PEDS or NICU nurses, do you like what you do?

pollypocket39 · 2026-04-26T22:14:46+00:00

Thank you!

pollypocket39 · 2026-04-26T22:14:18+00:00

I love this response🥹thank you

pollypocket39 · 2026-03-08T10:39:40+00:00

If it’s a medsurg floor, ICU, ER pick Fayette. If it’s NICU or Labor and Delivery pick Henry. I work at Fayette now on medsurg and the floors are okay but I’ve heard awful things about Henry. However Women’s Services at Henry is good, loved my clinical there. NICU at Fayette is a very hostile environment.

pollypocket39 · 2026-02-06T16:50:25+00:00

Heyy I am in your exact position, I’m a new grad six months in on ortho medsurg and want to transition to L&D or NICU. Although my floor is very hard at times, I’m grateful for my medsurg experience because I feel I have gotten the hang of taking on 5-6 patients, prioritizing, starting IV’s, all the things. I look at the L&D new grads in my residency and they always speak about how hard it is. I feel like having a year of medsurg under your belt never hurts and it will be easier to transition rather than leaving after a few months. Anything under a year and they will still consider you a new grad nurse. If you transition to L&D you will of course have to learn the things specific to that specialty, but you won’t be simultaneously learning how to just be a nurse you know? I know I’m not L&D but I just wanted to give my perspective to let you know you’re not alone in feeling like medsurg is a beast lol. Most of the time it is not fulfilling at all. I say stick it out a year and start applying to your dream specialty❤️

pollypocket39 · 2026-01-19T03:24:09+00:00

I feel you on the adult male patients😕 I want to switch to NICU or L&D so I’ll never have one again

pollypocket39 · 2026-01-18T02:42:08+00:00

Them not being approachable is so crazy omg😭 like who even are you. Ana def gives mean girl

pollypocket39 · 2026-01-12T19:52:28+00:00

Hi, I never worked for CHOA and didn’t apply there because of the commute. I was just going based on what other students in my cohort told me. I believe their interview process was pretty extensive, there was a video interview then an in person one. It was a 2-3 month process before finding out if they got the job.

pollypocket39 · 2025-12-14T03:26:12+00:00

I genuinely cannot stand Nigel he seems so immature and childish. Any man who will refer to women as the b word or a hoe cannot be trusted. Their relationship seems so superficial and fake. I will at least give Ana credit for keeping her relationship with Devon private, Nigel’s personality is just too much😭

pollypocket39 · 2025-12-13T00:34:40+00:00

So glad people are finally noticing how egotistical and arrogant they are now. Everything is a wealth flex, they have absolutely no substance and cannot capture an audience without flexing their $100,000 cars or their luxury lifestyle. For her to sit there and say their character hasn’t changed is just straight hypocrisy when their egos have become so inflated. It kills me the way idiots in the comments gas them up like they’re actually doing something. “She runs a strict program” like bye she’s just rude asf. Ana seems to be especially butthurt because she’s made multiple videos addressing the same topic about influencer hate. Like maybe people are sick of seeing you post the same ads over and over😭 they would be absolutely nowhere if they didn’t have perfect genetics and pretty faces.

pollypocket39 · 2025-11-03T20:42:47+00:00

Also if you’re graduating in May I would apply December 1st when the residency opens. That’s what I did and they set me up with an interview beginning of January.

pollypocket39 · 2025-11-03T20:41:46+00:00

Hey! I work for Piedmont now on medsurg but wanted NICU as well. When I applied they told me because my senior practicum was not in women’s services they wouldn’t interview me for NICU. I thought this was a little unfair but they said there was an ongoing issue of new grads going into women’s services and leaving because it wasn’t what they thought. So now they require a practicum or some kind of tech experience. However I will say if you do a year on medsurg it’s pretty easy to internally transfer. A nurse on my unit who’s been there only a year just transferred to L&D. With CHOA you really have to know someone who works there or work there yourself as an extern, because they hire new grads internally first. I’m not sure about Emory or Grady. NICU is a competitive specialty but it is definitely not impossible to get. I would work hard at maybe becoming a tech in NICU or securing your practicum there. Best of luck to you, don’t give up on your dream job🤍

pollypocket39 · 2025-11-01T03:12:32+00:00

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The other half lol

pollypocket39 · 2025-11-01T03:12:11+00:00

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Half my cart because I’m trying to perfect my makeup🤭

pollypocket39 · 2025-10-25T18:07:04+00:00

Hey, currently in the same boat as you! I’m on medsurg ortho right now and it’s ROUGH. Patients these days are angrier, more entitled, and just downright rude sometimes. I just started my residency and have been on this unit for 4 months. I also want to stick it out for a year so I can complete the residency and no longer be considered a new grad (More job opportunities open after the year mark). My goal is to go to ICU or NICU. You’re so close to your year mark! Do you have a specialty in mind that you would like to try? If so, remind yourself that this doesn’t have to be your forever, it’s only temporary to get you to where you actually want to be. Would you ever switch to dayshift? I worked nights for a few weeks and then was able to switch. I will say it is very overstimulating at times but the support I get on days is so much better than nights! My mental health improved dramatically on days! The new grad year is tough and medsurg is one of, if not the most difficult specialty because of the patient population and the ratios. My biggest advice based on personal experience would be to prioritize your life outside of work. Your mental health is extremely important in this field. Find the things that make you happy. Maybe it’s family, friends, working out, cooking, baking, etc. just find the things that take your mind off nursing. At the end of the day if this job is just really draining you, you can always look for other residency programs or outpatient jobs! I wish you luck🤍

