Should I take a year off after graduating?

Nurses Career Support

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  1. Should I take the year off after graduation?

    • 1
      Yes
    • 18
      No

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Hello, everyone!

I really need some advice. I am 20 years old. I'm currently only applying for nursing schools, so my situation is applicable to about 2 years in the future.

I love the idea of nursing. I did a Medical Magnet program for four years in high school (shadowing nurses and doctors) and loved it, and I am a nursing major at my university. I'm dedicated to getting my degree and eventually being a nurse. But, after I finish nursing school and take my NCLEX I would love to take a break for a year and go live in a foreign country to teach English. It has always been a dream of mine to immerse myself in another culture, and the only time I see possible for this to happen is after I finish college and before I start my life as a nurse.

Would it be impossible for me to find a job at a hospital after taking a year off? It's not like I would have been laying around doing nothing--I would have been helping/teaching kids a foreign language for a year (which in the long run of a life time career of nursing, isn't that long of a time). I'm not avoiding life of avoiding being a nurse, but only wanting to experience something different after studying in a health related field in the same country for such a long time!

Any and all advice and comments are welcome!

Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

There is no shortage of new grads so if you delay looking for a job you will be putting yourself at a disadvantage. There will be tons of new grads & you will be considered an "old" new grad. Why should anyone (hospitals) hire you when there are tons of new, new grads out there? So you will be forced to take any job, most probably LTC. There's nothing wrong with LTC but if you have your heart set on the hospital you will not be qualified to apply to residencies.

Now onto my story.

I have told this story so many times.

This is about my former best friend. She went through an ABSN program & did very well in the program (only got 1 B in the entire program).

After she graduated, took the NCLEX

& applied to residences. She got accepted to an ortho residency but turned it down because she didn't want it.

She decided to have an elective surgery. She needed to recover & have PT. By the time she was done it had been over a year. She then tried to apply to residencies & jobs but was quickly turned down due to the fact that it had been a year since she graduated & she didn't do anything nursing related. The only way she got a job was through my brother's friend's mother.

Do you want to be a nurse or a teacher? Why don't you delay nursing school or go after you've been a nurse for awhile?

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