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Thank you TheMiss!! I think I will not be telling anyone. The only other problem is I don't know who to trust in my new place. One of the things I love about NICU is that everyone gets to know each other very well and form friendships. I am the new girl so It will be hard to find someone to trust. I have already been exposed to some X-rays and I totally freak out every time. Yesterday I was literally next to the baby getting X-rays and since I was hanging lines in a sterile field I could not get away

That is my fear. Thank you for you advice! At the same time I don't want to be the pest that is leaving on maternity 10 months after being hired. I don't want them to hate me for that. Also, all the exposure to X-rays and not being able to always get away??

Hello everyone I just started working in the NICU in late June. I lost a baby last year at 20weeks and wanted to get pregnant again right away. We had been trying for a while however, after getting hired in the NICU I had decided to wait at least 9 months before trying. Well it didn't work out that way and now I am 7 weeks pregnant. My trial "90" days is coming up. Ideally I would want to hide this pregnancy until I got closer to 20 weeks because of my previous lost. I hated having to un tell all my co-workers last time. I am terrified to tell anyone. At the same time I feel like if I don't tell them before my 90 days are up I am deceiving them. I don't want them to feel that way. I also don't want to let my co-workers down. Any advice??

Thank you so much for this post!! I start my new job in the NICU in a couple of weeks. Thank you for giving us (New Nurses) and idea of what to expect.

Thank you Jmart I will look into them.

Thank you NerdyNurse. My husband has only been relocated once and it was only because he was promoted to company manager. I just wanted to clarify the recruiter I was referring to in my post is the one at the hospital. I got her information after she set me up with an interview and I just kept in contact with her.

Sds1arm2 I think you have a good plan. I would also suggest trying LTC, Skilled Nursing Facility, or Hospice. I kept applying to the facility I mentioned in the original post. The recruiter wasn't lying. She set me up with an interview a couple weeks ago and I got the job!! I think I was kind of a pest, I would check in with her about every 3 weeks, but it worked :) Good luck in your search and don't loose hope. It took me 5 months but I finally got a job.

Thank You Kimberley. I was asked basic questions like: 1. Why NICU 2. How would you handle conflict with a co-worker who has been there a long time? 3. How do you handle difficult patients. 4. Why should we pick you? I got really nervous at one point and started mumbling my words. I stopped myself, apologized, and started all over by telling them I was nervous. This was key because I was able to relax. I asked a lot of questions to show interest about their unit. I am so excited!!! Do you have an interview coming up?

I got the job!! My dream job....I am beyond excited. Thanks avaloncar for all the support.

Thank you Avaloncar... I am so nervous. I want this job soooo bad!!

Hello everyone!!! I am so excited I have an interview in NICU next week. I am beyond thrilled NICU is the reason I went to nursing school. I graduated with a BSN in 2011 and have 8 months of experience in Med-surg. I will be researching the facility. Making a list of general questions I might be asked and practicing how to answer them. Can you please help me out......What kind of questions specific to NICU could they be asking? What else can I do to prepare? Any advice really?? This is my dream job and I don't want to mess it up. Thanks in advance.

Hi ladies I am a new grad with 8 months of experience on a Med/surg floor. Can you give me more details about your interview.... How did you prepare? I have one next week and this is my dream job!!! I don't want to mess it up...please help.

Avaloncar I have been applying to every hospital in my area. However, that particular one is the largest. It is a really bad position to be in. We are no longer new grads but also don't have enough experience to be considered for most positions. Good luck to you as well.

Well I have 8 months of experience on a Med/surg floor. I have been looking for work for 5 months and no luck I was going to re-read my med/surg book but I was wondering if there are any recommendations out there? I am looking for something that will help with transition to practice, being a new nurse, or even a good review book..... Any suggestions?? Thanks in advance.

Thank you everyone for your advice. I really appreciate your input and there are some good points. I have until tomorrow to decide. This job is a great opportunity and I know if the driving becomes overwhelming there is no way I can quit.

