Adult Tele experience vs Peds for 1st job

[jennderveen]

Hello everyone!

I graduated with my BSN in May, took my boards in September and passed! woohoo! Just some personal background on myself, I've been a CNA since I was 15 (now 22) on a Med/Surg/CCU unit, and had an externship on a Hem/Onc/BMT unit during nursing school.

In hunting for my 1st RN job, I've been torn between gaining experience in Adult vs Pediatrics. My heart is really in Peds, but I've been told it would be good to get experience for a couple years. The problem is...I have a job offer in Adult Telemetry & an interview for a competitive Peds Nurse Residency in 2 weeks. What should I do? Do I accept the Tele job and gain experience? Or do I wait to hear if I have a spot in the Peds Nurse Residency? Any advice would be most helpful! :)

[obizyanka]

Hi, I was in the same position as you a few months ago, also a new grad and torn between positions. Everyone says do tele, do med surge- well if that is not your dream job- then DONT DO IT. if you dream to work in Peds and you have an offer- go for it!!! Do those saying you should work with adults first think that you will be playing board games and eating icecream with kids ...yeah right- you will be dealing with serious issues in fragile tiny bodies and these children need someone to care for them that actually wants to care for them! Good for you you know what you want, no go after it! Not that anyone wants sick children or babies, I work OB and I would much prefer working with sick babies than sick adults, I love the healthy ones too of course. I knew what I wanted, got the job offer and went for it. I am not playing with babies all day. My work is just as serious as someone who is working with adults. You should feel the same way. By the way, I am also getting plenty of experience seeing various diseases thank you very much, from the mom, to the fetus, to the newborn. Best of luck to you. I say follow your