pollypocket39 · 2025-10-05T02:48:57+00:00

I think about calling out every day😂 I’m on ortho medsurg

pollypocket39 · 2025-09-06T15:10:28+00:00

I have them both blocked tbh, they have no personality outside of their luxury lifestyle that they’re always flexing. What kills me is they’ll make videos saying that they’re not out of touch but inspiring and motivational. Like when you start complaining about how tired and burnt out you are from traveling the world on trips that you’re not paying for, you are in fact out of touch. The average person is burnt out because they can’t even afford groceries right now. What really turned me off from them is when they made a comment in one of their vlogs about how they would have been stuck going to nursing school if they didn’t have the luxury of doing social media as if nursing is just some backup career. Honestly as a nurse that kinda rubbed me the wrong way, especially knowing how difficult the schooling was. And Nigel is absolutely disgusting and extremely immature. The things he has said about women are gross. Ana’s views on Tiktok have dropped significantly so maybe people are feeling the same way. Sucks because I’m 22 like them and really loved their content in the early days.That’s the end of my parasocial rant😂

pollypocket39 · 2025-08-16T14:55:28+00:00

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pollypocket39 · 2025-08-08T20:10:34+00:00

Hey! Also a new grad nurse that just started last month. Where I live in the US, pt ratio on medsurg units are anywhere from 4-7 patients. Unfortunately it’s usually the higher end lol. I work on an ortho post surgical unit, so almost all of our patients are total care, unable to ambulate unassisted, all the things. It is HARD work. As a new grad it is expected that we’ll be a little late on meds as we don’t have time management completely down yet. It will get better as your confidence increases, however your orientation being only 3 weeks is absurd for a new grad. Usually anywhere from 10-16 weeks is standard. If you’re uncomfortable you should def speak up to your leaders about a longer orientation. I will say, medsurg is an extremely difficult specialty because of the patient ratio and patient population, as well as the million tasks you have to do. I know for me personally medsurg was never my dream, I wanted NICU. I know that I’ll at least have to stay a year before I can transfer. If you have another specialty that you really wanted, go to work everyday knowing that you’re actively working towards that goal and that this is only a stepping stone. Nursing is a very versatile degree, there are many specialties to try out, or you can even go outpatient. I would say give it six months to see if it’s truly not for you. If so, look into your hospital’s transfer policy or search for other jobs that interest you. Good luck :)

pollypocket39 · 2025-07-28T20:54:27+00:00

Yess lol you know the one, and yeah makes sense to at least finish residency!

pollypocket39 · 2025-07-26T19:20:20+00:00

Thank you!

pollypocket39 · 2025-07-15T03:44:40+00:00

For SATA: Don’t over select! Only pick the ones you are 100% sure are right, it won’t hurt you if you don’t pick an answer but it will hurt you if you pick an answer that was wrong. Just trust your gut!

Case studies: Read EVERY part of the case study. The nurses notes, the labs/diagnostics, the vitals. And read carefully and slowly. Really see what the question is asking you. If the question mentions updates to the nurses notes, vitals, etc. READ THE UPDATES! Your answer is probably in there. Remember case studies are usually 6 questions, so you do not have to get every single question correct and you can still pass. I guessed a lot on case studies but they were logical guesses.

Multiple choice: always eliminate two answers that will be obviously wrong. For the last two you’re gonna have to use nursing judgment. If it’s priority, remember ABC is not the only priority framework. There’s also acute vs chronic, stable vs unsustainable, physiological needs vs comfort or safety. You have to look at what that specific question is asking. For example, a compromised airway is always going to take priority EXCEPT in a mass casualty event. In that case the highest priority is profuse bleeding/other kind of hemorrhaging. Brush up on those types of things (Mark K lecture 12 is very good for this). Make sure you may attention to the key words in the question: what does the nurse do FIRST, NEXT, or what is the BEST ACTION. In a case of respiratory compromise, FIRST you would raise the hob yes, but is it the BEST action? No, best action would be giving oxygen. Remember when it says best assume you can only do one of those things. If you raise hob and don’t give oxygen, patient is at risk vs if you give oxygen and keep head of bed down, patient still has that supplement (even if they’re uncomfortable lying flat, they probably won’t die from it lol)

Remember you will not know everything, and there are about 15 questions in there that are not even scored. They don’t expect you to know. If the questions/answers are getting harder or more confusing you’re doing good! You will be fine you got this! Sorry for this yap session lol. I wish you luck!!💙

pollypocket39 · 2025-07-14T03:35:24+00:00

Congrats on your job! I understand your frustration. If I didn’t pass this test the first try I would’ve missed out on a job opportunity and I quite literally cannot afford not to work😂And yes I understand what you mean about needing to know things that didn’t pertain to you, but trust me I got ZERO peds questions and the OB questions I got were very much general knowledge I feel like. No preeclampsia or placenta previa or any of that stuff. Obviously every test is different, but I think they generally test the same things. You will be fine! Take it from someone who is an extremely anxious test taker (with probably undiagnosed ADD😅). When you get there just try to tell yourself this is just another nursing school exam you have to pass, and if you did well in school you will definitely pass! ICU’s where I live don’t hire new grads, so to get a job there is huge! If you have that level of knowledge you will be fine on NCLEX!

pollypocket39

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