[ladydame]

Tomorrow is my first day as a neonatal icu RN. I'm so nervous. I'm nervous for various reasons. The unit, the hospital, my preceptor, the babies. I'm just really nervous about everything. Anything to help calm my nerves??????

[Finallyat40]

you've wanted to do. Your preceptor will guide you....don't expect it to all come together on the first day! Soak the information in, take notes if you need to, and ask lots of questions....You'll be fine!

Jamie

[FutureNurse35]

Say a prayer before you leave your day.....ask God to hold your hands every step of the way.

[ladydame]

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep it all in mind.

[Gompers]

Don't worry. Most NICUs have excellent orientation programs set up. You might even spend the first few weeks in a classroom setting taking a crash course in NICU nursing before you even get your hands on a baby. We are fiercely protective of our babies and are very careful about training the new nurses that work with them. You will be fine - they'll teach you everything you need to know, and they'll start you out slow and build from there as you get more comfortable.

How long is your orientation?

[Humbled_Nurse]

The best advice I can give is to take one day at a time. I would also suggest keeping a journal of your experiences and feelings. There will be many days when you feel very overwhelmed, but there will also be days when you feel like the best nurse ever. I think journaling will help track your progress. The first year as a new nurse can be very stressful so take care of yourself and do fun things on your days off.

Keep us updated and remember you can come here for support!!

[jillyk*rn]

Absolutely normal to be nervous. Never trusted a new nurse that wasn't nervous .

Good Luck and let us know.

[hmarandola]

Tonight is my first evening on my NICU unit as well!! In fact, my license just got posted yesterday and I spent the day in a cloud because I am a "Real Nurse"!!! I am very nervous too and thought it may be nice to touch base afterwards and support each other. Tell me about your NICU and your experience and I'll share mine!

I don't know about you but this is where I've wanted to be since I started nursing school. I did 224 hours in a level III NICu during my senior preceptorship so I do have a bit of experience. I had an excellent preceptor. Still, we are walking on to units that are completely new to us. The paperwork is new, charting and admission. The staff is new to us...we're hoping for a fantastic, supportive team, yes?

Do you like your manager? Your charge? Have you met your preceptor? I will be working with a preceptor for two weeks and then our NEW GRAD program starts and that lasts 12 weeks...so I feel good about the amount of training I'll receive...but today is exciting!!!!!:hatparty:

I don't know you but I think it's fantastic that we are sharing the same experience on the same day! Let me know how it went!

Sincerely, A fellow new NICU
Heather

[RainDreamer]

Congratulations to you both!! I was just offered a NICU position yesterday and I'm thrilled!! We will all definitely have to keep in touch with each other on here. This is such an exciting time! Congrats again!

[justjenny]

Congrats!
I am an ADN grad Dec '05 who started in the NICU in January. I just passed the NCLEX two weeks ago and recieved my license in the mail a day or so ago!
Yes, it is normal to be nervous and yes, it does get better. I am fortunate to work with a great preceptor, and fantastic manager and wonderful nurses, NNPs and even the Neos have been nice....(I'm waiting for the first time that I get yelled at though...it will happen...)
I started off in what they consider to be the Special Care nursery section with stable babies. Once I progressed in my learning and skills I have progressed in my patients acquity. I have been told outright that I will not care for the sickest babies anytime soon...but any one of them could go bad so I have been "waiting" for that to occur also....because one day it will.
Just be prepared for the worst, READ A LOT, and find a "style" of organization that suits you to ensure your day "flows" well.
I love this forum and it has helped me a lot! There is a lot to learn here!

Jenny