The Right Move

[BrooklynRN2008, BSN, MSN, RN]

I am a recent grad and experiencing difficulty finding my first nursing job.

Have received an offer to work in Public Health - which is one of my areas of interest. I am also interested in Home Health Care and Case Management.

My question if I go straight into PH without hospital experience will I shoot myself in the foot career wise?

Lots of people always stress the importance of hospital experience.

Thanks for any advice.

[caliotter3]

Have you got an offer to work in a hospital? It is often advised to start off in the hospital to get your experience before going into a specialized area. It is also wise to get at least a year in, particularly at a hospital, so that you establish an experience base. Actually though, it does not matter where you start as long as you try to get that one year mark before you decide to make any changes. For me, the biggest factor would be job availability in my area. If there are not many jobs to be had, you get the job you can, and keep it for as long as you can. That's about it, really. Hope that you hit the mark for job satisfaction with your first pick. Good luck.