[kgentry]

Im currently a high school student who is hoping to become a neonatal nurse. Im working on a project where i have to interview someone who works in this field. I just need a few questions answered. Please let me know if you can help...Thanks

[NICUgirl77]

I am a NICU nurse and would be happy to help. What questions do you have?

[kgentry]

Thank you soo much. ok here are a few questions.

1. Why did you want to become a Neonatal nurse?
2. How many years did it take you to get your degree?
3. Did you have any fears going into nursing? if so what were they?
4. Im scared of blood and needles but i realy want to become a nurse, do you think this is possible?
5. Do you think i can overcome my fears?
6. Were the nursing classes difficult?
7. Were you nervous the first time you gave someone a shot?
8. What all is required to be a neonatal nurse?
9. What all do you do in this type of nursing?
10. DO you enjoy your job?
11. I know that there are different stages of neonatal nursing based on the health of the baby. do you think that i could work with the healthy babies?
12. what kind of hours do you have to work?

Thank you so much for your help!

[NICUgirl77]

I went to school for 2 years of undergraduate and took the classes I needed to apply for nursing school, applied, then went to 2 years of nursing school. These two years are nursing only classes, yes they are difficult but if you know you want to be a nurse you can get through them. You learn a lot of really neat things about the human body, diseases and caring for people. A lot of people start out afraid of needles and blood but trust me, you get used to it. I was terrified when I had to give my first shot and start my first IV (we practiced on each other in school)! Now it is just a part of my every day job and it is no big deal.I always knew that I wanted to work with children but that wasn't specific to babies. I did my senior practicum in the NICU. This is when you spend a lot of clinical time in a specific unit during your last semester of nursing school. I learned a lot about neonatal nursing at this time and loved it, that is how I decided to stay in the field. Anyone can be a neonatal nurse if they want to. There aren't really any specific requirements to work in the NICU. Some hospitals want you to have experience before but most will train you when you get hired. We had a 4 month orientation once we got hired- which means I worked along side another nurse for that period of time and learned from her. They don't just throw you out there and expect you to know everything. In fact, I feel like I still learn something new every day at work- something that I really like about my job. There are different types of neonatal nursing you can do- they range from a healthy newborn nursery where healthy new babies go after they are born for some tests and an assessment to a level III NICU. This is the kind that I work in. We get the sickest babies, the ones who are on ventilators to help them breath, who can have lots of IV's and medications and who may need surgery or other extensive care. It is really exciting and every day is different when you work in a place like this. Somedays you will take care of really sick babies, some that may die, and other days you may take care of babies that have been in the NICU for awhile and now are almost healthy enough to go home. SOme of my job responsibilities are feeding babies, changing diapers, assessing vital signs, giving medications, starting IV's, getting a baby ready for surgery, teaching parents...like I said before it is really different every day depending on how sick your babies are. Overall I love my job- I get to take care of precious children and learn about really interesting things at the same time. It is really hard when a baby dies, but very rewarding when one gets to go home healthy (which the majority of them do). I work 3 twelve hour shifts a week, from 7am-7pm. They are long days but then you get 4 days off to do whatever you want! Let me know if I missed anything. Another good thing about nursing is if you start working somewhere and just don't really like it you can always try something new- there are so many different options once you get your degree. Hope this helps!

[kgentry]

Thank you very much for your help. It really helped me out a LOT! I would like to ask you one more question but if you would rather not answer i totally understand.
How much was your starting pay when you first started working in the hospital?
or how much does the pay usually range for neonatal nurses?
again thank you so much

[kgentry]

I'm sorry to bother you again but i have another question. You said that you went to school for 2 years and then went to nursing school. Do you have to go to nursing school to become a neonatal nurse? I was planning on just taking nursing classes at a community college for 2 years. DO you think that i could still become a neonatal nurse? or would i have to go to nursing school?

[NICUgirl77]

No problem. Starting pay depends on where you work, nurses get paid more in certain areas like the east and west coast since the cost of living is higher there. Starting pay for new grads in the midwest is usually about $20-25/hr. You then usually get yearly increases in pay. You also get paid extra for working extra shifts depending on the need. At my hospital we get paid time and a half plus $10/hr extra for a bonus shift! You also get paid more if you become a charge nurse or get certified in a specialty (have to pass a test). You can get your nursing degree at a community college but it would not be a bachelors degree, you would have an associates degree, but you would still be a registered nurse. Major difference there is you can not go on to get your masters or phD unless you have your bachelors degree. I work with nurses who have graduated from community colleges in the NICU so yes you would be able to work in a NICU.

[kgentry]

Thank you very much. This has been a lot of help!

[NICUgirl77]

You're welcome. Good luck with your nursing career!