Advice, please :)

[MrsICURN14]

Hi all!

I was hoping to get some advice from other peds nurses.

I'm a new grad. I graduated with my BSN last May. I worked in an adult Level I cardiac ICU for 6 months. I recently quit due to the hour and half commute, and because I despised working with adults.

I'm also 5 months pregnant. I have been working PRN for a peds agency doing PDN, and since quitting my hospital position I now work for 2 peds agencies as a PDN. I think it's better for me being pregnant. More flexibility and not as stressful. I would like to stay home for a while after my son is born and continue to work PRN.

My question is, do you think it will be difficult for me to eventually get back into acute care peds? Ultimately I want to work in the NICU. But I would be happy with a floor position in any peds hospital. I don't know when I'll want to go back to work full time after my son is born, but I know I've wanted to do NICU since I started nursing school. It is my ultimate goal. I love PDN, but I think eventually I'll want acute care again.

Will working per diem as a peds PDN help me? Or will my lack of acute care experience hinder me? I know 6mo isn't long, but dang I can't even describe how much I learned in those 6mo working in the ICU.

I also am hoping to take as many trach and vent patients as possible between now and when I want to go back full time.

Any advice is helpful. Also, any suggestions on how to highlight my skills as a peds PDN on my resume to appeal to acute care managers would be great.

Thanks so much!!

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

I think as long as you stay employed and stay working in peds, you should be fine. I transitioned to vent PDN peds to PICU- and my experience definitely helped me get the job.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

I don't think taking time off for your baby will be a huge hindrance. Most people who slag PDNs have no idea what that job involves. It's what I was doing just before I got my first hospital job in... the intermediate care nursery! That was my foot in the door and after some time in the trenches in the IMCN I was able to move to my goal position in PICU.

There are a few things you can do with your resume that will highlight your skills. When you list your previous employers and describe what you did in those jobs, you should include a couple of examples that might catch the hiring manager's eye. You could say something like, "Provided direct care to ex-26 week prem with chronic lung disease, tracheostomy and long-term home ventilation, ileostomy and gastrostomy tube feeds." You've included enough details that the hiring manager would probably know who you were talking about but not enough that the casual observer would.

Keywords are a big thing in human resources these days so when you're listing your skills your PDN job will allow you to include something along the line of, "Provide high-acuity pediatric care with minimal supervision and support." "Certified in BLS and PALS." "Provide family-centered care across the lifespan." Your ICU stint will give you other great phrases like, "Knowledgeable in the use of pacemakers, inotropic drugs, invasive hemodynamic monitoring devices. Skilled in blood gas analysis, wound care, chest tube and central line care..." Those phrases will light up the screen. When people say to tailor your resume to the position you're seeking, that's what they mean.

[MrsICURN14]

I don't think taking time off for your baby will be a huge hindrance. Most people who slag PDNs have no idea what that job involves. It's what I was doing just before I got my first hospital job in... the intermediate care nursery! That was my foot in the door and after some time in the trenches in the IMCN I was able to move to my goal position in PICU.

There are a few things you can do with your resume that will highlight your skills. When you list your previous employers and describe what you did in those jobs, you should include a couple of examples that might catch the hiring manager's eye. You could say something like, "Provided direct care to ex-26 week prem with chronic lung disease, tracheostomy and long-term home ventilation, ileostomy and gastrostomy tube feeds." You've included enough details that the hiring manager would probably know who you were talking about but not enough that the casual observer would.

Keywords are a big thing in human resources these days so when you're listing your skills your PDN job will allow you to include something along the line of, "Provide high-acuity pediatric care with minimal supervision and support." "Certified in BLS and PALS." "Provide family-centered care across the lifespan." Your ICU stint will give you other great phrases like, "Knowledgeable in the use of pacemakers, inotropic drugs, invasive hemodynamic monitoring devices. Skilled in blood gas analysis, wound care, chest tube and central line care..." Those phrases will light up the screen. When people say to tailor your resume to the position you're seeking, that's what they mean.

Thank you! That helps a lot with my resume!

[KR_RN]

I moved from PDN to NICU after 11 years. As the previous poster stated, highlight the significance of PDN in your resume. PDN is not babysitting. These kids are medically fragile and have a nurse for a reason. I have had my fair share of very critical situations where I had to function with little to no outside support. My PDN experience has been invaluable, so don't discount it.

Of my fellow interviewees, I was able to chat with a few of them as to why they wanted to work in NICU and a majority of them had the same response..."It's cool", or "I want to work with babies". No, it really isn't cool and NICU is far more complex than just working with babies. NICU IS family centered care. I think it's important to recognize this.

So, I'd say tailor your resume to highlight what they're looking for. When you do get an interview, focus on your passion for family centered care. My extensive family centered care experience from PDN is a significant part of why I go the job. During my interview when I was asked, "Why NICU", I stressed my passion for working with families and my interest in advancing my knowledge base and skill-set in an intensive care environment. I think you are genuine in this and with a lot of patience you'll have no problem getting into NICU.

Best of luck with your new baby and your NICU quest.

All my best,

K

[MrsICURN14]

I moved from PDN to NICU after 11 years. As the previous poster stated, highlight the significance of PDN in your resume. PDN is not babysitting. These kids are medically fragile and have a nurse for a reason. I have had my fair share of very critical situations where I had to function with little to no outside support. My PDN experience has been invaluable, so don't discount it.

Of my fellow interviewees, I was able to chat with a few of them as to why they wanted to work in NICU and a majority of them had the same response..."It's cool", or "I want to work with babies". No, it really isn't cool and NICU is far more complex than just working with babies. NICU IS family centered care. I think it's important to recognize this.

So, I'd say tailor your resume to highlight what they're looking for. When you do get an interview, focus on your passion for family centered care. My extensive family centered care experience from PDN is a significant part of why I go the job. During my interview when I was asked, "Why NICU", I stressed my passion for working with families and my interest in advancing my knowledge base and skill-set in an intensive care environment. I think you are genuine in this and with a lot of patience you'll have no problem getting into NICU.

Best of luck with your new baby and your NICU quest.

All my best,

K

Thank you so much!!