Relatively new RN in mom/baby, wants to transfer to NICU

[emmirn23]

Hello! Not sure if this is how we do things on this website, first time posting here too!

I'm a relatively new RN, less than 1 year of experience and have been working in postpartum. I'll be hitting my one year anniversary at the end of this year. I'm kind of torn.

I'm not totally in love with the hospital I work at, but I do enjoy working in mother baby. I chose, partly because they were my first job to accept me, but I did really want to work in postpartum. I wanted to do this before NICU because I had no experience with babies besides my preceptorship my semester of nursing school. I never gave birth, so I thought it would be important to be confident about that before I decide i want to NICU.

Well now I'm sort of lost, and i really want to do NICU, but no one seems to hire without any NICU experience. I've been applying to RN new grad programs, but have not been accepted. I'm worried that after i reach a year, I won't be considered a "new grad" and won't be eligible for these programs, and I won't be able to apply to NICUs because i don't have any experience. I've tried to cross train internally, but was shot down my managers about it. i'm just not sure what i should actually do. i'm still new and i have lots of time, so i guess i don't mind working at my current hospital for some time, but i keep thinking like maybe i'll never get to work in the NICU.

this is sort of a vent, but sort of need advice post? lol thanks for listening if you read this!

[KKEGS, MSN, RN]

Well a couple of things might be going on here. This is based on my own experience so others might chime in with different scenarios and situations.

1) If the hospitals you are applying to are seniority based than it's possible that you aren't getting the NICU jobs because they are going to an internal candidate based on seniority. My hospital works that way. The jobs may be posted externally but if a current RN wants it they get it over an outside applicant. I missed out on a few job postings this way.

2) As for the new grad programs they may work the same way. I did get into a NICU new grad program...but only after I applied 3 times. Again the previous cohorts were filled with new nurses who had already been working at the hospital as nursing assistants or unit secretaries while they were in nursing school.

Are you applying at the hospital you currently work for? If so I'd maybe speak with your nurse recruiter (if you have one) or even the NICU Nurse Manager and see if you can get some inside information as a current employee. You should be have an inside edge even if you don't have experience. I have a friend who started working in our NICU with no NICU experience after working 12 years as a pediatric med/surg nurse. She had an extended orientation.

If you are applying to hospitals other than your own you may need to widen your job search to units other than NICU with the plan to transfer to NICU in the future or find a hospital that does allow nurses to work both Mother Baby and NICU. I also have a friend who does this. You mentioned that you asked to cross train internally and was told no. Did they say why not? Do any of the other nurses get to cross train? If so I'd be questioning why the rules are different for you.

Another option that comes to mind is becoming a float team nurse if your hospital offers that. I work at a pediatric hospital with a float team and there is a specific ICU track so those nurses work NICU, PICU and our special care nurseries as well as ED sometimes.

Just some ideas. Hang in there! Rarely are all doors closed in nursing! You just might have to wait it out a bit! :)

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

kschenz makes a lot of good points.

Have you been searching for just plain NICU nurse jobs, or specifically 'new to specialty' NICU RN? Some places will list them as separate positions; if you're applying to a 'NICU RN--new to specialty' job, then you know that you'd be an appropriate candidate, vs. 'NICU RN--new grad' (which you technically aren't) or 'NICU RN--experienced' (which may consider people with non-NICU experience, but definitely prefers a NICU background).

I've found that when it comes to getting your foot in the door in NICU, you have to cast a wide net. IMO, the best way to do this is to find a unit that is very short-staffed and is consequently willing to train new to specialty nurses; by contrast, a well-staffed unit will probably wait until an experienced NICU person comes along (experienced NICU nurses are way cheaper to orient than new to specialty). There isn't a good way to know if a unit is well staffed beyond word of mouth, so you may have to simply keep putting out applications until you find one. Also keep an eye on your internal job postings at your hospital for official NICU positions; like kschenz said, hospitals usually post jobs internally before externally. I'd also consider applying to Level II NICUs (i.e. Special Care Nurseries).

As for cross-training, I'm not surprised your managers shut you down at this point; with less than a year of experience, they may feel that you're using their unit as a stepping stone to get into the unit that you actually want. They hired you to their unit, and invested a ton of money into you by training you as a new grad. If they've said no, I would wait a good long while before broaching the subject again. I also wouldn't advise floating at this point; it seems like you'd want to get experience in all of those areas (NICU, PICU, etc.) before providing float coverage, not the other way around.

[FLRN_0713]

I started in a MBU and after a year, finally secured myself a job at a NICU. Does your unit have a newborn nursery? I was able to work my way into the newborn nursery and was crosstrained to being the L/D baby nurse.

I would look for RN hiring events and internships for nurses switching specialities. I actually got my NICU job at a hiring events and was able to impress the NICU table enough despite having a year experience.