New Mom and New Nurse!

[hillarythenerd]

Hello, Everyone!

In December of 2015, I graduated with my BSN. One month later, I passed my NCLEX and became an RN... Oh, and I was 36 weeks pregnant when I did so. I gave birth in February and have been a stay-at-home mom since (my daughter is 3 months old.)

I plan on finding a job at the end of summer, and my question is this: Because I have been out of nursing school since December, do you think it will hurt my chances of getting hired? Also, will I find it difficult to transition to a working environment moreso than my peers who started working right after nursing school? Every nurse I have spoken too, in person, has told me that I should stay, at least, one year at home with my daughter before trying to work. However, I'm afraid if I do so, it will make me un-hireable. I think I'm just being paranoid since every nurse's reply has been "NO. Don't worry. You'll be fine."

Thoughts? Has anyone else been in this situation? Thanks!

[BeachsideRN, ASN]

Following.

[Kalohen89]

I see that you posted this several months ago so by now you may already be working or be on the hunt for a job, but I'll comment anyway incase it helps you.

First off, Congratulations on the birth of your baby, and on becoming a nurse. I was in a similar situation, I had my baby just a few weeks after graduating; I am from Australia and live in a rural area, so my experience may not be what you will experience. I stayed at home with my baby for 7 months then started the job hunt, I gained a interview for a local hospital fairly quickly and was successful but it took several more months to start working. For me, getting a job in our small area wasn't a problem. What was difficult was how much I felt I had already forgotten and skills I no longer felt comfortable with, ontop of the normal new grad anxiety; i also almost felt ashamed when peers would ask me why i didnt start work after graduation, I felt like I wasn't good enough and was inferior; all of this combined with the challenges and extra hats you need to wear when rural. I feel like the transition to new nurse would have been a little better if I started work soon after getting my licence. In saying that though, i dont regret being with my baby, she was my priority and i would still make the same decision to stay at home for a few months with a new bub because you will never get that infant stage with your baby back. You need to decide what you feel most comfortable with, just be prepared for having a bit of a harder time at first if you've been off for several months and potentially a harder time finding a job depending on where you are located.

One thing I will recommend is continue studying, search for new information and review what you've already learnt and make the time for it.

Good luck and enjoy the time you have with bub, it goes by so fast.