Considering applying to Peds Home Health as "stepping stone" to Peds Med-Surg at hospital?

Specialties PICU

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Hello everyone!I am considering applying for Pediatric Home Health RN positions. I am really hoping to eventually get into a Peds Med-Surg floor at a hospital later on down the road. In the past I've had experience with pediatric patients as a tech at a children's rehab hospital/long term care facility. I then moved and got an RN job at an Adult Acute Rehab Hospital, where I currently am. I'm wanting to get back into peds, but I am still wanting to keep my full time position at my adult rehab hospital. I've had co workers tell me it could be a good idea to work PRN as a Peds Home Health RN. Does anyone know if being a peds home health RN would count as valuable peds experience for when I do eventually apply to a hospital peds unit? Please do let me know! Any advice would be great! Thank you so much!

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Specializes in Rehab, pediatrics.

I have similar work history as you do. I worked as an aide in long term pediatrics and I got a job as an RN in acute rehab with adults. I also work per diem in the long term peds facility that I was a tech at....

I applied for a job a little while back and actually received an offer for the PICU. Although it wasn't home health pediatrics, I find the long term facilities very similar in type of patient just a larger workload.

It seemed that the person that interviewed me liked that I had pediatric experience but she was more interested in my rehab experience since it was acute care. She was also more interested in time management than anything.

I think the home health pediatrics will definitely not hurt but you may be able to land a med surg pediatric job without it. But I would say go for it. It can't hurt, it's experience, plus you get to work with children which you seem to enjoy working with. 😊

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

It's what got my foot in the door 20 years ago. Jobs were scarce back then and the home health gig was the only one I could get at the time. When I applied to a step-down nursery, the manager recognized one of the "patient types" I'd described in my resumé as a former patient of theirs. That's what led her to bring me in for an interview. You just never know what they look at when they're screening applicants.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

A lot of those Peds home health kiddos spend a lot of time in and out of the hospital.

It is a good stepping stone coupled with your adult acute care experience.

Peds experience is much harder to get

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Thank you @kayseadeecee! I am going to apply to Peds positions in hospitals around my area after my wedding :) Fingers crossed!! Thank you so much! If you don't mind my asking, do you work on nights on your peds units? Or days?

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Specializes in Rehab, pediatrics.

I actually didn't end up working in the PICU, the hospital went on a hiring freeze right as I was signing the paperwork. It was really a bummer because I loved the unit when I shadowed it. It would have been a nights position.

Currently I work nights on rehab and I work nights/days at the subacute peds unit. I prefer nights over anything. Less people to deal with and I can take more time to get my work done without management breathing down my necks.

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