To follow my dream.

Hello everyone, I graduated from nursing school 2 1/2 years ago. I struggled to find my first nursing job. I almost gave up on nursing but my hopes were renewed when I landed a part time position at a doctor's office. I love my job but I want to follow my dreams.
I recently saw a job posting looking for community Nurse. Its only requirement is a BSN degree. When I graduated nursing school, my dream was to work as a community nurse. However, all the positions so far have asked for at least a year of clinical experience. I did not want to work in the hospital only to get the experience. I have experience working in a doctor's office. I am a very patient person. I will wait for my dream to become a community nurse for as long as it takes. Are there any nurses who started their careers as community nurses? How long did you wait to land a community nurse position? Can I apply to this position? Are there any advice you can give me? Thanks everybody.
I worked for several years in home health and in home hospice. Without that hospital experience, it would have been very difficult to manage my job. I dealt with all kinds of things, from patients on CADD pumps with morphine or dobutrex, to calls in the middle of the night because a catheter is no longer draining (those calls always come from patients who live in sketchy neighborhoods), to patients whose IV is no longer infusing, to having to pronounce death.It can be done, but you should be prepared for a very steep learning curve. It may not be what you want to do, but I would reconsider avoiding working in a hospital. A year or two on med-surg will help you with your skills and help open doors that might otherwise remain closed to you.Good luck in your endeavours.

Thanks for your advice. what I do not understand is why we can't start out as community nurses without working in the hospital.

Because you need to work independently and use your judgement. You develop that judgement through clinical experience.

Quote from RNhereThanks for your advice. what I do not understand is why we can't start out as community nurses without working in the hospital.

You will also need the experience and background to deal with family dynamics, other members of the health care team and being confident enough and experienced enough to know when to speak up and advocate. All things that require experience.

What if you replaced the word "dream" with the word "goal"? Dream job implies that if you wish hard enough then maybe your dreams will come true. A goal implies you working towards getting what you want out of life, no fairy godmother required.How then do you plan to reach your goal? Have you called the employer about this community nursing job and asked what specifically you need to know and be proficient in?If community nursing is your goal in nursing, find out now what you will need to get there.

Quote from RNperdiemWhat if you replaced the word "dream" with the word "goal"? Dream job implies that if you wish hard enough then maybe your dreams will come true. A goal implies you working towards getting what you want out of life, no fairy godmother required.How then do you plan to reach your goal? Have you called the employer about this community nursing job and asked what specifically you need to know and be proficient in?If community nursing is your goal in nursing, find out now what you will need to get there.

Quote from RNperdiemWhat if you replaced the word "dream" with the word "goal"? Dream job implies that if you wish hard enough then maybe your dreams will come true. A goal implies you working towards getting what you want out of life, no fairy godmother required.How then do you plan to reach your goal?