Help!! Becoming discouraged

[LDJRN]

okay..this is going to be quite long so i can give some background info before i get to my problem.

i started in the nursing field as a cna. i became a cna through a program in my highschool and started working on a snu (ltc) at 16. i became an lvn at 19 and an rn at 23. i've always known that i wanted to be a cnm (well since i became a nurse, anyway); not work in ltc or rehab. i currently still work at the same facility, but they've kinda changed. my unit became a "sub-acute/rehab" unit about 3 years ago when we moved to a new location. i sometimes feel like a brand new nurse, because of my lack of experience in other areas.

i was supposed to move to arlington, tx in august, but i want a labor and delivery position (internship, whatever; i just want to get my foot in the door). i feel like i'm being railroaded, because i've been applying for these positions at the same 3-4 hospitals in dallas for the last 2 years and they all go to the nurse-techs that already work there. i'd even settle for mother/baby; right now. is it always this hard to switch specialties?

recently, i just started applying for med/surg positions. and i've done a few "phone" interviews. i live in a small city, and work the "week-end plan". my pay is great for where i am, but every position i've applied for, they want to start me at the lowest possible pay rate. i was offered $20/hr to work a tda (week-end plan) at baylor specialty hospital, basically doing the same thing i do now. that's a serious pay cut for me (almost $12/hr), and the cost of living there is alot higher; but i'm starting to really consider taking it. my fiance is in arlington, so i've gotta do something.

is there anyone else who has had this or a similar obstacle? maybe i'm expecting too much, and need to realize that i have to start from the ground up. any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

sorry for the length, and thanks to all in advance.