SillyFever

I have only done one ICU, so I can't speak for others. However, I used to work in a mixed medical/surgical ICU and I really liked it. It was a mix of everything from cardiac, GI, neuro, respiratory, etc. I will say though we got a lot of overdoses/withdrawals there which was my least favorite. I think I would have preferred if I was in the SICU (surgical - only) instead just because I liked post-op critical care. Now I work ER which is a whole different world, but am thinking about doing pediatric ICU or Peds ED down the road. Good Luck!

That’s amazing! I am really glad you like being a NP. Maybe one day I might move into the role, but I have no idea where I want to be. I’m happy in my role as an RN and like the flexibility in moving all around. Think I might go into ER next ?

Hi everyone, Just curious on the opinions I might get to this question. Would you rather stay as an RN and work pretty much in any specialty? Or do you think becoming an NP is worth specializing for? This is not a personal question (I am not debating between the two). I am just curious if there are nurses who love being an RN and working in a variety of specialties vs those who chose the NP route. I think for myself I am enjoying the RN side of things because of all the flexibility. Correct me if I am wrong, but I do not feel as though NPs are able to work in as many specialties as an RN can (obviously this depends on the NP specialty of course). Anyways, what are all of your thoughts?

Hi everyone, So pretty much like the title suggests I am looking for opinions on those who have went to a Certified Nurse Midwifery program without any labor and delivery experience. I graduated May 2020 and currently have long-term care and ICU experience. My goal has always been in labor and delivery and eventually going on to be a midwife however with the scarcity of labor and delivery jobs near me it’s been quite difficult. The program that is near me is a very well rounded and well-known school, I have spoken with the program Director at the school and she did say that it was not required to have labor and delivery experience and that it really doesn’t make any difference whether or not you do. Since the roles of an RN and a midwife are completely different. She even said they except students right out of their Bachelor’s program without having any RN experience. I am just worried that if I do go straight into the midwife program without the experience of labor and delivery then I’m afraid I won’t get a job right out of school. Of course I know this depends on the location of where I am however my state has a pretty good midwifery field. My stats are currently: 4.0 GPA for BSN 3.5 GPA for ADN I have my BLS, PALS and ACLS. the director mentioned that the NRP can be obtained through them. so has anyone on here went to CNM school and did not have labor and delivery experience or even women’s Health experience? If so would you say it was harder to obtain a Midwife job then it would haven been if you had the experience? Thank you!

Hi Everyone, Pretty much looking for advice on what other SRNA's and CRNA's think about my current stats for CRNA school. ADN - 3.5 GPA Science - 3.25 GPA BSN - 4.0 GPA I work in an adult ICU and currently have one year (I know this is not a lot, but I am looking at just basic requirements right now) - it is not a specialty ICU (like cardiac), it's mostly a medical ICU with surgical patients as well since I work in a level 3 trauma center. I mainly have experience with vents, art lines, vasoactive drugs, etc (I do not normally deal with PA or CVP monitoring). I plan to obtain my CCRN soon - before I even would apply. I have my ACLS and PALS as well. I recognize I only have one year under my belt, however, I am just looking at how I can be a competitive applicant overall even if I do not apply within a year, but maybe in the future. Anything I can do better? Thank you!

While you may have a lower GPA than another candidate - this isn't always what Graduate Schools look at. They will take everything into consideration, especially since you do have 20 years of experience in doula & childbirth education. However, this also depends on the geographic location of where you are at and how populated of an area you plan to go to school at. Not every grad school is the same. I would suggest maybe getting the contact info of the program director at the school that you plan to attend to and ask her/him of what their opinion is on your situation.. Anyways, you can always try to apply for the program(s) and see how it goes! Many programs have interviewing as one of their criteria and this is where you can really shine. Sorry if I was not more helpful but, I wish you the best of luck!

Hello I am looking for advice from fellow pediatric nurses on this forum. I have been looking into pediatric positions and would love to at some point be able to transition into peds ED or PICU. I haven’t had any luck finding these positions or landing an interview for them but have been able to interview for a pediatric Urgent care position that is part time. My question is, if I am offered a position at the urgent care, would this limit or help me in the field of pediatrics? Also, considering it is not an inpatient nursing job, do you think this would be a good or bad career move to make considering I have a goal for PICU/peds ED (just curious about what it would look like to prospective employers/managers of these units)? Thank you!

Thank you for your reply! There is one grad school where I live that offers a dual CNM/WHNP degree - I have been thinking about this. As for my career, I know I want to specialize in women's health. I honestly don't have much interest in other specialties but am also open to FNP as this is a broad category.

Hello all, Just a little background. I am a new grad nurse, currently working full time at a nursing home. I am almost halfway through my BSN and am thinking about my future. I’ve always wanted to specialize in women’s health and particularly become a women’s health NP. The only thing holding me back I think is only having a few months of ICU experience and the rest is nursing home. I fell in love with the primary care route instead of acute care (ICU/ER, etc). Which is why I felt a nursing home would give me a bit more of a primary care (sort of) role, without working in a clinic setting. Anyways, with having only those two experiences, would this hold me back to becoming a WHNP in the future?

Thank you for the input. I never actually got a job in either of those departments since there hasn't been a lot of jobs available for those units where I live. I ended up in adult ICU and hope to be able to move specialty areas within my nursing career!

