I have read so many posts on here about this topic but I decided I would would ask it again anyway LOL!
I am a new grad and I am scheduled to take the NCLEX in one week! My dream job is to be a school nurse, it's what I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember (and really what pushed me to finish nursing school!) I know ideally that I should have some hospital experience before applying but I have talked to the recruiter for my local hospital and she said very rarely do they have open positions in their peds unit. She suggested that I take a job in another area to "get my foot in the door" and that I could transfer when/if a job opened on the peds floor. I agreed to an interview for an opening on the mother/baby floor but every time I start thinking about it I start dreading it more and more. One of the school systems in my area just posted a job listing for substitute school nurses. I really want to apply after I take the NCLEX (if the job is still open) but my question is, is it possible to transition from nursing school to a sub school nurse position or is that just asking for trouble? On the previous post that I have read the few people that said they started out as a new grad suggested starting as a sub first. I did work as a medical assistant in a busy pediatric office for 3 years prior to nursing school but that's the only medical experience I have besides my clinical experiences in nursing school. Sorry if my thoughts sound jumbled.. it's late and my eyes are crossing from studying and answering practice questions!
Thanks for your time and any input is appreciated.
Congratulations on your new career! I am all for new grads, I explain how this is a career, not a job, it takes a few years to feel comfortable and all that. I remember being new even though it was decades ago. That is why I am going to be blunt, no, do not become a school nurse first. You are isolated in school nursing, no one to consult with or observe you. You don't know what you don't know yet. You are putting everyone, including yourself at risk. There are dream jobs that need preparation, this is one. It is one of the reasons home health wants experience, but home health agencies are run by nurses, schools are run by educators who don't get what we do.
MrNurse(x2), ADN
2,558 Posts
Congratulations on your new career! I am all for new grads, I explain how this is a career, not a job, it takes a few years to feel comfortable and all that. I remember being new even though it was decades ago. That is why I am going to be blunt, no, do not become a school nurse first. You are isolated in school nursing, no one to consult with or observe you. You don't know what you don't know yet. You are putting everyone, including yourself at risk. There are dream jobs that need preparation, this is one. It is one of the reasons home health wants experience, but home health agencies are run by nurses, schools are run by educators who don't get what we do.