any place would allow that due to HIPAA. I have worked in three hospitals and anyone having contact with the patient or their medical info had to have a background check and health clearance. It makes sense if you look at it from the patient's perspective. You know your good intentions, but the patients don't and the hospital has the responsibility to protect their privacy. You may have to befriend a nurse willing to share her experiences on depth or better yet, take a CNA class. You will learn more than you ever could observing anyone for a day. If anyone knows of another way, by all means, jump in! I wish you luck in your decision!

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Im thinking that you could volunteer at a local hospital and get an idea of what nursing is like. Most hospitals have volunteer programs.

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Specializes in ICU.

I shadowed a couple of nurses prior to nursing school. One of them I knew through interning with a physical therapist and the second program I found through a program for HS students which I found randomly online. Although I was a college student at the time, I just spoke to the head of the program explaining my interest and was able to shadow someone in ICU.

http://www.northbay.org/NurseAcademy.aspx

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