I am also a new grad RN so this is simply my opinion. But if I was in your shoes I would take the job that your heart is in. Pay is a huge part of it but why take the M/S job if your heart is not there. You said your dream is the ED and you so happen to have that offer in your hands! Like I said, this is my opinion but I would take the dream job over more pay. Get experience there and see if thats what you want to do.

Thank you! That actually gives me some hope that I can still get rehired if I choose.

Where I live they would not hire a new grad who did not have a BSN or some kind of experience in peds/NICU. Adult ICU was the way to go if I even want to try to go in that area. I tried L&D and with covid there is nothing. Again these areas are super competitive. It’s hard for a new grad ADN to even step foot into peds in my state.

The comments don't bother me, everyone has their opinion. It's a matter of respecting the other person that's all. In regards to your post, my manager handled it well I thought. I spoke with HR and my recruiter, they told me I am free to search and apply for positions within the hospital system and would go through the same process as any other candidate. They did not tell me if there was a blacklist or do not rehire list (I asked and got no answer from that). Not sure if I am on it, I was kind with the manager about it and there was no point of continuing to stay if I was going to leave. He even said he wouldn't want to keep training me if I decided on something else (makes sense). I was an "at will" employee as many employees are and I was in the very beginning stages of my orientation (no actual floor experience had happened at that point).

Thanks everyone for the input! I do feel like I made the right choice and am just going to focus on getting as much experience as I can. Learn as much as possible from the ICU and go from there. It's nice hearing from experienced individuals and their sides to their story. This was one of the reasons why I did not think the position was going to be good for me. Rotating every 2 weeks was a huge downfall. The new position I was offered is straight nights with a chance of going to days after 6 months. I feel like I would be able to better handle that than the rotating shifts on top of driving an hour to and from work (if I am lucky with traffic).

I get what you’re saying but it doesn’t mean one nurse should be rude to another ??‍♀️ It’s a post not the ICU.

Hey everyone, So, as the title says... I am a new grad and just quit my first nursing job with less than 2 weeks on orientation. Just a little background, my first nursing job was as an ICU float RN at a level 1 trauma center rotating days/nights every 2 weeks (full time). While I was excited for this opportunity, I was not thrilled about working downtown which was an hour away from my house. I have a close hospital near me (about 25 min) that offered me a position in their Medical/Surgical ICU. I have had clinical there before and was comfortable with it, knew some of the nurses and doctors as well. Well, I decided to quit my job to accept the one closer to me. I talked with my manager and said that the commute was just more than I realized and was not having a great experience thus far. However, I feel as though I am going to be a "blacklisted" candidate or on a "do not hire" list with this hospital even though I was an "at-will" employee. Which, I never wanted to happen because they have a children's hospital that I eventually would love to go work at. My plan was to work adult ICU for a 1-1.5 years and then work in the NICU/PICU whichever one I felt more drawn to. I now feel like that is not going to be possible as I feel they will never want to rehire me for their children's hospital (its attached to the one I was working at). Does anyone have advice for an anxious new grad who just wants to get into the specialty they want? How do I know I have been blacklisted with this company? I feel very dumb at the moment because I think I ruined my chances of ever working there again. Please be nice in the comments. No reason to be rude! & thank you to those in advance!

Thank you! I'm actually starting in an Adult ICU at a local hospital near me. I am hoping to get a year of experience and then transfer over to PICU.

How do you like it so far?! I’m in the same predicament as you were. I am starting in Adult ICU and hope to transfer at some point after a year.

Hi everyone, Just was wondering if any nurse on here has ever worked adult ICU and switched over to the NICU? Where I live, the hospitals typically do not hire new grads or have a nurse residency for the NICU or any pediatric positions for that matter. The recruiters I have talked to mentioned that these positions always need at least 1 year of RN experience. So, I accepted a position in the adult ICU float pool at a level 1 adult/pediatric trauma center. I am hoping this will give me some edge to when I apply for NICU later on (even though they are completely different specialties). Pretty much just wanted to know if anyone here has transitioned from the adult ICU population to the NICU. Any advice would be helpful! Thanks!

Hi guys! I was just wondering what floor/unit you would recommend to get the best experience or best chance of getting into the PICU with? In my state, it is difficult to get into any pediatric position without nursing experience (I am a new grad) and they usually want at least 1 year, if not more RN experience for any peds job. Did anyone on here get in through adult med/surg or what unit did you previously transition from? Thanks so much!

Hi Everyone, I was asking this question because I am curious to see how you all discovered what your favorite specialty is and why. I am having a hard time with my own decisions of what specialties I like or would want to try. So, I am just looking to see how any of you decided on a specialty and knew that was the one for you! Thanks!

Hi everyone! I am brand new to this site and excited to be able to participate in the forums. I just graduated in May with my ADN and will be taking the NCLEX very soon! I wanted to hop on here and ask what your thoughts are on about starting in L&D and possibly switching to NICU? I am in love with both specialties personally, however, in my state they rarely hire new grads in the NICU. It is very hard to get into one, whereas L&D is quite popular and easier to get into (not many available positions though). As you can see by my name I am all for OB and NICU. It is a dream of mine to even be able to work in either unit! I am really just looking to see if L&D is a good place to start if I want to transition to NICU later on. Thank you!!