Taking some time off???Please help!

[Lizziefive]

Hello!

I was wondering your opinion about taking a year (maybe a year and a half) off after I graduate to do some volunteer work internationally- maybe health related but not in a hospital setting, I would probably come back bilingual. I have a couple of years experience as an LPN but will not get any experience as an RN before I go. I was wondering if you think I would have a hard time finding work when I get back? I might be able to stay and get one years experience here first and then go... but I am wonder if that will make a difference even..

Okay.. sorry for all the questions..

Thank You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lizzie

[SFCardiacRN]

Might look sketchy on a resume if not health care related.

[Selke]

Any type of overseas volunteer work looks good on a school admissions essay and on a job application. I'm presuming you may be eventually applying for grad school, or may want to go into public health. It's been the trendy thing for quite some time now for graduates of top ten type schools to join Peace Corps or go overseas to do different types of volunteer or relief work. Or more domestically, to join AmeriCorps or Teach America (?? right organization ??). Makes you into a more attractive candidate. Learning another language is a huge plus -- knowing languages will advance you in health care, as you know. Experiences like this don't come by every day. If you can have a public health or health care component to your experience to write about on your admission essays, so much the better. Don't worry about lack of "hospital" experience overseas -- this isn't how much of the world gets their care. The more experiences you have outside our western system, the better. For example, refugee camp health and health care in disaster zones seem to be a popular topic in public health and maternal/child health these days. You can bring much from your overseas experience to inform your practice here in the first world.

Go for it while you have the chance! Good luck.

[NurseyBaby'05, BSN, RN]

I think you should work for a year or two first. You need your newly learned skill sets reenforced at a professional level. You would be doing yourself and the people in your care a huge disservice to not give yourself a firm foundation to build upon.

[KatieBell]

I don't really know if this will affect you are not. it does seem in some areas the shortage is not so short anymore, so if you are in one of those areas, it might affect your chances, though I am sure with gumption, you could find an entry level nursing position, especially if you time your application at the time when they want to hire and orient new grads.

As a former International aide worker, in Healthcare (I ran an outpatient nutrition/pediatric Program and then was a nsg supervisor at an Emergency War Hospital), I will say that as a newly minted nurse, most reputable humanitarian aid organizations will not consider you until you have 2-5 yrs experience in your speciality at home. This is because those jobs are hard. They are not for your education or fufillment, they are for these people who have no access to health care- so they deserve people who have solid diagnostic and treatment skills. They are much more difficult than anything I have ever done in the states. Peace Corp of course is the exception- as they do not work in War Zones, and their health programs are such that any graduate of college can do them- of course with nursing knowledge you would be (in my opinion) better equipped to run HIV education programs than someone with a BFA in painting.

Yes, one year of experience will make you more hirable in the US- you will have a "track record" that goes with you, even if you have been away for some times.

Best Wishes! I hope you find a solution that makes you happy.

[themadscotsman]

I'd agree with KatieBell, I'm just a year past qualification now and had been lookin g at options for going abroad. Agencies to let me work in other countries were looking for a minimum of a year and international relief organisations such as Medicine Sans Frontier and Mercy Ships were looking for a minimum of 2 -3 years.

Having been qualified for about a year now I can still say I'm really still consolidating my knowledge and practice so I think a couple years experience is the best thing to do for yourself as well

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Overseas volunteer work will look good on the resume in my opinion and employers might be impressed with that even if it isn't nursing related.

Your LPN experience and your RN license will afford you plenty of opportunities, so I wouldn't worry.

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

I think that with your LPN experience and RN you should be okay. Good luck. :)