Which one would you pick?

I'm a recent grad (last year) with very limited nursing experience. I was just accepted into a NICU fellowship but I feel completely overwhelmed. I'm thinking now that this might be too stressful for me at this time in my life. I was also offered a pediatric home health position which would consist of going to school with a disabled high-school child. Should I stick it out in the NICU or choose the home health position? Feel overwhelmed, depressed, and don't know what to do... thanks.
Wow... that's a very personal decision. Potentially you have a great opportunity to learn a ton of stuff in the NICU, but if it truly is too big a bite to take right now, then you might consider the Pediatric Home Health case. You'll be doing stuff like suctioning (I'm guessing the student has a trach and maybe even a vent) mostly, and probably some minor personal hygiene care, etc, but I can almost guarantee it will be a lot less stressful than the NICU job. You do have the responsibility to keep the ped hh client safe and healthy, but if the client is mostly stable it likely would be a fairly low-stress situation. But would you enjoy it? Would it be challenging enough?

You are number which means that you have to do what is best for you. If NICU is overwhelming and will stress you out then don't take the position. While NICU will be great clinical experience it is not worth it if you are overwhelmed by it. Perhaps do the school health and maybe later you can try your hand at NICU again if desired. If you take the NICU position now and hate it the other job may not be there once you are ready to take it. Good luck ! Keep us posted.

Sorry you're feeling so stressed! Those are two very different jobs! What do you ultimately want to do as a nurse? While the NICU has high acuity and will be faster paced, you'll also be surrounded by people with experience who are there to help you as you learn. I would have LOVED that opportunity myself! Home health can be difficult when you lack experience because you have no one else to really turn to and have to function independently. Ask yourself: Which job will I be happier doing a year from now? Good luck choosing!

EVERYONE is stressed out, depressed and overwhelmed at this point in their first year of nursing;that first year sucks big time!Stick with it unless you feel unsafe. Speak with your manager and see if you can take a lesser acuity team for a while.And you should schedule yourself a vacation, or weekend in Vegas, I'm way into biannual vacations. And then quarterly mini weekend vacations. We really need it. Nursing is too tough to not treat yourself when you need it.

I also worry that the home health case would not be challenging enough. Ideally, I see myself doing public or community health, but don't know how to get into that area at this point. I love to teach, but I'm worried I'm too scattered and anxious to be a good multi-tasker in the NICU setting. I also have OCD and feel like I'm going to drop the ball somewhere. I don't feel like I will ever be fast enough to juggle everything. I like starting IVs and giving injections, but I'm intimidated by all the pumps and ports and lines, and feel like a klutz and slow!, lol!!. Maybe something in an ambulatory surgical setting? I just don't know, but without a lot of experience my options are limited right now.

Quote from ijuanabhappyI also worry that the home health case would not be challenging enough. Ideally, I see myself doing public or community health, but don't know how to get into that area at this point. I love to teach, but I'm worried I'm too scattered and anxious to be a good multi-tasker in the NICU setting. I also have OCD and feel like I'm going to drop the ball somewhere. I don't feel like I will ever be fast enough to juggle everything. I like starting IVs and giving injections, but I'm intimidated by all the pumps and ports and lines, and feel like a klutz and slow!, lol!!. Maybe something in an ambulatory surgical setting? I just don't know, but without a lot of experience my options are limited right now.

Quote from CFitzRNOh my gosh, you are me! Wait... this isn't me, is it? Seriously though, I have every single issue you've described, haha.

I woudnt do NICU or ICU as a new grad (although I'm sure that some new grads feel they can handle it). The thought of caring for critically ill infants right after school would be too scary!! I started my first position on telemetry floor (with open heart surgeries). I had no previous experience at all in the hospital, big mistake. I was paired up with a nasty preceptor and eventually let go. Then I found a job in a home health settings,I do intermittent visits and feel so much relaxed and I'm learning a lot, my confidence grew bigger and I'm not so afraid of hospital setting anymore, although I'm not to eager to go back to hospital.

Quote from BlackheartednurseI woudnt do NICU or ICU as a new grad (although I'm sure that some new grads feel they can handle it). The thought of caring for critically ill infants right after school would be too scary!! I started my first position on telemetry floor (with open heart surgeries). I had no previous experience at all in the hospital, big mistake. I was paired up with a nasty preceptor and eventually let go. Then I found a job in a home health settings,I do intermittent visits and feel so much relaxed and I'm learning a lot, my confidence grew bigger and I'm not so afraid of hospital setting anymore, although I'm not to eager to go back to hospital.

Quote from ijuanabhappyI'm wondering which one would offer more experience and look better on a resume if I wanted to get into something else down the road. I heard that although NICU is great experience, you are pretty much limited to working in the NICU forever. I'm just worried that this home health assignment won't offer that much in the way of experience, but I am sure it would be a lot less stress which is very appealing to me.

Quote from ijuanabhappyWhat area of nursing do you work in now, and do you enjoy it?

I would go for the NICU job. It will be very stressful, but the ped homecare is worse. I have done it. You will have to go into a home, get the kid ready for school, ride on the school bus, sit with others like him in a classroom all day long, and be subject to a whole host of classroom politics. If the parents of this kid are upity (and most are) you may find yourself out of a job without a valid reason. Although the alternative is dealing with the hospital politics and a greater number of upity parents, a NICU job always looks better on a resume. It has been my overall experience that special needs children are over-catered to and spoiled. They are brought up to think that they are the center of everyone's attention and act accordingly. They have major behavioral problems because their parents cave in to their every whim. It is a recipe for a nursing nightmare. I did this for a little over a year and had the same general experiences with each kid. Also, the pay is not steady because when school is closed you dont get paid. Also, there are no benefits associated with any home care job around. Its mediocre pay, and not steady work.