Using newly obtained BSN/RN for things besides bedside nursing?

Published

Hi there,

It seems to me that to get anywhere in nursing you have to pay your dues (obviously) and get some experience down. From what I understand that usually means some acute care experience to land a job in a clinic maybe a year later at the earliest. It probably varies from place to place, but do you know of people who got their BSN/RN and didn't go directly to a hospital to work and instead, went elsewhere and found employment? I guess I'm referring to non-clinical jobs. I'm curious as to how such is done if it is at all because I'm thinking that most jobs would want experience.

I really don't think I'm an acute care nurse at heart and I'm really struggling with it but I know it's hard not to get elsewhere without experience unless I'm overlooking something. For all I know, I kind of want a job that isn't clinical but where I can still use my credentials. I know it's hard to get jobs without any solid clinical experience (and right now, working at a hospital is like pulling teeth for me but maybe that's just the way things go) Any thoughts/ideas/opinions?

I guess I've been hit with a rude awakening and having second thoughts about my potential career but I'd like to think I can utilize what I've gotten so far in some decent capacity outside a clinical environment in some way. I hope, at least, but I don't know.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Most nursing jobs outside of acute care are going to want you to have some kind of acute care experience and some may even require several years of experience. However, if you look hard enough and learn how to market yourself well, there are jobs outside of acute care for new grads.

I was in a very similar situation when I graduated last year. I knew from my clinical experiences in school that I did not want to work in a hospital. I was also questioning my career choice and I didn't know if I even really wanted to be a nurse anymore. Right after I graduated, I searched for jobs outside of acute care and I did find several possibilities. I was offered positions in a home for the developmentally disabled, in a sleep lab, and a home health care company. In the end, I decided to get some acute care nursing experience. I started out in med-surg and left after less than a month for the ER. After nine months in the ER, I decided that acute care was indeed not for me and I have landed a non-clinical nursing job working in public health as a health educator. I did not yet have a year of acute care experience, but I would probably have not gotten this particular job without any experience.

Am I glad that I went to acute care instead of taking one of the non-clinical jobs right out of school? I have mixed feelings about that. I really, really disliked working in acute care and I was very miserable and unhappy for the past several months. But I did have the opportunity to validate that I do not enjoy bedside nursing. And I will always have the crazy stories to tell about my patients in the ER! I'm still not certain where my career path will take me and I'm still considering going back to school for something completely different. I really do think that I made a poor career choice, but I probably would have always wondered if I left nursing right after graduation.

There are lots of other possibilities that you should consider. Pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies love to hire nurses for rep positions and do not require acute care experience, only a BS degree. There are also clinical trial coordinator positions that only require a BS degree. If you want to get out of health care completely, you can use your degree to work in other settings as well, it just may not be as easy to find as a nursing job.

Good luck with your decision. I read another of your posts recently and I do want to caution you not to make a decision based on how anxious you are feeling about being a new nurse. Anxiety is a normal part of the process and I would be more worried if you weren't nervous at all. The real question is how you really feel about the work itself. Do you get any enjoyment from your clincals? Do you enjoy working with patients in the capacity of a nurse?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in none, still looking.

that was good advice

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in home health, peds, case management.

after i graduated nursing school and obtained my license, i actually spent 2 years working in another field. when i decided to begin my nursing career, no acute hospital would touch me with a 10 foot pole (surprise, surprise) the thought of a refresher course after only 2 years sickened me, so i kept looking. i eventually wound up in pdn and hhc...and liked it so much i spent 5 years there. then i made a leap into case management, and so far, so good......

there are definitely non-inpatient (i personally take offense to the term "non clinical" as my nursing skills remain key...but thats a brand new thread....) positions available, but it does take some looking.

willdgate had some excellent suggestions...let me add to that....physicians offices, telephone triage, case/disease management, school nursing, private duty nursing.....

i am sure there are more, i will add them as i think of them, but i do encourage you to keep at it. one of the things that attracted me to nursing was the ability to work in many different roles.

good luck to both of you in whatever path you take!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks for all the info KatRNBSN.

dria: What is "PDN" and "HHC"?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in home health, peds, case management.

sorry!!!

pdn=private duty nursing

hhc=home health care

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion