Might be switching from m/b nursing to peds...any advice?

[busymsybee96]

I have been a mother/baby nurse for over 13 years. I'm thinking I need a change. The first thing people say is "are you going to the NICU?". I guess that sounds like it should be the next step since I have a lot of well-baby experience. But I'm thinking about working at a Children's Hospital. I'm scared to death b/c I haven't done peds since nursing school. I have kids, but it's not the same. And I may have a choice between general peds floor or inpatient surgical. For those of you Peds nurses, can I have some advice on the transition, and which floor would be less traumatic for a newbie to peds? Thank you for any advice!

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

I'd say go for the general peds floor. It'll let you ease in a lot easier than a surgical floor will and it really won't be THAT much different from m/b, really. I went from a Level II nursery to PICU and was totally fine. It does help when you have kids of your own, because you know how to relate to kids, and you have some instinctual understanding of what parents want. You can review your med calculations and familiarize yourself with doses for the commonly used meds to make you feel a little more confident.