I am interested in moving into a position in my hospital in the Mother Baby department. A little background for you...
I have been an RN since 2007. I got into nursing because I wanted to work in Labor and Delivery. Women's health is of strong interest to me and drove me into the profession. When I was a new grad looking for a job, I was told that before I specalize, I should do some general nursing first. I took a job in the ER and stayed there for 7 years. I loved the comraderie, and learned a ton. I started getting the itch to try something else and my current position kind of fell into my lap. I am curently working as an Employee Health Manager. I have been in that position for a year and a half and am pretty miserable. I miss patient care and feeling like I help someone everytime I come to work. I have discovered that administrative nursing is not for me. I don't like siting behind a desk, 5 days a week. I want to do something I feel passionate about.
A position has come up in Mother Baby, full time nights. I have not done nights for 5 years now, but I think I could manage it, as both of my kids are now in school full time...and I know it wouln't be forever. I spoke with the Interim Director of the department, and she seemed to think that coming from an ER background, Mother Baby would be a challenging pace for me. She said there is a ton of documentation, the day is very much dependent on fulfilling tasks by certain times, and that you have 6 patients at once, so there is a lot of juggling. This wasn't a formal interview, by any means, I was just confidentiallty gathering some information to try to make an informed decision before I actually apply and stir the nest in my current work area. I feel like my background would be a benefit to me, in any position. I can juggle many things at once, handle things that come my way without getting frazzled, and do it with a smile on my face. I realize that the difference in pace and priority would take some gettting used to, but I am an experienced nurse, I always get along really well with my coworkers and feel like I am highly trainable. And this is an area that really interests me! The discussion was mildly discouraging to me, so I am really giving it thought before I make a move.
Sorry for the long discertation, but I suppose I am looking for some input on how someone with my background would do in this role. The department typically staffs 2-3 nurses per 12 hour shift, with an aide and a ward clerk...to give you an idea of size. The whole Women and Childrens Services area involves an L&D department, NICU, Mother Baby and Peds department. Any thoughts, advice or encouragement would be so appreciated!
