Is rural nursing a specialty?

[birdboy]

Im contemplating traveling.
I have 2 and 1/2 years experience working at a small hospital in remote Alaska as a "generalist". Many of the travel companies want to know your specialty. Im not accustomed to large patient loads but have a fair ammount of L&D and ED experience.

Does anyone have similar experience traveling to rural locations? I know we use alot of travelers at the hospital where I work, but I am wondering is there a demand for travelers in rural communities in the lower 48?
Would getting experience in a larger hospital be more ideal before taking on a traveling position?

Thanks
Matt

[cougarnurse]

Hey, Matt! Welcome to the site.

I found this link for ya on Rural Nursing....hope it helps. Rural Nurse Organization
Community nursing sounds closely related, also.

[jtf77]

stay a jack of all trade
i am and i work at a big hospital and make the charge nurses job a lot easier cause i can scrub multiple operations
specialists are nice but they are limited into what they can do
i much rather prefer to work in small hospitals rather then large ones just for the simple fact that i get to still do a lot of different things and keep up my skills

i'd love to see Alaska

there are tons of jobs available
you should have no problem finding one
just be honest on your skills list if you fill one out and tell your manager at the hospital you interview for your strengths and weaknesses
it will save you embarrassment in the long run