Trying to follow my dream!

Ruby Vee, BSN · Sep 26, 2017

Hi All,
It has always been my dream to work with newborns in a NICU or in a special care nursery. I am a new nurse who began a job in June on a telemetry medical surgical unit in their new grad program. I have been crazy searching for nicu/special care nursery/ L&D jobs to get my foot in the door somewhere. Should I stop looking and complete at least one year on the tele floor or do you all think i should keep looking for a job working with newborns. I just really want a job that i love going to and the one I am at isn't it. The program I am in is great and I am still with a preceptor, but i can't help but feel unhappy on the floor I am on. Can anyone give me some advice on how to follow my dream? Thank you so much!

You've accepted a position on a Tele Med/Surg unit and you're still on orientation. Stop looking for another job already and concentrate on learning the job you have. Med/Surg is a fabulous place to start your career -- there is so much to learn. Even better that it's a tele floor. You'll be learning cardiac rhythms which you'll have to learn when you go eventually go to NICU. It's so much easier to just learn the norms for neonates when you transfer rather than to have to learn everything. You've got a great start!

PLEASE complete at least one year -- preferably two -- on the floor where they've taken a chance on hiring and orienting a new grad before you even THINK about moving on. A year isn't such a very long time and it goes fast. You probably would not be happy in your dream job right now, anyway. The first year of nursing is rough and few people like their jobs -- even dream jobs -- that first year. The only way to GET through it is to GO through it. So stay, learn everything you can on Med/Surg and know that it's a great foundation for the rest of your life. In a year or two, you can transfer to the job of your dreams with good references and leaving no ill-will behind you.