Seeking Guidance

[Raquel.Perez, RN]

Hello there! I am hoping someone can give me some advice because I am feeling pretty discouraged as of late. I graduated in May from my BSN program and had a job lined up at the NICU at my local hospital. My DREAM job is to work as a NICU nurse...it is actually why I am in this career in the first place. I took my boards in August and unfortunately did not pass so the position that was being saved for me was filled. I am taking my boards again soon and have been job hunting as well. I realize that I was really luck with the opportunity I had because the same hospital is not hiring for NICU nurses now.

***My question is this*** I keep running into the problem of most hospitals wanting 1-2 years of NICU experience before they hire you. As a new grad with no experience, I am discouraged because I want to get into the specialty right away (like I was going to) but it seems I need med-surg experience first. I am interviewing for med-surg positions now, but do I take them? Or hold out for what I really want?

I am afraid that if I wait, that it will take to long to get hired. But I am also afraid that if I work, let's say in a renal unit, NICU managers won't want to hire me. Any advice??? What can help make me look desirable to work in the NICU? Any certifications, etc? I am not sure how to navigate this to get to where I eventually want to be.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Take the job, work it for at least one year to get experience. Your other option is to hold out and possibly not get that NICU position- then you become a stale nurse without experience.

[Raquel.Perez, RN]

Thanks for the input! Any advice on what I can do in the meantime to beef up my resume for the NICU?

[jennylee321]

Med surg experience is really not that helpful to becoming a NICU nurse. A med surg nurse needs the same length of orientation as a new grad. So if hold out for a NICU position (not forever but for a little bit). At the same time apply to more relevant specialties that could get you into NICU down the road, ie. Peads, mother baby

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

Are you willing to move? There are hospitals that hire new grads in the NICU.

[Raquel.Perez, RN]

I'm finding that most peds/mother baby units want at least 1 year of nurse experience before they hire you. Do you know of any that don't?

[Raquel.Perez, RN]

Are you willing to move? There are hospitals that hire new grads in the NICU.

I currently have a leas on in apartment in RI until June. So right now, I'm willing to travel, but not yet move. Maybe in the future.

[MelEpiRN]

When you say NICU, do you mean a Neonatal ICU or a Neuro ICU?

Edit...nevermind, I see this was posted under neonatal thread.

[Danielle_Nicole887]

I was hired as a new grad in the nicu. I had done a placement in the unit which helped but you don't nevessarily have control over placemnet you get. I had also taken accredited online nicu courses and in the interview i was told they liked the intiative.

[Raquel.Perez, RN]

I was hired as a new grad in the nicu. I had done a placement in the unit which helped but you don't nevessarily have control over placemnet you get. I had also taken accredited online nicu courses and in the interview i was told they liked the intiative.

What types of courses did you take?

[ChryssyD]

Beenie: Sorry you didn't pass the Boards and get your dream job--I'm sure you are very disappointed. I hope you pass next time. Study hard and work on some relaxation techniques, because test anxiety is a common cause of poor test scores. In most cases, people know more than they give themselves credit for. Hang in there, relax, and trust yourself. :)

Yes, it's true, most jobs prefer experience. However, there is something of a nursing shortage, after all. Though hospitals definitely WANT experience, those with competent managers realize that sometimes training someone without experience is more advantageous--there are fewer bad habits or practices for the nurse to unlearn.

As far as med-surg experience goes, I'm sorry, but it's utterly useless for NICU. Apply to nursery, pediatric, or even L&D units. And you can certainly hope that, after you have passed your Boards, the hospital you were going to work at may have an opening. NICU is tough and not all newbies can hack it, so you may get another chance. Anyway, best of luck to you!

[nurse_flo_marie, MSN, RN]

Take the job, work it for at least one year to get experience. Your other option is to hold out and possibly not get that NICU position- then you become a stale nurse without experience.

I definitely say get a nursing job, no matter what specialty area at first. At least you will feel how it feels to BE a nurse, and you will learn other transferable skills like time management, triage & communication. PESI offers different in-person CEUs, which you can also use to network. Since your dream job is the NICU, look into nurse organizations for NICU nurses.

Good Luck!