thinking of a change

[arnie1234]

Hi. I am thinking of changing specialties after 10 years as an RN. Most of my experience has been pacu and OR. I tried the L &D thing as a new grad ( 3 mos) but got scared away due to a very disorganized department. the problem is, I am working as a manager now which may be hurting my chances. I have applied for a few positions in L & D but with no phone calls. Any advice would be helpful.:)

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

as you know, EVERYONE wants experienced nurses. My suggestion is to find someone in maternal child and get a reference.

[arnie1234]

Funny that you say that. One hospital in my area - has Experienced only next to every posting, for every job! Wow- I guess they have issues with retaining staff.

[elizabethjk]

get out of mgmt! come back to the floor! :)

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

funny that you say that. one hospital in my area - has experienced only next to every posting, for every job! wow- i guess they have issues with retaining staff.

no, that is not the problem. you read “experience only” because it is an employer’s market. this means employers can get away with requesting only experienced nurses, which helps them also to get away with paying for minimal training for new staff. in other words, you will cost some future employer a considerable amount of money to train if you switch to l&d. on the other hand, if you stayed in your specialty, you may find little trouble obtaining another job because you will be cheap to train (assuming that all of your bedside experience has not leaked out your ears over the years … some managers keep his/her skills fresh, many others do not).

[n87934]

Have you considered ICU? I've seen a lot of nurses transition from PACU to ICU after PACU burn out. The intensity is nearly the same but the pace is different and you have more continuity of care.