Is this the best decision?

[narcissus]

Hi all in nicu land,

I'm graduate in December and I'm already interviewing for positions. The hospital where I want to work does hire new grads in the nicu. I want to go to the nicu but not right off because I feel like I need to get my feet wet in nursing. So I plan on starting off on a pediatric floor. After that newborn nursery, then the nicu. I know that these are two very different areas but I want to have experience in what normal looks like before I go into critical care. I'm not comfortable in my skills just yet and I want a broader range of experience. Is this a good idea? Any suggestions welcomed. :)

[lovemyjob]

I am a nurse who started out in newborn and worked for a year before doing NICU. I FULLY beleive that it is important to understand what normal is before venturing into NICU. I worked in a nursery thhat fnctioned like a low level NICU, so I got plenty of experience with IVs, labs, managing O2 before I stepped into a IIIc NICU.

The nurse manager also prefers nurses to do newborn first. Learn abou t how to assist with breast feeding, how to watch a kid adjust to life during transition, exam of a normal newborn, etc. Thayt is an excellent place to get your feet wet. Peds, I am not so sure about.... very different than NICU.

Best of luck!