I'm currently unemployed after spending 2 years in the nursing educator side of things (such as being a CNA teacher). Finally I decided to take a nurse refresher course after trying unsuccessfully to get back in the clinical side of nursing. The course needs me to give it direction on which area of nursing I would prefer for my clinical preceptorship. I'd like to do what would help the most with getting another job. I have a bit of experience as a school nurse, and a few years' experience in a non-traditional office nurse setting, and pediatric private-duty home care, plus a bit of long-term care experience (the LTC is something I really disliked). Here are some of the ideas I have for a preceptorship: short-stay unit/ambulatory care surgical center, urgent care center, ER, primary care clinic, med/surg, acute care pediatric floor, ambulatory infusion clinic, or L&D/mother-baby. Very hard for me to figure out what would be best to do. I would love to be able to get a job that doesn't require weekends, which is why I'd like clinic, short-stay unit, school nurse, or perhaps a visiting home health type job if I could find one mostly M-F (or else try to get a supplemental position maybe in a hospital that doesn't require many weekends, if possible.) But I don't want to do a preceptorship too narrow that would limit my future possibilities. I also would love to be able to learn the skills like IV insertion, IV med administration, and phlebotomy, to open up future job prospects. (And I was thinking L &D because it might open possibilities both in an OB clinic, or in a hospital, or even something R/T short-stay surgery since L&D often does C-sections and their recovery. But, again, don't know if this is too narrow a field and not enough jobs). Overall, I don't tend to gravitate toward really exciting, fast-moving things like ER, but I figured I would get to see a wide variety of things by doing preceptorship there and could improve on triage skills/IV skills. Really, I just want the best way to open a job for me: and though I might like a clinic job, how do I know that I would really be good at that even if I was able to find a position? (By the way, I didn't mention getting a preceptorship in school nursing because I already know what that's about, and I feel like in order to continue in that line I would prefer to have more pediatric or urgent care experience). (I am also considering getting Master's in the future, perhaps as an ARNP, but not sure about that). Any ideas?
conscientiousnurse
102 Posts
I'm currently unemployed after spending 2 years in the nursing educator side of things (such as being a CNA teacher). Finally I decided to take a nurse refresher course after trying unsuccessfully to get back in the clinical side of nursing. The course needs me to give it direction on which area of nursing I would prefer for my clinical preceptorship. I'd like to do what would help the most with getting another job. I have a bit of experience as a school nurse, and a few years' experience in a non-traditional office nurse setting, and pediatric private-duty home care, plus a bit of long-term care experience (the LTC is something I really disliked). Here are some of the ideas I have for a preceptorship: short-stay unit/ambulatory care surgical center, urgent care center, ER, primary care clinic, med/surg, acute care pediatric floor, ambulatory infusion clinic, or L&D/mother-baby. Very hard for me to figure out what would be best to do. I would love to be able to get a job that doesn't require weekends, which is why I'd like clinic, short-stay unit, school nurse, or perhaps a visiting home health type job if I could find one mostly M-F (or else try to get a supplemental position maybe in a hospital that doesn't require many weekends, if possible.) But I don't want to do a preceptorship too narrow that would limit my future possibilities. I also would love to be able to learn the skills like IV insertion, IV med administration, and phlebotomy, to open up future job prospects. (And I was thinking L &D because it might open possibilities both in an OB clinic, or in a hospital, or even something R/T short-stay surgery since L&D often does C-sections and their recovery. But, again, don't know if this is too narrow a field and not enough jobs). Overall, I don't tend to gravitate toward really exciting, fast-moving things like ER, but I figured I would get to see a wide variety of things by doing preceptorship there and could improve on triage skills/IV skills. Really, I just want the best way to open a job for me: and though I might like a clinic job, how do I know that I would really be good at that even if I was able to find a position? (By the way, I didn't mention getting a preceptorship in school nursing because I already know what that's about, and I feel like in order to continue in that line I would prefer to have more pediatric or urgent care experience). (I am also considering getting Master's in the future, perhaps as an ARNP, but not sure about that). Any ideas?