Starting in a Hospital and Backup Plans

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Jul 28, 2015

Ok..where exactly do you want to go?

As a new grad nurse you need experience. The vast majorirty get that experience in a hospital. If you get a few years under your belt and have a good record then many doors may open for you.

direw0lf, BSN · Jul 29, 2015

In some (if not all?) states you can substitute teach without the cert. and only by obtaining a certain amount of college credits. For example, NJ is 60 credits.

I'd second what the above person said, where do you feel more comfortable? You'll be doing your RN school clinical in hospitals. So you might become comfortable after 2 years of that.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jul 29, 2015

I want to be an rn but I don't want to start off in a hospital. I know that's where a lot of rn's tend to go but I don't want to. Is starting at hospital better or going where you'd be most comfortable? Also I was wondering if getting a teaching certification would help in job prospects? Like if I can't find an immediate job then I could subsitute teach in between. But I don't know if it'll help. Just wondering.

Working as a substitute will do absolutely nothing to improve your job prospects in nursing. If you want to be a sub....be a sub. Won't do anything for your nursing resume.

Of course you don't HAVE to begin your career in a hospital, but it's where you would gain valuable acute care experience that would make you eligible for OTHER jobs that might be of more interest to you later on.

Many new grads begin work in LTC facilities (nursing homes). Some hospitals will view this as enough experience to get your foot in the door later, some will not consider it acute care and you won't get in later. Really depends on where you want to go, and what you want to do!

There are many places an RN can work outside of a hospital, just know that much of the time the employers will be looking for experience.

Are you in a nursing program now? Taking pre-requisite classes? Or just thinking through options?

spartan2015 · Aug 10, 2015

I'm doing two years of community college and then transferring to a local university. I'm thinking through my options and wondering about other careers in the health care field. Though nursing has a lot of different options.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Aug 10, 2015

Are you just not sure what you might want to do? I guess if we don't know what you ultimately want to do, it's hard to help. There are a ton of different avenues in nursing but we need to know what it is you are desiring to do. Can I ask why you want to become a RN? What is your reasoning for doing it? It might help us understand what you are looking for.

spartan2015 · Aug 19, 2015

I genuinely want to help people. I want to make a difference. I thought about doing pediatrics or geriatrics.