Med surg nurse breaking into specialty

[Silvergem800]

Hi there. I'm a med surg nurse and I have been working at my current job for almost 7 months full time. I worked at another hospital for 6 months prior to that and left because the patient load was unsafe and the hospital was under threat of closing. They are officially closing at this point btw. I really want to be an Er/critical care nurse. However alot of the positions want you to have a year of experience in the area. I am currently trying to sign up for an ACLS course and enroll in a bachelors program which would help I know. But how else can I make myself marketable to Er/ critical care positions. I do one day of OT in the Ed holding PTs admitted and waiting for beds. But I'm not sure if it will be enough. I'm not crazy about the hospital I'm in now and am looking to change venues but am wondering if that is wise. I have a total of 13 months experience. I was also considering applying to critical care fellowships for nurses but don't know of too many other than 1 in my area. I'm in NYC. Not sure where to go to move forward. Some advice would really be appreciated. Thanks so much

[amarilla, RN]

JMO, but I'd hesitate to change jobs again so soon unless you move or is absolutely necessary. Stay on, even if it's per diem, and take some float hours to gain new skills, but don't quit just yet. My phone didn't really start ringing for other types of jobs (outside med-surg) until I had nearly a solid two years of work experience.

I spent those two years in med-surg and float pool before getting an ED position. I had taken ACLS and PALS, joined the ENA, gone to chapter meeting and networked with other nurses, but encountered the same thing you're finding: 'one year+ of ED experience required'. I couldn't get a call back to save my life. In the meantime, I continued to network, cross-trained to tele and filled out applications for every ED within fifty miles every single month. I finally got a call and took that job, though it's a small hospital and a distance from home. Point being: sometimes you just have to put in the time and keep applying while you build your resume.

You say critical care or ED - which do you want? Can you shadow and find out? Part of what helped me is that I only put in for ED jobs and only took interviews for ED jobs; knowing what you want and dedicating yourself to those skills can demonstrate to your potential employer that you mean to learn and stay, particularly if you've job-hopped in the recent past. If you're willing to move, that's also a plus - NYC is saturated and ultra-competitive, as you know. Good luck.

[Silvergem800]

Thanks amarilla for your input. This will help for certain. I haven't meant to job hop. The hospital I was in before this one was on the verge of getting shut down. I found out all the nurses one my former unit were laid off only 2-3 months after I started this new job. I don't want to look like a job hopper. I do want Er. I feel it just fits my personality and the way I think about things I guess. I just want to know how to get where I want to be. If I have to wait some more I will. I'm starting to get over the new nurse anxiety and I do my best everyday to meet the expectations of the hospital and unit/manager. So I'm starting to get used to it. I just know where my heart lies. So whatever I need to do to get there is what I'm willing to do :-). Thanks for the great input again

[DC Collins, ASN]

Do you work 12's? If so, you might want to try applying for per diem work in the ED at another hospital (12's giving you time to do so). If they need per diems badly enough, they will give you the orientation you need in their ED...your foot in the door. Sending good luck thoughts your way.

DC :-)