Hi, I am a new grad who just graduated in May of this year with my BSN. I am also from the New England area. I just started my career 2 months ago on an adult surgical unit, the same unit where I was an LNA for 3 years all through nursing school. I am so grateful for a job, as nowadays new grads getting hired in acute care is becoming harder and harder.
But my passion is in pediatrics. I love children and my favorite job I ever had was my side jobs babysitting! Most ped RN jobs in my area require prior peds experience, and I tried to get a job as an LNA in peds before I was an RN and even that seemed impossible. How can I increase my chances of getting a job in peds? Do I put my time in doing med- surg for a few years to just get some RN experence in the first place? Or is there something else I could be doing in the mean time to put on my resume that would help me get a job working in peds?
I agree with jamuuh that knowing someone is key. I have been trying to get into Seattle Children's Hospital for 3 months to no avail, so I finally found a connection through a mom at my kid's school who happens to be way up in HR there. Well, she got me an interview with a senior nurse recruiter (and it went really well!), who then forwarded my info to the recruiter on the medical unit, and now I am crossing my fingers that something opens up on that unit...
However, as a PDN, I found that I needed to highlight my skills that would be useful in an acute care environment, and when I talked about what I did with my current patients, the HR person literally said "Clearly you should be working here (at SCH)." Now, part of it was me selling myself in person (great interpersonal skills, smiley, confident- check), but the other part was me selling my skills as a PDN. For instance, I have extensive vent and trach experience. One pt. requires intense resp. txs that involve a Cuirass machine and a cough assist machine, in addition to frequent nasal, oral and trach suction. I have handled emergency decannulations. I work with nonverbal pts. so my assessment skills have to be excellent. I transfer nonmobile pts. to standers and tumbleforms. And, perhaps one of the most important components to what I do, I SET and MAINTAIN professional boundaries with families! For this HR person, that was huge. Also, the open communication that needs to be maintained with families and patients is important.
So my point is, highlight the skills that translate into an acute care environment and really highlight those on your resume. And find a way to make a connection with someone who can help get you an interview in some capacity with the hospital. I didn't know very well the connection I pursued, but it paid off- sometimes you just gotta put yourself out there.
I got a job right out of school as a pediatric RN, however I was a CNA on a peds floor for 4 years. My advice is to keep with med-surgical until you have experience. Do not go to a pediatric clinic first, you will loose your skills. When we get new people I love the med-surg staff the best! They are so good with assessments and especially their skills! They just need the pediatric part! I went from working inpatient peds to clinic peds then back to inpatient and WOW did I forget so much! Id recommend to keep with what your doing! After about a year you will have NO problem getting a peds job! Also start to reach out to pediatric staff! Best way to get your foot in the door is by staff word of mouth! Good luck! Your doing great!
See if any smaller hospitals in outlying areas within a reasonable distance for you to commute have a pediatric floor and if their float pool is hiring. Or if the children's hospital in your area has float positions, that would be even more ideal. If your current job has a NICU, see if you can transfer there.
mluvsgnc
178 Posts
I agree with jamuuh that knowing someone is key. I have been trying to get into Seattle Children's Hospital for 3 months to no avail, so I finally found a connection through a mom at my kid's school who happens to be way up in HR there. Well, she got me an interview with a senior nurse recruiter (and it went really well!), who then forwarded my info to the recruiter on the medical unit, and now I am crossing my fingers that something opens up on that unit...
However, as a PDN, I found that I needed to highlight my skills that would be useful in an acute care environment, and when I talked about what I did with my current patients, the HR person literally said "Clearly you should be working here (at SCH)." Now, part of it was me selling myself in person (great interpersonal skills, smiley, confident- check), but the other part was me selling my skills as a PDN. For instance, I have extensive vent and trach experience. One pt. requires intense resp. txs that involve a Cuirass machine and a cough assist machine, in addition to frequent nasal, oral and trach suction. I have handled emergency decannulations. I work with nonverbal pts. so my assessment skills have to be excellent. I transfer nonmobile pts. to standers and tumbleforms. And, perhaps one of the most important components to what I do, I SET and MAINTAIN professional boundaries with families! For this HR person, that was huge. Also, the open communication that needs to be maintained with families and patients is important.
So my point is, highlight the skills that translate into an acute care environment and really highlight those on your resume. And find a way to make a connection with someone who can help get you an interview in some capacity with the hospital. I didn't know very well the connection I pursued, but it paid off- sometimes you just gotta put yourself out there.