by sdclarinet

So I am a new grad with 8 months of Med-Surge experience. I took a job on a med-surge floor after moving to San Diego with my husband and passing my NCLEX. I have never had a strong passion for adults and I really want to work in a NICU. There are three level III NICUs in San Diego and ALL of them are in a hiring freeze. The recruiters are telling me that MAYBE they will hire in Jan 2010. ARG!!!

HELP! What should I do?

Re: NICU Job harder to find then the fountain of youth

I know how you feel. I have always liked kids, but I had to start out on a med/onc floor when I became licensed. The plus side is that I learned so much while there (for a little over a year). The down side was the high patient ratio, extra hours after my shift to catch up on my charting, etc. I tried other nursing specialties from ped home health to LTC, and when a local hospital advertised that they were hiring for NICU, I jumped at the opportunity. My advice to you is just be patient and keep checking your local hospitals for opening. Eventually you will find something. Too bad you don't live in my area. All the local hospitals here are practically begging for NICU nurses. Our unit here is hurting for new nurses, and in fact, just hired 2 new grad RNs to start working. So keep the faith and hang in there!

Re: NICU Job harder to find then the fountain of youth

where do you live????

Re: NICU Job harder to find then the fountain of youth

Be sure to keep in touch with each NICU. A "hiring freeze" can turn in to a "severe shortage" very quickly. The NICU where I now work wasn't hiring when I graduated; three months later they hired 20 including me! So don't give up.

Re: NICU Job harder to find then the fountain of youth

El Paso, Texas

Re: NICU Job harder to find then the fountain of youth

if you're interested in relocating, i know UCI (Irvine) is hiring like 6 nicu nurses!

Re: NICU Job harder to find then the fountain of youth

California's situation with nursing jobs (especially NICU) is way different than how it is in Texas - my unit just hired 17 new grads for the June internship program. I live in Houston, where there are tons of nursing schools, but it seems nothing like California, where so many pockets are just oversaturated with nurses. It can be more difficult (not impossible) to get a job in a specialty area when there are so many people competing for positions - especially NICU, which is a popular place for new grads to apply.

Moving may be diffiult at the moment (and you may not want to relocate again), as many places are already done hiring for the next internship programs, but you are at least talking to hospitals about a position in NICU. Just continue to be persistant - it's hard, but the positions are obtainable.

Re: NICU Job harder to find then the fountain of youth

Earthcrosser, do you mind saying what hospital in Houston you work in?

Re: NICU Job harder to find then the fountain of youth

Memorial Hermann. Fantastic place to work.

Re: NICU Job harder to find then the fountain of youth

Hi Everyone, I was interested in posting after I read the posts about the hospitals here in Houston. I am a resident of Houston as well and I'm currently attending LoneStar college at Willowchase with the hopes of applying for the adn program next spring. I am very interested in NICU and would love to get some information and advice. I saw on Memorial Hermann's website that they have the internships for new grads. Do you know much about this program? Thanks for your time!

Sonseria