frustrated and need some advice on next step

[phredRN]

I've been trying to obtain a traveling position and because I work in an outpatient facility, it's considered "not experienced" to qualify for a travel position. Of course my ego is taking a hit because I know I'm a good nurse and I've been in more critical situations/codes than when I did work in hospitals. We are a JCAHO accredited facility, we do procedures involving conscious sedation and tons of education pre and post op.

Is there a solution to this or do I need to suck it up, quit my job, get a lower paying job in a hospital just to have that "inpatient" experience? It seems like although health care is moving towards more and more outpatient/free-standing facilities, not everyone embraces that there are still skills and education involved here.

advice? support? give it up??

thanks

[cougarnurse]

I would keep trying. Seriously. If you can, go over past scenarios with whomever you talk to...... Just MHO.

[phredRN]

thanks...I've tried stressing what my skills are, that I wouldn't apply for something I didn't feel completely comfortable doing/patient safety is #1 etc but to no avail. One spoke in circles until she actually said I wasn't 'experienced' to do the job I've been doing for 3 yrs! She then quickly hung up on me.

I'll keep plugging away but think I'll step back for a week or two to regroup then start the hunt again.

[Kdog]

If you really want to travel, then, take a hospital job for 1 year, in med surg or whatever and then you will be able to travel.
All the hospitals want at least 1 year experience in a hospital setting........................................

[Sashi48]

I have in the past seen jobs for various outpatient and clinic settings, but I can't remember now where they were or when I saw them.
If you don't want to work in a hospital setting, then I would keep looking and stress that you want outpatient settings. They too suffer from a nursing shortage. When I first thought about traveling, I had no recent hospital experience and did NOT want to go back in that setting just to travel. I literally spent years online chatting up recruiters and encouraging them to go market at prisons...now the travel opportunities for prison nurses abound....Sometimes you have to scour the country yourself,(online of course) find the openings and then present them to one of the companies' marketers and get them to go push to fill the vacancies with travelers. I gave recruiters lists of prisons and their locations that I wanted to work at and told them to send their people out there and pitch the sale.