Change to nursery job?

[SCgirl22]

I'm a nurse with about a year and a half experience in a very busy adult med/surg unit. Lately my floor is all total care patients and feels more like a nursing home than anything else. If its not totals, its q 2 pain med patients. Beginning to feel very burned out and needing a change to something more fulfilling and less...miserable.

Saw openings in a local hospital for general nursery and level II nursery jobs for which I'm considering applying

I loved my nursery days in school clinicals. These were probably my favorite rotations looking back, but am worried at this point that I've forgotten everything I ever learned about babies! For those of you working in this area, do you think this would be a difficult transition? Are managers in this area usually willing to hire nurses with no experience in the baby arena? Any advice you all can give would be great.

Thanks!

[elanddeenrs]

Well, the fact that you have previous experience as a nurse at all gives you a leg up. I interviewed for a postpartum position (the NM was also over hires for the nursery), and was welcomed with open arms as a new grad. Is there any type of orientation for experienced nurses? I think the best way for you to get the information you seek is to apply and interview. What's the worst that could happen, they don't offer you the position? And, if you get offered the position, you can always turn it down if it still doesn't seem like the right thing for you after you interview.

[Jolie, BSN]

As a former NICU nurse manager, I can tell you that I didn't expect my new hires to come to the unit with much experience or knowledge of neonatal care.

Few nursing education programs offer much clinical experience with well newborns, and fewer still with high-risk neonates.

Nurses entering the nursery or NICU are generally offered extensive orientation programs, with both clinical and classroom content. If this is a smaller hospital, you may need to do some self-study in lieu of classroom instruction.

Ask lots of questions about the length and content of your orientation and continuing ed.

Good luck!

[asher315]

That's the way I got into Nursery- two years after med-surg. Having 2 years as a working nurse gives you alot of experience in time-management, working with drs and other staff. The patients are different and challenging. The families can drive you crazy. There a very happy times and very sad ones. And you can hold and sing to your patients. :wink2:

Good luck!