Staring from a nursing home to be a wound care nurse

[Gloira]

Hello,

I am looking for someone who gives me thoughtful advice.

Do you think if a new nurse wants to be a wound care nurse later, it would be fine to start working at a nursing home setting first or the nurse should find a job in medical & surgical units at a hospital?

I am a foreign nurse with BSN, an RN license in NY & Texas, and a visa screening certification. I came here as my husband is a Ph.D. student. Recently, I have received a job offer with 2years-contract along with a visa sponsorship from an agency.

However, as I don't have recent bedside care experience in the U.S, the agency is only able to put me in a nursing home setting. (I used to work in a tertiary hospital with 500 beds in my home country but it was a few years ago)

My original dream is attending the would care program at Emory University and finding a slight chance to work as a wound care nurse here.

I am afraid if I start working in a nursing home setting for 2 years, it will not be a right path to transfer a wound care nurse despite finishing the program later.

Do you think someone dreaming about working as a wound care nurse, should build its career at a hospital or acute setting from the beginning?

The cost of Emory's program seems a bit expensive. Thus, despite getting the certification in the future, I am afraid that I will not get a job related to wound care due to past working experience at a nursing home, not preferable to working in acute setting first.

Thank you for reading my inquiry in advance.

Gloria

[BBP42]

Actually I have received plenty of wound experience in LTC, and in home health it is a large part of what I do now. Many of the RNs at my home health agency move on to jobs in the hospital wound clinics. I think it would be good experience. Also many nursing homes have a wound care nurse, I would ask to follow her on her rounds when you are not working to learn all you can. The hospital affiliated with my home care agency also allows for us to shadow in the wound clinic if interested. Any experience is what you make of it, I would not be afraid to start in LTC and seek wound care learning opportunities where they arise.

[Gloira]

I really appreciate your reply. It encourages me to try it out.