I was hired directly to the NICU after graduation, but it's a new practice in our hospital, and one that's not making many people happy. Most of the staff feels as though you should have at LEAST a year of med-surg before finding a specialty. So...maybe the just busting your arse in the float pool is a good start for anything.
The people I know who have gone to the float pool seem to really enjoy it for while, though. They have had some great chances to work on their basic skills. I hope you have a good time of it! It took me about 4 months to feel like the RN's actually trusted me to hold their babies. I have to tell you....everything in the NICU is WAY different from everything else I've done. The terms...the meds....the procedures....everything. It was very overwhelming at first.
As for classes....I would also ad the RN educator to your list of people at your Children's, or maybe talk to the nurse manager for the NICU. Here, you can find the NM's number on the hospital website. The downside of classes over there may be out-of-pocket expense. We have to have NRP and PALS within 6 months of hire, and a neonatal CCRN is "strongly recommended," I think in 2 or 3 years. I'll have to check.
I hope you can find some enjoyment in your current position.
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