Trying to find my path in nursing

I am sorry that it was personal loss that inspired you toward hospice. My sincere condolences.

Many hospice facilities will hire new grads. It is true that your assessment skills may not match that of someone who comes with decades of experience, but you are trained and capable. I would suggest starting in a facility rather than in the field simply because the field is very autonomous and I feel that new nurses need more mentoring than is possible in the field. We want you all to grow and succeed afterall. Additionally, your experience with tubes, wounds, and stomas is minimal and you will gain confidence working with those more complicated hospice patients in the more controlled environment of the facility with other staff to assist you.

In terms of a move...search your heart. You are embarking on a nursing career that requires that we have good personal care. It IS sad and stressful to deal with dying people and their grieving families day after day and we need to have a functional support system to remain healthy nurses. I fear that you may lose that if you relocate to an area where you have no family or friends early in this process.

Good luck...I hope you find what you want and need in nursing.

twedles,

Thank you for your reply. You brought up some very good points that I had not thought of.

I am a person of faith and I belive everything happens for a reason. I was pulled to nursing once I saw what they did, how much they impacted people's lives and how much goodness I could give back to the world. I hope I am not too naive.

I will have some support with me when I move but yes the majority of my family and friends will be in Ohio. I don't know if that will be enough. Thank you for bring this to my attention.

Thank you for your advice.