Can floating experience count as experience on my resume/applications?

[lindsayCalifornia]

Hi, I just left my first nursing job after a little over a year of working there. My primary specialty was in pediatrics on an inpatient unit for neuro, endo, and ortho pts. I am in the process of finding a new nursing staff job, as well as, looking into travel nursing agencies (However, I worry only one year experience is not ideal for travel nursing). A common feature I've come across on the travel agency websites during the registration process is a checklist of experience in certain specialties. I had frequently floated to NICU during my last job (about 4-5 times), would I be able to count that as experience in the NICU specialty?

For example, the Aureus travel agency, I am currently in the process of completing my registration for, gives the option to check your level of competency in a specialty, so for "RN- NICU", there are the 4 following options: Observed and assisted, limited competency, competent, and advanced. Should I check observed and assisted? Or would that be considered lying as it was never my primary unit? Also for my primary unit I selected "Pediatric-inpatient", would I be considered competent or limited competency, since I only worked 13 months there (starting as a new grad)?

Sorry if I worded this in a confusing way. I just want to make sure I do this right! Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[klone, MSN, RN]

If you worked in the unit, it's okay to list it. Just make sure you do not give any impression that that is your area of expertise.

[Davey Do]

It's a common theme on this website to caution nurses against job hopping but it always worked out to my advantage when applying for positions. Interviewers positively cited experience.

In the first 7 years of nursing at a single hospital, primarily as an LPN, I worked psych, surgery, and CD treatment. But I also helped out in ER, having been an NREMT-A, and on med-surge.

Just that experience led to jobs in other hospitals in psych, OR, and med-surge. When I acquired some HH experience, one agency offered me a position as float nurse.

Experience is experience and merely the act of dipping our toe in the water puts us out front of anyone without any.

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

4 or 5 times is not frequent in the slightest,  so no, do not be putting NICU experience on your resume as that is a dangerous misrepresentation of your skill level.

And no one should be traveling with only one year of experience. Sorry. 

[Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN]

10 hours ago, ThePrincessBride said:

4 or 5 times is not frequent in the slightest,  so no, do not be putting NICU experience on your resume as that is a dangerous misrepresentation of your skill level.

I cannot agree more, DO NOT list your float experience to NICU as experience. When you are traveling you are expected to be an expert in your speciality that can function with little to no orientation.

I have close to 8 years in critical care, along with certification in the specialty and am cautious to travel, because of the expectation that you will be flying solo after 1 shift of unit based orientation.