New grad needs advice on experience

Specialties Pediatric

Published

I recently graduated from an ADN program and would love to find an acute pediatrics job in Washington but would be willing to relocate. Since I don't have experience I don't qualify for lots of the jobs, but I'm noticing that they want acute pediatric experience. I need advice on how to get that without being in a hospital. Would adult med/surg, peds home health, or peds clinic experience be the best? Any other advice would be great!

Specializes in Pediatrics.

I can tell you what I did. I got what ever experience that I could get and kept applying to the hospitals that I wanted to work for...eventually I got in.

I did 5 months pediatric home health - left because I didnt have enough support from my company and as a new grad was overwhelemed - but then did 11 months in adult SNF/LTC

while I was in the SNF I was hired on to work on-call in a Pediatric LTC which after 3 months turned into full time.. that gave me my 2 years pediatric expereince.

I then started applying to the 2 pediatric hospitals in my city. I got a call for one and was hired into an on-call position I was half way through my orienatation and they offered me full time.

My advice would be get an expereince that you can and it will lead to more open doors

NRSKF

15 Posts

Thank you! It is helpful to hear what other people have done.

bethm214

15 Posts

I have done 31 years as a peds nurse, primarily at Johns Hopkins. I think a good place to start is a general pediatric position in a hospital, maybe a small community hospital that has a small inpatient peds unit. I do not think homecare is a good place to start. Too much autonomy and not enough support. Likewise, I do not think acute peds is a good place to start as you really do still need to learn the basics of real life nursing. If you must take adults, a general med surg unit is a great place to learn adult basics. Real nursing is very different than nursing school and adults are very different than peds.....but, they all do have things in common. Best of luck to you.

NRSKF

15 Posts

Thanks!

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