NICU vs. Peds

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Hi Everyone - I'm a new grad BSN and have two job offers at two different hospitals. One is a NICU position and the other is peds, both night shift. The distance to the hospitals is about the same, and both are highly ranked on a national level. I'm really struggling with which route to go - I'm equally excited about both opportunities. My only hesitation with NICU is that I'm afraid I'll become unfamiliar with general medications and lose some basic nursing skills I've yet to perfect. I think I could love the NICU, but it's not something I always thought I was going to do. With peds, I know I won't get the same level of critical care experience as in the NICU, but it would be an easier transition (I actually already work at this hospital as a CNA and am familiar with the documentation, etc.) and I would see a lot of varied cases. Any insight would be much appreciated!

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Take the Peds job, then when ever it comes up.....it happened a lot in my nursing career....offer to float to other units when the Peds census is low. Let your charge nurse, and the NICU, or the maternal infant unit charge nurse if the Peds hospital doesn't have NICU, know that you are interested in NICU.

Take NRP

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Specializes in public health.

My personal experience:

-Peds, like med-surg, you get exposed to all kinds of illnesses/drugs, age groups. More chaotic in general than NICU. higher patient ratio. You have to constantly deal with parents (maybe not so much on the night shift).

-NICU, very specialized. If you later on want to become a family NP, you will have a steep learning curve. very low patient ratio, usually 1:1 or 1:2 but patient is very very sick, lots of tubes, monitors. When the little baby goes into code, it's a scary thing. It's more controlled environment since your patient can't leave the crib on their own. :p

I really think either one is good as a starting point. You can always switch to the other later on. Good luck!

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I recommend the peds position -- unless your heart is 100% NICU, and it doesn't sound as if yours is.

I am a former NICU nurse -- spent 16 years in NICU, both as a staff nurse and staff educator/CNS. It is the only clinical specialty I ever worked and I don't totally regret that. But it did limit my career opportunities as my career progressed. You do lose your knowledge and skills of other types of care. That's true of any specialty, but the gap between NICU and the other specialties is larger than the gaps between other fields. It is more difficult to go from NICU to other things after you have been in NICU for more than a couple of years. With peds, you will probably get exposure to babies, little kids, and adolescents -- giving you a broad foundation that will make it easier for you to go on to the next level in a variety of different areas.

If you are truly a NICU person in your heart -- and have no desire for peds, then choose NICU. Just be prepared for the consequences. I have survived and don't really regret working in NICU as a new grad. But there have been times throughout my 35 year career that I wish I had a broader foundation of clinical experience -- and would feel comfortable in peds, or OB, or some such field. My lack of experience in anything else has limited my opportunities. I've done OK, but have wondered what other opportunities I might have had and where they might have led me.

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Thank you so much for your input! I really like the culture on the NICU, but I agree that the peds position will give me a broader knowledge base. I have to give my acceptance tomorrow - I'll let you know what I decide!

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Specializes in Acute Care Pediatrics.

Come to the dark side of acute care peds! :) It's fast paced, challenging, and lots of fun. And your patients will talk back to you.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Perinatal, Endoscopy, IVF Lab.

I am a Perinatal Float nurse and work both Peds and NICU (among other areas). My advice is to go to PEDS. I LOVE NICU, but as others have said, it's a very specialized field. If you don't want to be a NICU nurse for the rest of your life, I would go to Peds. I absolutely love peds. You'll get to see so many different things from oncology, to heart issues, to traumas, to new onset diabetics, to respiratory illnesses. It's like all of med-surg wrapped up into one. You'll get good at all the skills you've learned in school and you'll love it. The patient load is usually smaller and the work is just better then anywhere else. Love it there. Do Peds.

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Hi Everyone - I'm a new grad BSN and have two job offers at two different hospitals. One is a NICU position and the other is peds, both night shift. The distance to the hospitals is about the same, and both are highly ranked on a national level. I'm really struggling with which route to go - I'm equally excited about both opportunities. My only hesitation with NICU is that I'm afraid I'll become unfamiliar with general medications and lose some basic nursing skills I've yet to perfect. I think I could love the NICU, but it's not something I always thought I was going to do. With peds, I know I won't get the same level of critical care experience as in the NICU, but it would be an easier transition (I actually already work at this hospital as a CNA and am familiar with the documentation, etc.) and I would see a lot of varied cases. Any insight would be much appreciated!

Wow you're so lucky!!! What did you do to score those offers? :) Grades/Experience/Connections/ect.

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What's your passion? Do you feel strongly towards one or the other?

I am interested in both as well, but have found my heart is more in pediatrics than NICU. I like working with a wide ranges of ages.

Try making a pros and cons list for both? And remember, you aren't stuck there forever! If you like the intensity of the NICU, I'm sure whichever one you choose you could eventually apply for a PICU job down the line...

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Wow you're so lucky!!! What did you do to score those offers? :) Grades/Experience/Connections/ect.

I am not sure grades really had much to do with getting the job, but I had a 3.72 GPA overall.

I highly recommend volunteering at a hospital, or if possible, working as a CNA. I did both at different hospitals, and that's where I got the interviews and ultimately, offers. Hospitals take care of their employees and volunteers - they secure jobs for almost everyone already associated with the organization before any external applicants (I mean, you still have to apply, be prepared and work hard, but it's definitely a foot in the door).

My school tried to get everyone involved in the clubs and organizations on campus, but most people that did that and didn't have any hospital experience outside of clinicals are still looking for jobs with no concrete leads. If it's not possible for you to volunteer or work in a hospital, definitely use your connections (friends, family, clinical instructors).

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Specializes in NICU level III.

Peds- you will learn A LOT more medication, conditions, etc.

If you decide later that you want to do NICU then your skill set will already have a great foundation!

Personally, my heart has ALWAYS been in the NICU, so that is where I work. Just know that if you decide you don't want to do this later you can still switch. It's probably not as hard to switch for somebody else who has done med-surg or peds, etc. I believe that any new job you will learn what you need with TIME & constant exposure to different things. In an interview you just have to let them know that you are willing to learn & open to it.

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NICU!!! I love love love it, so I'm biased. However, usually if your work NICU you will get cross trained for peds, at least in my area. I enjoy being in a critical care area and I love my babies! Peds is nice too, I just prefer the tiny people for patients.

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