[StrWb3rrIE19]

Hey, im 16 and inlove with children. I have been around them all my life and i want to be with them for the rest of it. Because of an incident when i was a small baby, i wont be able to have any. i want this career to be around them and love them as i would love mine. I have taken many steps to help me prepare for this career. Im enrolled in a Child Care program and a Medical Occupations program at my highschool and i still have 2 years left. Im a junior in the southern maine area and this is my dream. Since i was a young child i was always aware that i wouldnt be able to have any so i became really attached to the babbies i knew. I would like to talk to some of he other NICU nurses and see how they like their jobs and what they did to acheive them . i wanted to know if there is something else i should do to put a foot in the door of my career. Please, if you have any information of what i should do after High school - 2 year college 4 year college, military, random classes. Should i look for schlorships that you know of? Financial Aid? i would really appreciate any help or opinions thank you so much ...
P.S i admire all of the doctors and nurses in this world, it is beacause of them i am here today and because of them i want to be there for all the other children

[NICU_RNwantsFL]

SC NICU RN here, so maybe some of my impressions might not fly in Maine -

First piece of advice: DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!! No one ever realizes their dreams by giving up!

I came into nursing relatively late in life (started nursing school at 47 y.o.). Went the ADN route because of my age (and had other degrees in other fields already).

My intent all thru school was to do NICU. When I graduated, there were no NICU openings in my geographical area, so I started on the Mother/Baby unit. (figuring, if I'm gonna eventually take care of SICK babies, better learn how to take care of WELL ones first!)

A little over a year later, an opening came up in NICU and I jumped at it. Been "NICU-ing" now for a little over a year. Still learning TONS of stuff every day.

It is rewarding, exhilarating, frustrating, heartbreaking - all this and more. When you spend your shift taking care of a 14-ounce 23-week crack baby on life support, you go home with a new appreciation of what is important in life.

If I had it to do over again at YOUR age, I would probably go for the 4-yr degree, although ADN or BSN doesn't really matter when taking the NCLEX (boards for certification).

God Bless, Good Luck and I think you have a TERRIFIC attitude that will help you accomplish great things!

[RN77]

I worked NICU for a few years and loved it! (I had to leave it because of my husbands job and other things). There are challenges, but the rewards outweigh them, I believe. I'd recommend going to a four-year (BSN) program and then working on a mother-baby unit for at least a year (so you get very comfortable with well babies, what's normal and not normal, etc.) I used to live in ME, and, if I'm not mistaken, there is an RN program at U of M in Portland. Be patient,, but it does sound like you're off to a good start. Much good luck to you....it sounds like you're going to go far.