Working as a Community Nurse as a new grad

Published

Specializes in Community/ Home Health.

Hi everyone, I recently graduated from nursing school in Canada, and have been working as a community health nurse doing home visits. I was a pre-graduate student with the organization I work for, so I learned and refined a decent amount of skills thanks to my preceptor, and have a good understanding of the administrative side of the role. I enjoy my job very much, and I feel like I am where I should be in terms of the learning spectrum as a new grad, but sometimes I wonder how easily I will be able to further develop and learn while being out on my own 95% of the time.

I have had the opportunity to learn many skills as community nursing is very skills based I find. One major area where I lack as a new grad is in my assessments, since I have not had any real world clinical experience.I find that I really do not have the knowledge to make judgements on clinical findings. I find that I don't really know when something is wrong, when a wound is not healing well or when to phone the doctor. I don't want to come across as incompetent by writing this post at all. I just feel like I lack clinical experience. I feel like I am able to perform skills safely, but I am not really confident in my ability to judge/ assess a situation/ identify abnormal findings. It's one thing to learn the "textbook" version of clinical findings but it's a whole other world out there...

I also have come to realize that it can be isolating being a new grad out in the community. I enjoy working alone and being able to think through a situation or a problem. In community, the patients I see are stable or have chronic conditions so I am fortunate to have the opportunity to take the time to think through my interventions.

I feel like I am experiencing a void of sorts however in terms of learning and future development. I feel like I am missing the opportunity to listen to conversations that other nurses are having with each other, and being able to learn from listening to those conversations. Not sure if I am making total sense. I guess what I"m saying is that I like my job, I feel competent in performing various skills safely, but I am afraid that I will not develop up my assessment skills or judgement abilities since I do not have the ability to turn to a colleague right then and there.

What strategies have other community nurses used to facilitate learning and development on the job? Where have you had the opportunity to learn and grow? Is community a suitable place for growth in nursing? Any new grads out there in community? How are you finding it?

Thanks for reading my rant :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER, Med Surg, Ob/Gyn, Clinical teaching.

I am not a new grad, but I understand what you mean... in my humble opinion you need some clinical experience. Can you find a hospital/clinic where you can work per diem? Just so you can polish your clinical skills, because that's what will help you be an effective public health nurse...just my 2cents opinion. .. ;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Registered Nurse.

I'm not a public health nurse, but it is my goal to become one as soon as possible! I graduated from nursing school in late 2013, and have been working in med/surg for the past year, to consolidate my skills. I was going to suggest the same thing as NGYSUN - maybe find a casual position in a hospital/clinic where you can get more experience with clinical skills in a team environment that will allow you to get more feedback on your performance? Alternatively, you could try to find a job at a public health unit, where there is more opportunity for teamwork.

Or maybe reach out to one of your coworkers that you trust and try to develop a mentorship relationship? If there's someone that you're comfortable enough with to discuss your thoughts about your assessment skills in relation to lack of clinical experience, I would say go for it :)

Good luck with everything!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, OB, ICU, Public Health Nursing.

I worked as a PHN for 15 years and recently just retired. Prior to that job I had 25 years experience in most areas of the hospital including 1 year in critical care. A minimum of one year med-surg experience goes a long way in developing clinical skills. However, you already have a phn position, which if that is your passion, is not something you might want walk away from. Because you have a lot of autonomy, have you thought of reaching out to a PHN with hospital experience? You might benefit from buddying up and making a list of your learning needs. Then ask your mentor phn, the next time you have a wound infection, could I come along? If mentor agrees, then propose this learning plan to your manager.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion