Will Not Working in a Hospital As a New RN Damage Your Career Options?

nursestuffs · Aug 28, 2013

Disregard t he jib ber ish at the end of t he se ntence . Computer issues!

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 28, 2013

Yes, it could significantly narrow a person's career options. There are some particular specialty areas that do not require hospital experience, but hospital experience is considered essential for other jobs. It depends on what path you want your career to take. You didn't specify in your original post what it is that you want to teach.

For example, if your interest is in commuinity mental health, then working inpatient med/surg would not be considered essential. Working in community mental health would be considered essential. However, if you wanted to be a nursing instructor teaching adult med/surg clinicals to nursing students ... adult med/surg experience would be considered essential.

What is it that you want to teach?

allnurses Guide · Aug 29, 2013

I would say for the VAST majority of education positions having acute care experience is a requirement, not just for the knowledge it imparts but for people to have faith in any wisdom you have to share. I am in an MSN education program now. You can't even get admitted if you have not worked in acute care.

westieluv · Aug 30, 2013

On the other hand, since many new grads cannot find hospital jobs right now, jobs in sub-acute rehab, LTC, Dialysis, etc. are definitely better than gaining zero experience while waiting for that elusive hospital job to materialize. I don't know how it is in the rest of the country, but in my area (upper Midwest/Great Lakes region), new grads who take positions in other areas almost always seem to find that they can secure a hospital job after acquiring some experience elsewhere. You may just have to follow the path that many others have had to take and work in a different area first.