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Hi everyone,
I am a BSN student from the Bay Area planning to relocate to Denver, CO once I graduate in May. Although I put the NICU as my only senior preceptorship choice, my school was not able to find a placement for me and put me to med-surg. I am absolutely devastated, and I just cannot stop thinking about how my career goals are falling apart.
My plan is to apply to new grad NICU programs in Denver Metro, but now I am at such disadvantage.
Do you think my med-surg preceptorship will make it much harder to land a NICU job (or get into the program)? Maybe some of you ladies and gents also know how hard it is to get a job in Denver in general?
Thank you!
In the grand scheme of things, a NICU preceptorship is not likely to be the resume line-item that gets you directly into a NICU after graduation. So, although it's a serious disappointment as you likely would've loved the hands-on experience NOW, it's not a death-blow to your career path. At all. I promise. It's going to be just as hard to get that job, but if you're willing to put in the time and wait it out, you can get there.
I had a similar disappointment in school; desperately wanted a cardiac placement, ended up in PEDIATRICS, to my distinct horror...... ended up learning a ton that I use in my cardiac job anyway. (I'm your opposite: I only want the oldest, most elderly patients! Hehe.)
I did not get my 1st choice for preceptorship. Another nurse in another area graciously offered to take me and I had a preceptorship 100% different than I had anticipated. It went great! I'm sorry you didn't get your first pick - many of us went through that. I also didn't get any of my "pick 3" choices for my first hospital job. Turned out fine. Complete your preceptorship, apply for NICU jobs, etc. You might not get it the first time around. That's common. I knew someone who worked med/surg for 2 years out of school, applied to NICU at another hospital, and got that. If it doesn't happen right away, that's OK and don't give up! :)
Disappointing? Definitely! "Devastated"? That seems a bit much.
No kidding. I was devastated when my grandma died of hypothermia several hours after eloping from her memory care home. It is a strong word disproportionate to the situation.
Try to look at it as a learning opportunity, and practice for the NCLEX.
No kidding. I was devastated when my grandma died of hypothermia several hours after eloping from her memory care home. It is a strong word disproportionate to the situation.Try to look at it as a learning opportunity, and practice for the NCLEX.
I remember thinking I was devastated by things like this when I was younger. I can only assume the OP is younger based on her (his?) response. I really don't mean that to come off as patronizing, but once you have experienced truly devastating situations, things like this will seem like blessings in disguise. Plus, even if you can't see the silver lining, you will hopefully be able to consider it an opportunity to learn in the face of disappointment.
If I could gently and politely suggest you try to harbor your emotions. Disproportionate reactions to situations that will be **massively** more stressful and upsetting than this will be something you will face almost every day once you're on the floor. If you react in this way it will not only undermine your professionalism, but it could impact your judgment and decisions and hence in turn you could hurt a patient.
I had a PICU preceptorship (that went very well!), one that I fought and begged for (because prior to that semester they didn't place in PICU) that I thought was the first step towards working in PICU.
In the end I realized that my idealized concept of PICU was not the same as the reality. I wound up in med-surg as a new grad and ER later, which is a much better fit for my personality. And I realize too that if I had a sudden hankering to work in PICU now that I have several years of critical care experience and good performance reviews under my belt, I could probably make that happen. I haven't, though.
My point is, your preceptorship, although it feels like THE BIGGEST THING IN THE WORLD while you're heading in to it, and it IS important, is ultimately just a few weeks out of years of training and career. After your first round of new grand interviews, people probably won't even ask about it/you may eventually wind up deleting it from your resume for reasons of space.
It can be a stepping stone to a job, but it isn't necessarily, nor does getting one in a specific unit represent a dramatic step towards that specialty. It's JUST a few weeks. If you're passionate about NICU, you can convey that to interviewers and apply like anybody else, even without a preceptorship in one. And going in to your preceptorship with enthusiasm and an open mind will be the best way to guarantee you have a good outcome and maybe even earn a good recommendation from your preceptor, which ultimately is much more important than where you were placed. A specialty unit can TEACH a new grad their specialty- they don't expect a NICU preceptee to be more than a hair's breadth more competent in independent NICU practice than someone who has never stepped foot in one before. What they'll be most concerned about is your ability to thrive and learn even in a setting that might not be exactly what you hoped and dreamed of. Because even your dream job probably won't be exactly what you hope and dream for.
If you want to survive in nursing, you will have to thicken your skin. There is no guarantee that you will ever be able to even land a job in nicu. If you are devastated about a capstone, you wont kill yourself if you cant get a nicu job, right? You need to accept your assignment and get over the extreme emotion such as a devastation.
ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP
1 Article; 2,594 Posts
I was sad, but guess what? The med/surg preceptorship (which was my second choice after NICU) helped TREMENDOUSLY with NCLEX prep (passed the first time, 75 questions in under 90 minutes). And, when I got my first job out of nursing school (which, like many other new grads, was in med/surg), I was able to hit the floor running with minimal training. Earned eight months of solid adult med/surg experience and now I just celebrated one year in the NICU.
Although I was very upset, looking back at my experience, I am glad I started off in med/surg as it has made me appreciate the NICU SO much more than many of the nurses who know nothing but. I feel more well-rounded, and my resume is sure to start conversation (You are a med/surg nurse AND a NICU nurse? Say what?!?). To this day, I still work my med/surg job PRN as I know if I want ever want to advance my education or leave bedside nursing for family-friendlier hours, I will have more doors opened than not.
So look at this as an opportunity to expand your knowledge base and be prepared to get a job in med/surg out of school. While I love working in babyland, it is very niche, hard to break into, and difficult to leave if you happen to not like it.