Want to transition to Pediatrics

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Hi everyone,

I have been in the adult ED for close to 2 years now and want to do Pediatrics as it always has been my passion. But with an adult background, it's tough to get a job in Peds at any hospital, which is a fast pace environment I want to stay in. However, after rejections at every hospital, I applied for a PEDS urgent care position which I got an offer for. My question is how hard would it be to get a job in a PEDS unit (IMC/ICU/Medsurg) within the City after a few years in a community Pediatric urgent care center? 

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If you're able/willing to relocate there are PICUs that will hire experienced nurses with an adult only background.  I was hired into a PICU at a major academic medical center with 12 years adult ED/ICU experience. 

If you are unable to relocate then yes, I think the peds urgent care position will provide you an excellent experience to later transition to either PICU or pets ED.

Best wishes.

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When did you apply for the inpatient peds jobs?

A bunch of inpatient peds units practically shut down at the beginning of covid (due to the quarantine, kids weren't getting sick or hurt as often, and surgeries were cancelled). Most of our PICU staff was either furloughed or floated to the adult ICUs about two months. Ever since things started opening back up and we're restarted surgeries, they've been absolutely slammed for four straight months.

If you'd been applying earlier this year, I'd keep checking for job postings at places you've already applied. A bunch of places went on hiring freezes during quarantine, so hopefully that's starting to lift.

Your best bet to get your foot in the door is to land a job in a peds ED, then work your way into inpatient peds from there. I'd apply to any local peds ED jobs that you can, and just keep applying.

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Specializes in ED.
7 hours ago, adventure_rn said:

When did you apply for the inpatient peds jobs?

A bunch of inpatient peds units practically shut down at the beginning of covid (due to the quarantine, kids weren't getting sick or hurt as often, and surgeries were cancelled). Most of our PICU staff was either furloughed or floated to the adult ICUs about two months. Ever since things started opening back up and we're restarted surgeries, they've been absolutely slammed for four straight months.

If you'd been applying earlier this year, I'd keep checking for job postings at places you've already applied. A bunch of places went on hiring freezes during quarantine, so hopefully that's starting to lift.

Your best bet to get your foot in the door is to land a job in a peds ED, then work your way into inpatient peds from there. I'd apply to any local peds ED jobs that you can, and just keep applying.

That’s the problem I’m having now that even getting into a PEDS ED is just has hard as a inpatient job. There is just no needs so that why I’m considering this outpatient job so at least at the minimum I’m getting PEDS experience, if that makes sense

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
6 hours ago, Marylandburntnurse said:

That’s the problem I’m having now that even getting into a PEDS ED is just has hard as a inpatient job. There is just no needs so that why I’m considering this outpatient job so at least at the minimum I’m getting PEDS experience, if that makes sense

Yeessss...but you're doing a cha-cha. Step backward into ambulatory care. Of course if it's more urgent than ambulatory, that's good.

Do you have PALS? You'll likely need that going into the peds ER setting. Is there any other PEDS experience to be had, like Pedi NICU? That's more of a slide to the left than a step backward. Good luck!

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Specializes in ED.
11 minutes ago, ruby_jane said:

Yeessss...but you're doing a cha-cha. Step backward into ambulatory care. Of course if it's more urgent than ambulatory, that's good.

Do you have PALS? You'll likely need that going into the peds ER setting. Is there any other PEDS experience to be had, like Pedi NICU? That's more of a slide to the left than a step backward. Good luck!

That’s what I’m afraid of, going backwards in turns of acuity but maybe stepping forward that I’m finally in the specialty I want. I do have my PALS but every PEDS ED is not hiring let alone any PEDS unit. I’ve been doing share time in the PEDS ED in my hospital for any experience. So I’m kinda stuck here. Any tips?

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.

That's awesome that you can do the share time in the PEDS ED (I bet a lot of staff appreciate that because kids scare some people).

I am an ambulatory care nurse by choice. I realize you want this very much. It may be just as good for you to stay where you are and ride out the pandemic than to jump from acute to ambulatory care. You might cross post this in the Emergency nurse's section - they may have better advice.

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On 10/25/2020 at 8:18 PM, adventure_rn said:

When did you apply for the inpatient peds jobs?

A bunch of inpatient peds units practically shut down at the beginning of covid (due to the quarantine, kids weren't getting sick or hurt as often, and surgeries were cancelled). Most of our PICU staff was either furloughed or floated to the adult ICUs about two months. Ever since things started opening back up and we're restarted surgeries, they've been absolutely slammed for four straight months.

If you'd been applying earlier this year, I'd keep checking for job postings at places you've already applied. A bunch of places went on hiring freezes during quarantine, so hopefully that's starting to lift.

Your best bet to get your foot in the door is to land a job in a peds ED, then work your way into inpatient peds from there. I'd apply to any local peds ED jobs that you can, and just keep applying.

I just got an offer for another ED down in the city where its a combined Adult AND Peds unit where the ED I am in now is only adults. do you think this will be still a good move or wait for a PEDS specific unit?

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On 10/23/2020 at 12:36 PM, chare said:

If you're able/willing to relocate there are PICUs that will hire experienced nurses with an adult only background.  I was hired into a PICU at a major academic medical center with 12 years adult ED/ICU experience. 

If you are unable to relocate then yes, I think the peds urgent care position will provide you an excellent experience to later transition to either PICU or pets ED.

Best wishes.

I just got an offer for another ED down in the city where its a combined Adult AND Peds unit where the ED I am in now is only adults. do you think this will be still a good move or wait for a PEDS specific unit?

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On 10/26/2020 at 10:47 AM, ruby_jane said:

Yeessss...but you're doing a cha-cha. Step backward into ambulatory care. Of course if it's more urgent than ambulatory, that's good.

Do you have PALS? You'll likely need that going into the peds ER setting. Is there any other PEDS experience to be had, like Pedi NICU? That's more of a slide to the left than a step backward. Good luck!

I just got an offer for another ED down in the city where its a combined Adult AND Peds unit where the ED I am in now is only adults. do you think this will be still a good move or wait for a PEDS specific unit?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, NICU.

it might just be a timing thing...I am a new nurse that got my first job in adult med/surg telemetry. I only worked with adults for 2 months and was able to land a pediatric acute care position in a nurse residency program. The only pediatric experience I had was back in college when I worked as an assistant teacher at a daycare.

I got hired back in Nov before COVID was a thing. I know now my hospital is on a hiring freeze and are only doing internal transfers RN. We are a children's hospital. I would say if you can't find one right now it's not you it's just the weird time we're in

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Specializes in Peds ED.

I think either would be fine, with the adult/peds ED (if you actually do get to care for peds patients) being a potentially easier transition for you. Does the adult/peds ED have you take the ENPC (emergency nurse pediatric course by the ena)?

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