Level IV NICU with only well-baby experience?

[slippersocks]

So, there's a few things that have happened on my unit (L&D/PP/Nursery) lately that have me feeling that I'm working in an unsafe unit. I follow policy and procedure but at the same time, it's not somewhere I want to stay with things like they are (don't wanna say specifics).

I've been thinking of relocating to a new city that has more hospitals and more opportunities. A job I'm looking at is a level IV NICU at a teaching hospital that does incredible clinical research, but all I know is well babies (I work mostly L&D). I'm afraid my nursing knowledge is extremely limited for a level IV NICU.

I'm anxiously excited at the thought of working in a NICU like this, but I don't want my resume to look bad either. I did a 6 month stint in med surg and I've been at my current job for almost a year. I've always been afraid to look like a job hopper, so I've been sticking it out.

I plan on sticking it out for another month to my year mark then getting a new job, but my gut is telling me that I need to leave my unit because I don't feel safe. Should I explore a new job in a level IV NICU with only well-baby experience or should I work my way up from lower level NICUs?

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

Go ahead and apply. You have nothing to lose by applying. I work at a large Level IV and maybe my unit is unique, but we hire almost exclusively new grads that were summer externs or PCAs in the hospital. We have a 12 week orientation for new grads and experienced nurses without NICU experience. It is a combination of classroom and preceptorship. You have a better chance at a larger unit that has an established training program than a smaller unit that has little turnover.

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

If your gut tells you it's not safe, your gut is probably right.

I second Guy in Babyland - go ahead and apply. Having L&D experience, believe it or not, is an asset, as is well-baby experience. Knowing inside and out what is normal will help a whole lot when things go sideways.