nice job

[annRN27]

Hi everyone, this is my first post on allnurses but I have been a current viewer of the site for years. I could use some advice. I'm currently a med-surg nurse on a med-surg/orthopedic unit. I've been there for 2 years. I desperately want to work in the nicu. I have been applying and have had several interviews over the last year with no success. I am starting to get very discouraged. Trying not to think negatively but I could really use some advice or tips to get my foot in the door somewhere. It seems like all my interviews go well and when I don't get it, I am pretty much heartbroken. I really dislike med-surg. It is never what I wanted to do but it was a good opportunity for me as a new grad so I took the job. I honestly only planned on staying a year tops but due to my lack of success in finding another job, I am starting to feel very stuck in my current position. I'm sure there are plenty of you who have been at a job you absolutely hated and you can empathize with how I feel. I do not want to dread going to my job where I usually have 6 patients. Most of the time, they are confused elderly people or drug seekers. I really need a change of scenery. I know NICU is going to be stressful in it's own ways but I just know in my heart that that is where I am meant to work. How do you get a nicu job without nicu experience? Any advice/tips would be appreciated!

[llg, PhD, RN]

Maybe it would help by getting some experience in peds or OB first. If you can't get a job in one of those other specialties, at least do some volunteer work with kids and/or new parents. That might get your foot in the "maternal-child health" door ... and from there, you would be in a better position to get a job in a NICU or some sort of nursery.

You might also try adult ICU ... and then go to PICU or NICU.

Sometimes, you have to take "the long way around" to get to where you want to go.