Hi I am a fairly new nurse and have 8 months of experience in Med-surg. I have been applying for another job for a couple months. It looks like I might actually have found something but it is in another city with a 50 minute drive. It is in LTACH and night shift. I know I shouldn't be picky especially with the current job market. Would you take it? I know it is an excellent opportunity with lots of room for growth. The ration is 5:1 and 2:1 for their critical care. I just don't know if driving 50 minutes after a 12 hour night shift on an open road is a good idea. Please any help/advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for your advice. I am getting very discouraged since it is already May but all I can do is keep trying.

Thank you so much for your advice. Both positions are at an agency, including the one in Med-surg. I get what you mean about having to be ready to hit the ground running, definitely something for me to think about.

Hi everyone, So I graduated with BSN in 2011 and have 8 months of experience in Med/surg. Well I moved to a new city and have applied to every hospital/ position for the last 3 months. I have not been able to land a job. I am now processing my paperwork in two agencies. One of them has positions in a Skilled Nursing Facility. The other, which I am crossing my fingers I get, has a position in Med/surg. Any insight on working for an agency? Is it better than nothing or should I wait for a hospital job? Basically I am scared per diem in an agency will not benefit me in the long run. I really appreciate any insight. Eventually I would like to work for L&D, Peds, or NICU.

A little background: I got my BSN in 2011 and have 8 months of Med-surg experience. I quit because my husband got relocated to another city. I interviewed in a local hospital and got a job offer 6 months ago. Well I turned it down for personal reasons (BIG MISTAKE). I called my recruiter a couple months later and told her I was finally moving to the new city. She set me up with another interview and the manager decided I wasn't a good fit. I kept in contact with the recruiter and last time we spoke she explained that she couldn't find anything for me at the time. She then told me she had my resume on file and would keep advertising to Managers. Meanwhile I kept applying to every unit and I keep getting denial letters. I just have a feeling I am stamped with "Do not hire" and I completely ruined my chances of ever working there. All my denials are from the same recruiter. Could she be lying about trying to find me something? If I stop applying will I eventually get a different recruiter? If I do how many months do I have to wait?

I had to relocate because my husband got a job offer we couldn't turn down. I have 8 months of experience in a Med-surg floor. It has been 4 months and I can't find anything!! The thing is hospitals will consider you a new grad if you have less than one year. They give priority to Local nursing schools when hiring new grads. With that being said I am stuck in the middle I think even one year is not enough. I would suggest you only relocate if you have a job offer in hand or after at least 2 years of experience. Just my two cents.... Good Luck!!

Thanks for your reply. When I applied for the position I didn't even think twice about there being a difference. Now as I get ready for the interview I am over analyzing everything. LoL Any advice out there on what they are looking for. I understand it will probably be different in every unit but any ideas? Im sooooo nervous. This is My dream job!!!

Hello I have an interview soon and was wondering if there is a difference between the two? I tried researching but didn't really get a clear answer.Also the position is for the newborn ICU any suggestions?

No Prisoners I totally agree with you.... I have also encountered the "ughh nursing." My mother doesn't want me to become a nurse and my grandma feels sorry for me. I had to listen to comments like "why did she pick such a dirty career"....Personally it has been a battle within me all these years. I wanted to become a nurse since high school after doing my research I realized nursing wasn't so glamorous and I changed my major many many times..... Who wants to go to school for 4 years (6 in my case) and then once you graduate poeple will look at you as a waitress or personal maid. However, something always pulls me to nursing. I don't know how to explain it! I know what kind of stuff I will have to deal with and yet I still think "should I do it", "What if I do like it?" I'll change my major one semester and think maybe I should go back to nursing... As far as the students, I have seen many that are obviously not cut out to be nurses. However, the program I entered is very competetive (BSN) and most, if not all, of these type of students never make it out of the program. I knew several that were taking pre-reqs with me and now nursing is not even an option for them at the school. They got lower than a B after taking the class twice....which automatically puts them out of the program for ever!! In my case I think the only way to know if nursing is for me is to try it.....

Thank You soooo much for your input everyone!! Especially the encouraging ones... Chloecatrn you made me see a whole different picture with your examples, of course if someone is coding I wouldn't snap. I've had many jobs and have never had an issue with anyone but they all knew I was the wrong person to mess with including the doctor I worked for. So...I'm sticking to nursing I know if I didn't even a try I would regret in the future.