[Leofric]

this is so motivational! I just found this and showed my manager and she wants me to print off some of the replys to put in our break roomm to motivate the nurses!
its good to forget the politics for a while and just remember WHY we chose to be nurses... it wasnt about bits of paper and personal kudos etc, it was to care for these little babes... thanks for making me remember!

[RN4BABES]

I agree with whomever said the NICU is a "calling". I have been working in the NICU for 16 years and love every minute of it. There's not a shift that goes by in which I don't learn something. It's a fast paced, ever-changing, mentally challenging, emotionally taxing place to work. There's great reward in witnessing a tiny infant being brought into the world requiring a multitude of wires and monitors and medications to survive and being able to participate in it's journey to stability and ultimately (in most cases) discharge! (I have often heard parents speak of the NICU nurses as "angels") I adore the teaching aspect of the job as well. I always feel "respected" when I tell people what I do. It is an amazing place to work but it is not for everyone, that's for sure. My sisters are nurses as well in different areas and we have commented that we couldn't handle working in each other's specialties.
Not so nice things about the job is 1) the death that occurs pretty regularly from infections, extreme prematurity, discontinuation of support for poor prognosis. Also, 2) an ethical dilema that occurs within myself when I care for a baby who is so obviously NOT meant to live yet we are supporting it's "life" based on parent's wishes. Talk about frustrating.
Anyway...good luck in the NICU!

[nurseluie]

I work in the nicu and cannot imagine working anywhere else. I've just finished my orientation and have fallen in love. I love how you have everything right at your fingertips - how you're not running all around from patient to nursing station........It can be scary - because its a critical area to work but there are doctors and RTs on the unit 24/7. I still have so much to learn - but am totally enjoying the whole learning experence. I feel like I have more control - and am better able to plan my day; compared to working on a medical or surgical unit. Suctioning adults totally grossed me out - but its not nearly as gross with babies - not gross at all - The gross things aren't as gross as with adults. (I'm totally not sounding professional ) Again.....I couldn't work anywhere else!!!

[hah75]

I have been a NICU nurse for 6 years. As I have read, many of the reasons nurses love to work in the NICU are the same for me. It is a job you either love or hate, I have seen a few nurses drop out of our orientation...I work in a level 3 where we have feeders to ECMO and everything in between. There is something amazing about the drive to survive when you see the perfectly formed features of a baby not much more then a pound, and it is a gift to send that baby home with his/her family. I have had the fortune to work with some gifted and compassionate doc /nnps... I have watched families connect in the most basic ways to a child that is hooked to many machines and thier lives dependant on minute by minute interventions. I have held the hand of a mother who had to withdraw support from her child, and held a dying child so they are not alone. I have been lucky, the smiles I have at work far outweigh the tears... the successes outnumber the loss. But each day is different, each infant is different, and each family is different. It is an area where you get to be a much bigger part of your patients lives...they are not there for a few days, weeks...some are there for months (we recently had a baby turn 1). I feel priveliged each time I attend a delivery...and blessed when that baby is healthy and I can hand it back to mom. I am amazed at the technical advances made day to day and the changing of the care we provide, but it is the human contact that makes me love my job.

[MSN/RN in 2010]

I am so glad I found this thread. I'm seriously thinking about becoming a nurse, and the only area that really appeals to me is the NICU. After reading what you all have to say about your work and experiences, and love for what you do, I am convinced that this is the field I want to go into. I am planning on going back to school to earn my MSN, specializing in neonatal care, and am looking forward to speaking the same words I have just read. Thank you all for sharing your thoughts... it's very motivational and inspiring! I am definitely excited!

[Sandhya]

ALL WELL SAID ARTICLES!!!!
I think NICU is going to give a new meaning to my life; right now student nurse..........can't wait work in NICU!!!

Adieu,
Sandhya

[Tonyandwillo]

I know this is what I want I have for years. I am now going to do something about it and all the posts regarding the nicu just made me that much more sure. Thanks

[jillhall]

:hatparty: I am a NICU nurse of over 20 years. I went straight from nursing school to NICU. LOL, my duaghter did the same thing. She has been doing NICU for two years and cannot imagine doing any other type of Hospital type nursing. It has been good to both of us.

[shannymar]

Originally Posted by fmrnicumom

I'm only taking my prerequisites for nursing school at the moment, but I know that the NICU is where I want to be. It's the reason I'm getting my degree.

In March 2004, I gave birth to my son, Aaron Joseph, at 24 weeks. He weighed 1 lb, 11 oz, and was 13" long. He only lived for three days and died of Grade IV IVH. I'll never forget any of it, but particularly not his last day. We knew when the neonatologist came into my room that the news was not good. When we went into the NICU, you could see how swollen his head was from across the room. While we were standing beside his isolette, within a span of only 10 minutes, he had 4 seizures. One of the hardest things was to have to explain it to our then 6 year old daughter. To say the whole experience was difficult doesn't even begin to cover it. I'll always love and miss him.

I became pregnant very quickly, despite being on the pill and certainly not being ready. I gave birth to Cameron Douglas at 28 weeks on February 5, 2005, after spending more than a month in the hospital and after exhaustive efforts to delay his birth. He was 1355 grams, just barely shy of 3 lbs, and was 15" long. He came home on April 9, at 5 lbs, 13 oz, and is now a very chubby 11 lbs, 8 oz. Developmentally, he's doing very well. I am incredibly blessed!

I can't imagine being anywhere else other than the NICU. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel that is where I'm meant to be. I know it won't be easy, but nothing worth anything in life is.

Tiffany

I'm so sorry about your loss. I know what you mean about being meant to do this. I have a daughter that was born in April that spent time in the NICU after she was born, she had two strokes during the delivery and kept having seizures afterward. She is doing quite well now, she'll be 6 months soon, and she is trying to learn to sit up now. But the care that the NICU nurses gave my baby, that I saw day after day was incredible. They treated her and loved her as if she was their own baby. I had always wanted to be a nurse, but after this happened I felt this was where I belong. I have never seen such beautifully kind and loving people as the nurses at Childrens Hospital in San Diego. (If any of you come on to this site.) Thank you! You inspire people to do great things because you are all great people!!!

[JaxRN]

I have done postpartum/well newborn nursery for 2 years and have just started a new job in a level II nursery. It is my first week and I already know that I made the right choice. I love the babies and there is so much to learn. Listening to the neonatalogists round in the morning is fascinating. At times it can get busy, but it is a controlled setting, everything/everyone is right there for you. I was really nervous going into this because I really don't like vents, chest tubes, etc...but caring for these little babies is so much different than caring for an adult on a med/surg floor. I think it will take a while for me to feel confident but I think I will like he high-risk care in a year or so. So I guess I can say I'm happy with my decision.