412 Posts
Yeah I mean if you have no experience with babies then NRP would be difficult, but you said you did your capstone in mother-baby so maybe it'll be alright. You best be getting a year of experience in med-surg before you try to move to mother baby. You asked what will make you a more competitive applicant and a years experience would be top of the list before you start worrying about certifications.
11 Posts
My advice to you is to apply for a New Grad Program in a NICU ASAP. As a new grad, I was hired as a NICU nurse, and stayed there for 2 years before I applied to Postpartum. All Postpartum units are thrilled to have a nurse with a background in NICU. If I hadn't had my experience in NICU, I know that I absolutely would not have gotten the postpartum job. I've been in postpartum for 9 years now, and I'm very grateful that I did some time in NICU to get me to where I am today. Good luck!
373 Posts
I am a post-partum nurse and working in med-surg will greatly aid you as a post-partum nurse. As a new nurse you will dread going to work for a while no matter where you work, it's just a steep learning curve. We have new grads on our floor that are stressed but it's just from being a novice nurse. Getting your NRP is a good step, shadowing a nurse in the NICU or on the mother baby units will help. Also you can volunteer to float to be a helping hand on those units. We have nurses that float to care for moms only and postpartum nurses care for the babies. Keep in mind that sometimes new nurses that work in mother baby leave after about 2 yrs because they get bored some transfer to NICU or other areas.
Good luck and keep trying!
BSNbeauty, BSN, RN
1,939 Posts
Get STABLE and NRP certs. Keep applying. Maybe you can even volunteer on the unit if able.