CHOC New Grad Residency August 2022

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Hi everyone! I applied for the new grad program at CHOC for the NICU. Good luck to all of the applicants. 

Hi I received an offer for their Graduate Nurse program instead of the Residency. Does anyone know someone that did that program and did they like it? Thank you! 

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51 minutes ago, PedsRN_ said:

Hi I received an offer for their Graduate Nurse program instead of the Residency. Does anyone know someone that did that program and did they like it? Thank you! 

Hey! I did their graduate nurse program. I have mixed feelings about it. If you’re dead set on working at CHOC then it’s a great way to get your foot in the door and you’re almost guaranteed a position in their residency next cohort. It gives you an opportunity to get to know everyone on the unit, where things are, the charting system (which is Cerner), and extremely basic nursing care (vitals, diaper changes, repositioning, *some* medications, etc). Be prepared to be used as a sitter at times. You’ll essentially be an overqualified CA. It definitely is kind of a waste of your RN license and if you have a residency somewhere else I’d recommend doing that. Also if you have no experience in the hospital setting then it’s a great opportunity to learn a little while you wait for residency. 

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Thank you for this info @NurseKay2!

I'm torn between accepting this position because it is in my dream unit or accepting a position at another hospital that offered me a position for Acute Care/Med-Surg peds unit. The pay will be more and it will be day shift for that other hospital but it's not as prestigious as CHOC so trying to figure out what's the best option. 

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1 minute ago, PedsRN_ said:

Thank you for this info @NurseKay2!

I'm torn between accepting this position because it is in my dream unit or accepting a position at another hospital that offered me a position for Acute Care/Med-Surg peds unit. The pay will be more and it will be day shift for that other hospital but it's not as prestigious as CHOC so trying to figure out what's the best option. 

Which unit were you offered a position at CHOC as an NGN? Also do you have any hospital experience in your dream unit?

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NICU

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2 minutes ago, PedsRN_ said:

NICU

If you want to be a NICU nurse I’d recommend taking the position at CHOC rather than the med surg unit. You’d have to work as a med surg nurse for a year or so before being able to work at a NICU. Versus if you take the NGN position at CHOC you’ll be a NICU nurse come February. Just be prepared that the NICU at CHOC has a horrendous turn over rate and I’ve heard really awful things about the culture. The NICU has a horrible time keeping staff and people are constantly being floated to NICU to help with their staff shortages. 

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Thank you for the advice and info! I really appreciate it! I will take this all into consideration. ?

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3 minutes ago, PedsRN_ said:

Thank you for the advice and info! I really appreciate it! I will take this all into consideration. ?

My pleasure! Just trying to be as transparent as possible so you can make an informed decision. Best of luck and congrats! ? 

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Thank you! Yeah, I'm not too familiar with CHOC yet so grateful for any info I can get! ?

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30 minutes ago, NurseKay2 said:

If you want to be a NICU nurse I’d recommend taking the position at CHOC rather than the med surg unit. You’d have to work as a med surg nurse for a year or so before being able to work at a NICU. Versus if you take the NGN position at CHOC you’ll be a NICU nurse come February. Just be prepared that the NICU at CHOC has a horrendous turn over rate and I’ve heard really awful things about the culture. The NICU has a horrible time keeping staff and people are constantly being floated to NICU to help with their staff shortages. 

Hi! Do you mind talking more about what you’ve heard in terms of the culture and turn over rate in the NICU?

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3 minutes ago, nursexcookie said:

Hi! Do you mind talking more about what you’ve heard in terms of the culture and turn over rate in the NICU?

Sure! So I’m not NICU, so I’m not there regularly. However I have floated there and have talked with nurses that are there often or are core staff. The NICU is religiously short staffed. There are definitely times where it’s hospital wide, all hands on deck to rescue NICU. During those times nurses and NGN’s from all different units will be sent to NICU to help out. These floaters are often untrained and unsure of the proper “NICU way” of doing things. I’ve heard of multiple accounts of nurse bullying. Nurses are often assigned challenging assignments (ex. 3 task heavy babies with overlapping cares and feeds). Other than that NICU just struggles to keep staff, hence the constant need for travelers and floats. I’m unsure if this is management, culture, or staff related. 

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is anyone looking for housing/have advice for it! thank you!

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