KR_RN

The classes last 5 weeks and are two at a time. You have anywhere from just a couple days to several days between them. The work load isnt terrible and involves a lot of discussion postings as well as papers. I felt like the assignments were easy, but a bit time consuming. You can count on something being due every week. Also, be aware that there are a lot of group projects. For the elective I did Global Health and it was by far my favorite course of the program.

Just a thought, but I went from pediatric home health to NICU. NICU is a family centered care environment as is pediatric home health. Also, during my time in peds home health I worked with countless NICU discharges and children with rare genetic disorders, as well as uncommon conditions I wouldn't likely have seen otherwise. While NICU and peds home health aren't one in the same, the family care experience is invaluable and you'll gain some skills that you would use in a NICU environment. I know you're really disappointed. I was gutted each time I was rejected from my dream job, but that didn't keep me from trying. A little determination went a long way for me. After applying to the same program three times, I finally got in. Hang in there, consider your options and don't give up on it if that's what you really want. All the best.

I moved from PDN to NICU after 11 years. As the previous poster stated, highlight the significance of PDN in your resume. PDN is not babysitting. These kids are medically fragile and have a nurse for a reason. I have had my fair share of very critical situations where I had to function with little to no outside support. My PDN experience has been invaluable, so don't discount it. Of my fellow interviewees, I was able to chat with a few of them as to why they wanted to work in NICU and a majority of them had the same response..."It's cool", or "I want to work with babies". No, it really isn't cool and NICU is far more complex than just working with babies. NICU IS family centered care. I think it's important to recognize this. So, I'd say tailor your resume to highlight what they're looking for. When you do get an interview, focus on your passion for family centered care. My extensive family centered care experience from PDN is a significant part of why I go the job. During my interview when I was asked, "Why NICU", I stressed my passion for working with families and my interest in advancing my knowledge base and skill-set in an intensive care environment. I think you are genuine in this and with a lot of patience you'll have no problem getting into NICU. Best of luck with your new baby and your NICU quest. All my best, K

Congratulations!!!! I always say that NCLEX is a lot like childbirth, no two experiences are the same. I have taken NCLEX twice, PN and then for RN, and got the minimum each time. I felt like the questions were way too easy and that I'd failed the NCLEX-PN and had no feeling either way for NCLEX-RN.

Have you considered looking into Nurse Residencies? Many hospitals have them for new graduates and experienced nurses who are looking to change specialty.

LVN-27, RN-36, BSN-39

Parkland has some Nurse Resident positions post now. Go have a look at Parkland careers.

If it helps determining your track, I finished last December with a 3.9 gpa while working upward of 70 hours and I have kids at home. I started the 27th of May and finished before the first week of December. Completely doable if you stay focused. Best of luck.