Want to be a pedi nurse

[katielam616]

Hey all! I am a relatively new nurse (16 months experience) so not so new but still have days where i feel as if i dont know anything lol. I have been working in med surg for the last year and some months. I love med surg, but I desperately want to do Pediatrics. I have my heart set on Children's hospital in a city nearby. I would like some advice from other nurses. I have an opportunity to do a per diem school nursing job (for the sake of experience). I have been scouring the website for jobs and I think i will just submit my cover letter and resume even without a job. I unforunately dont know anyone who works there (grrrrrr!!!). I went into my med surg job knowing I wanted to gain valuable experience, but I want to move on sooner rather than later. I have learned so much this yr. Anyone have any good tips? Would doing per diem as a school nurse be at least a good start? Do HR even accept cover letters and resume when not applying to a specific job? I feel as if since its my dream its time to just start really going for it. When I graduated last year HR told me to gain experience and to re-apply. I just hope sometime within the next couple months I can come back on here saying I landed my dream job I have been dreaming about for years. Thanks for reading and words of encouragement!

[tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN]

Moved to Pediatric Nursing for more response.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

It depends on the hospital but being a substitute school nurse is unlikely to help you land a job in acute care pediatrics. Being a school nurse is VERY different than being an inpatient pedi nurse, speaking as someone who has done both. In school nursing, you are primarily dealing with healthy kids who may have some chronic issues that need managing while in school. In my school, I have several kids with ADHD, several kids with mood disorders, a few seizure disorders and some asthma/allergies. In acute care pediatrics, you are dealing with very sick kids, some of whom could die any minute. I honestly think they'd prefer the acute care experience over the school nursing experience any day of the week. Children's Hospitals are VERY competitive and the best way in is through connections.

[katielam616]

thank you for your comment. I have been working in an acute care setting for over a year. When I applied to this hospital after graduation they told me "Get some experience and re-apply" I know school nursing is different than inpatient. I am just hoping having some sort of pediatric experience will at least help. It can be very frustrating. Everyone says "no one will take you without experience" yet no one wants to give you experience in a specialty.

[amystudentRN]

I totally agree with the above poster!

I loved pediatrics, but am having trouble getting an acute care position with my "ASN".. I am taking a school nurse job, who knows I may love it, the hours are nice also.. and also am starting school again..to get my BSN. I guess I will see what God has planned for me! I am just happy to get out of long term care..