Anyone have experience in switching nursing specialties? I currently am in my 10th year of SICU/Trauma nursing and have hit a brick wall. After much denial, soul searching, and frustration, I have finally admitted to myself that I am burned out and in desperate need of a change. I was thinking about doing a complete change and applying for a job in the Wellbaby/Newborn Nursery. My co-workers think that I'm nuts for "wasting" my CCRN credential and natural aptitude for ICU nursing, but I hate my current job. The low quality of patient care, lack of supervisor involvement, under-staffing, inappropriate staffing, and the stressors that go with them have invaded my psyche and infiltrated my entire life! (Just yesterday I had an agency LVN without vent or pressor experience taking care of a septic, hypotensive ventilator pt while I'm charge with a fresh open heart and another patient AND precepting a new grad who has 2 patients!) I know I need to get out of there but a few things are holding me back: I'm afraid that I will get "demoted" in the clinical ladder back to a Level 1 since I have no experience with Newborns. I cannot have worked ten years in ICU to be making new grad salary. And the second concern I have is what do I tell the manager of the Nursery when asked why I want to transfer? Is burnout an acceptable answer? I really think I need to work with healthy little ones at the start of their lives instead of seriously ill/injured adults often at the end of their lives. I need to refill my cup. Thanks for any input.