Need Career Advice - Switch from Mother/Baby to Med-Surg

[New.RN2016]

Hello Everyone!

I'm a New Grad who recently graduated in May 2016 and passed the NCLEX in August! Since then, I've been looking for jobs but was only able to focus more after I passed my NCLEX. After 4 months or so, I could not find another job besides the position I have already accepted - an RN on a Mother/Baby unit.

Unfortunately, Mother/Baby Nursing is not part of my future plans. I have always loved and aspired to work in Critical Care, intending to gain experience in Med/Surg to work my way up there. Despite this setback, I am determined to do whatever it takes to work my way back to Med/Surg and subsequently Critical Care, hopefully.

The most important question I pose to all of you is what can I, as a New Grad in Mother/Baby, do to prepare myself as a strong candidate for this transition in a year-and-a-half/two year's time?

Other questions I have are:

1. Will it be possible for me to make this transition in 1.5/2 year's time? How difficult will this transition be, especially if I may be rooted in Mother/Baby ways?

2. How can I be more competitive in this market?

3. What are the opinions on possibly participating in various units' Med/Surg competency days, especially if they are department-run/specific?

4. Should I get relevant Med/Surg certifications and/or ACLS and/or PICC training?

5. What will I need to do to convince Med/Surg departments that despite my Mother/Baby experience, I will be able to work on these floors as a confident, competent nurse?

I have a lot of questions and concerns so any advice or help anyone can provide would be so greatly appreciated!! And thank you so much in advance!! :)

[brownbook]

Be the best mother/baby nurse you can be. (I'm not implying you are not!) Have a good reputation with your charge nurse or manager. (So she will give you a good reference.) Let her know that you'd like to transfer to med/surg someday.

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Make an appointment with the manager of the med/sure unit in your hospital. Tell her you like mother/baby nursing (don't want to burn bridges), but would like to keep up on the med/surg nursing skills you learned in school. Say you would like to work med/surg some day. Ask if you can come to med/surg skills day. Find out if you could float to med/surg when mother/baby is slow and canceling staff.

Getting ACLS is always good. Maybe take a telemetry course.

[New.RN2016]

Thank you so much for your insight! As an experienced nurse, how would you recommend I establish a good reputation with my charge nurse and manager? Even though I make it very clear to my peers and superiors that I am very hard working and reliable, I understand now that it doesn't automatically build a great reputation and/or relationship. I've had such a hard time networking and interviewing these past few months that I want to learn from my mistakes but I don't know the solutions.

[Emergent, RN]

The tone of your post reflects well on you. You sound like someone I'd like to work with.

In nursing, changing specialties is common. For now, concentrate on learning Moms and Babes. In a year or so, start looking around. Put Med/Surg on the back burner for now.

Good luck!

[brownbook]

A good reputation with charge nurses and bosses? Hard working and reliable are great way to start.

Networking and building relationships sounds to me like maybe you are more quiet or introverted? I think with confidence that will change.

What "hard times" did you have interviewing? It is hard to interview when you are a new grad. It is hard to go into an interview feeling confident....that you are obviously the best nurse for this job, if you don't have prior nursing experience. (By the way...all the above sounds exactly like me as a new nurse, you are not alone feeling this way.)

I agree with Emergent, I would like to work with you. Concentrate on Moms and Babies, put med/surg on the back burner.

Med/surg and critical care sound exciting and glamorous compared to mother/baby, but the grass is greener where you water it! What is more important in the whole wide world of nursing than getting a mom and baby off to a good start. Or being the nurse who catches that there really is something odd, different, wrong with a healthy looking newborn.