New Nurse, Year off... desires NICU

[cvzsRN]

Hi all! I've read lots of posts on trying to transition into the NICU as a new grad. I am a new nurse with just about a year experience in adult cardiothoracic med/surg. This is where I successfully worked as a student and I thought it would be a great transition from student to new grad. I feel I caught on quickly (with the mindset to always ask questions at appropriate times) and I do have a love for cardiac medicine.

The But, is that I got into nursing for neonatal medicine and I know it will be a huge transition & possibly challenging to find position. I am just looking for pointers, such as continuing education that I can get into, books or literature, or anything anyone has to offer. I left my position at the end of June 2016 b/c my fiancés job extended his obligation in Puerto Rico and we now have a young daughter. It is so different here for being a territory of the US. It's been six months and the application for endorsement has been a nightmare, I was offered a coding position with a US based insurance company that was supposed to start 10-31-16 and now they are saying it will be January but I still haven't heard from recruiter or HR rep after follow ups. This is a temp/contract position or I would not have agreed b/c we will be relocating home between June 2017 and January 2018 (our hopes are earlier). I know how much it costs to hire and train new nurses-another passion of mine is retention.

Anyways I am just super worried with the lapse in practice (work) and no recent clinical experience it will be much harder than I imagine to make the transition at this time. I have reached out to local hospitals back home but they are pushing L&D and one even offered a cardiac interview with the option to transition later. I just really feel like I need to do whatever I can to make a NICU position work, I have always been flexible which is one of the many reasons I started out as a new grad in adult medicine. I tried to listen and take in all the advice of my mentors and peers.

Anyways, thanks for reading, I would love ANY feedback on what might make me more appealing to the NICU team :)

I have also started reaching out to volunteer at a NICU here but everything takes an extraordinary amount of time around here, and I still haven't received a call back from initial inquiry.

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

As an ex-manager, I would be hesitant to hire you with only adult nursing and a lapse in practice. My suggestion would be to get into less, L/D or postpartum. Even getting back in the groove with cardiac will look better in a resume. Once you have your foot in the door of a place that has an NICU it is easier to transfer than be hired in. Good luck!

[cvzsRN]

Thank you :) I think I would be a better fit for a postpartum unit then a L&D unit. Where I did clinical as a student you were hired in to both and the requirement was two of four areas: L&D, mother/baby, newborn nurse, and triage. I wouldn't mind L&D if it were a unit like that. I will keep researching areas and putting forth my effort for the meantime here. I absolutely miss putting those scrubs on everyday and did not expect to have so many barriers here but it will make me that much more grateful wherever I end up.