KaressaD

I am a new grad RN who graduated in June and passed NCLEX in July. I guess I was a little excited to graduate because my last menstrual period was June 18th and I am now almost ten weeks pregnant. Welcome pregnancy, unwelcome interruption to the career that I was finally supposed to be able to have. I have a history of placental abruption and premature labor. During my last pregnancy (just prior to nursing school), I was placed on automatic bed rest at 20 weeks. The pregnancy went very smoothly, so I don't anticipate deviating a whole lot from the care plan for this go-round. Between being nearly 10 weeks right now and knowing that I will either be bedrested or at least unable to fully dedicate myself to the physical demands of a new grad job, I have decided that it is likely best if I delay employment until after delivery (financially this is within reach, which I am grateful for). Though I am early enough that I could obtain a job without the employer knowing I am pregnant, I don't think it would be fair to work for them for only a few weeks. I also know that FMLA would not protect my job since I obviously will not be there a year before taking a leave. I really wouldn't blame an employer for being disgusted, and I wouldn't have much time at all to make a good impression on the floor. So my dilemma is: How do I keep the gap between licensure and first time employment from causing me problems when I am able to apply for jobs next year? I do not want an employer to see the gap and wonder if I've lost all my skills because I didn't have work experience to begin with and then let a year go by unemployed. To a certain extent, I am okay with explaining I was on bedrest and wanted to wait until I could fully dedicate myself to a job, blah, blah, blah. I graduated with an ASN so I will be working on my BSN during this time, but I don't think it will be complete by the time I'm ready to apply for jobs. What are some other things I can do to make sure the time is not wasted? And how do I make sure I stay current? I am also really hoping to work in an acute care setting for a first job. I really enjoy ICU and ER nursing, although I know new grads don't always get to be picky. Thanks in advance for your input

I am a new grad RN who graduated in June and passed NCLEX in July. I guess I was a little excited to graduate because my last menstrual period was June 18th and I am now almost ten weeks pregnant. Welcome pregnancy, unwelcome interruption to the career that I was finally supposed to be able to have. I have a history of placental abruption and premature labor. During my last pregnancy (just prior to nursing school), I was placed on automatic bed rest at 20 weeks. The pregnancy went very smoothly, so I don't anticipate deviating a whole lot from the care plan for this go-round. Between being nearly 10 weeks right now and knowing that I will either be bedrested or at least unable to fully dedicate myself to the physical demands of a new grad job, I have decided that it is likely best if I delay employment until after delivery (financially this is within reach, which I am grateful for). Though I am early enough that I could obtain a job without the employer knowing I am pregnant, I don't think it would be fair to work for them for only a few weeks. I also know that FMLA would not protect my job since I obviously will not be there a year before taking a leave. I really wouldn't blame an employer for being disgusted, and I wouldn't have much time at all to make a good impression on the floor. So my dilemma is: How do I keep the gap between licensure and first time employment from causing me problems when I am able to apply for jobs next year? I do not want an employer to see the gap and wonder if I've lost all my skills because I didn't have work experience to begin with and then let a year go by unemployed. To a certain extent, I am okay with explaining I was on bedrest and wanted to wait until I could fully dedicate myself to a job, blah, blah, blah. I graduated with an ASN so I will be working on my BSN during this time, but I don't think it will be complete by the time I'm ready to apply for jobs. But what are some other things I can do to make sure the time is not wasted? And how do I make sure I stay current? I am also really hoping to work in an acute care setting for a first job. I really enjoy ICU and ER nursing, although I know new grads don't always get to be picky. Thanks in advance for your input