How is a new grad supposed to get a job in Peds? Help!

[gkvegan, MSN]

I received my BSN in December and passed the NCLEX in Jan. I have been looking for an RN postion in Peds since November. I have been looking in hospitals (my first choice) and outpatient. But there seem to be very few postions that are open to new grads. What few postions there are seem to get thousands of applicants. I have applied for over 40 positons and have not even gotten an interview.

I might have a chance to work in an oncology office for adults and possibly an urgent care center that mostly sees adults but I don't know if taking either of those will get me any closer to a peds postion since neither are in peds.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am in northern Virginia area but I am willing to move.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I'd recommend seeking opportunities to work with children in any capacity - church groups, camps, summer programs, girl scouts, etc. Volunteer in a children's hospital or a children's group if necessary. Not only will that look good on a resume by showing an interest and experience in working with kids ... it might help you make connections with people who work in pediatric health care.

Get a job in adult acute care if necessary to solidify your clinical skills, but use some of your free time to work with kids.

[tots24]

I'm in the same situation (Dec. grad, recent licensee, want to do inpatient peds, not one interview for hospitals) and I ultimately accepted a position working as a Private Duty Peds RN. I would look into something like this if I were you. No, it's not a hospital but it does give you nursing experience in peds and also a lot of experience with medical equipment--trachs, vents, gtubes, PICCs, etc plus you get to interact with the family a lot; both of which will help when you later interview for a hospital job. The way I see it, even though it's not my ideal field I'll gain experience caring for pts with differing levels of acuity and some really great pt/family education experience.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Look into home care, schools (schools for children with special needs would give you a lot of good experience and there'd likely be more than one RN around), specialty clinics (there seem to always be openings in the clinics at my institution) or pediatrician's offices.

[gkvegan, MSN]

I just accepted a job at a family practice office. Hopefully it will be a good experience.