What advice do you have for a new pediatric nurse that wants to leave pediatrics? Should I give it more time or go with my gut and switch?
If you have been in the field for 3-6 months and it's not feeling right, go with your gut. There's nothing worse than being in a nursing field and years later regretting that you never acted on the notion that you wanted to do something different. Peds will be there if you change your mind once you venture out.
Always go with your gut.
There’s 3000 different ways to be a nurse, you don’t owe loyalty to any of them.
If you don’t feel up to giving it a chance go with your gut! It’s important to be committed to the population you serve
As a new nurse, It takes time to find the niche that calls out to you. You chose pediatrics, so you must have had an interest in kids during your nursing rotations.
Before switching jobs, I’d make a list with three columns.
#1 list the reasons you chose Pediatrics.
#2 Make another list of the pros and cons of your current job and ask yourself some questions only you can answer, like:
Were the kids great but the parents not so great? If that’s a yes,my first thought was you should give this job a little more time and figure out what you DON’T like about the job.
Also ask yourself some other questions:
1. Have your fellow nurses welcomed you and been helpful in answering your questions or have they made you feel unwelcome?
2. Do some parents have anxiety and fears about their child being hospitalized and they demand more time than the child?
3. Are your fellow nurses in a click and you feel left out?
If you answered “yes: to any of these three questions, I’d make an appointment with the head nurse to discuss your concerns.
I do have a question for you….Do you feel like your current job is out of your comfort zone? If you answered “yes" to this question, I’d give the JOB AND YOURSELF more time to adjust and fit in, as ANY NEW JOB WILL INITIALLY FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE until one adapts, makes friends with the staff, and is more familiar with the routine, the patients and staff.
Then make another list of the pros and cons of what you like and don't like about your first job. (For example, my first job was a night shift job in a Children’s Hospital emergency room and I NEVER adapted to working nights and never chose to work nights again) . I chose day/evening jobs and LOVED my 42 year career in pediatrics….12 years working with kids with cancer and 30 years in a school system as a certified school nurse!!
My last suggestion to you, would be to sit down with the head nurse and discuss why you’re unhappy with your job…Is it the kids? The shift you’re working? The parents? Other staff? Or do you not feel competent?comfortable in doing the job? The head nurse should listen and hopefully be of help to you with suggestions to the issues that are making you feel uncomfortable.
Honestly, I’d suggest you give your current job more time, and during that time consider the experiences you’ve had and if you’re truly unhappy, start
exploring other settings or specialties, where you feel you’d want to work.
I , too, started my nursing career in a pediatric E R and loved it. But, after marrying a pediatric intern he insisted I work in another setting, so I chose an adultI ICU in another local hospital and worked there for two years.
I eventually went back to working with children and found my pediatric niche as a school nurse.That job paid well, and the bonus was having summers, holidays, snow days and spring breaks off with my four kids that all lived with me. (And, before applying for that job, I did have to go back to college to obtain school nursing certiification….BUT IT WAS THE BEST JOB!!!
WHY stay at a job that you’re not enjoying when there are so many opportunities for nurses??
I wasn't sure what I really wanted to do after graduation, so for my first job I worked in a pediatric ER and LOVED ITI worked ICU for a year and liked it, and in an ER and loved it but it turned out for me Pediatrics was THE BEST FOR ME.
It seems like sooner or later we all find our nich.
This really depends on how long you have been working and if you’re enjoying it. Most people hit a wall around 6 months where they feel like they are really struggling- I always recommend pushing through this as long as you’re finding some enjoyment. It’s gets better!
However if you’re really not enjoying it, switching may be beneficial for you and your patients. There are so many routes in nursing.. maybe you’re not cut for inpatient pediatrics b it would love a clinic, specialty practice, or research. If you’re in a large area be transparent with supervisors and they may be willing to help facilitate shadow experiences in other areas.
The best patient care is provided by those that are fulfilled by their jobs
Go with your gut. You can always go back to pediatrics if you discover that’s what you want to do. There are so many choices for nurses - try some out until you find your home.
My advice as a new pediatric nurse I can not leave paediatrics responsibly, but first I must give the most time to my work and love my work, then I must love children who have problems in life because it is our future, and finally I must always keep a patience.
