i was wondering what steps i should take to become a neonatal nurse.

[EDM]

hello,

I am still in high school with just one more year left. For some time now I have been looking at getting into the nursing field, but I wasnt sure what direction I wanted to go in, up until i had to do a project in school and fell in love with the idea of becoming a neonatal nurse. I was just woundering what steps you might have taken in becoming a neonatal nurse to give an idea of foot to get off on. thank you for your time

[NurseforPreggers]

Complete nursing school and you can be any kind of nurse you want, thats the great part. If you want to work in Neonatal Intensive Care you will have to go through an RN program, either ADN or BSN (associate or bachelor's). I don't know if well baby nursery's hire LPNs or not. My hospital doesn't use them for anything except Med-Surg.

[Gompers, BSN, RN]

If you plan on going to a four-year university to get a Bachelor's in nursing, make sure to apply to the school's school of nursing when you send in your application senior year. It seems to be much easier to get a spot in a nursing program that way. It's much harder to transfer into a program than it is to begin as a freshman, because they usually don't have many spots left. Don't waste time being "undeclared" in the college's school of arts and sciences - declare nursing as your major before you set foot on that campus.

Just what seemed to help a lot of my friends and coworkers.

[EDM]

here's another guestion. Do you have to be an RN to work in the NICU or can you be a NP? and the fact that I'm still in high school, what courses should i look at that would help me become a nurse?thank you

[suzanne4, RN]

A nurse practitioner is an RN who has gotten an MSN with an emphasis in direct clinical care. as a primary provider............for neonatal nurse practitioner programs they suggest that you have at least two years experience before attending...........

I suggest that you try and shadow an RN in the NICU to see if that is something that you would really like. Much different seeing it on paper then actually being in the unit for a day or two.

Good luck to you.

[Gompers, BSN, RN]

here's another guestion. Do you have to be an RN to work in the NICU or can you be a NP? and the fact that I'm still in high school, what courses should i look at that would help me become a nurse?thank you

If you want to work hands-on with the babies and be with them at the bedside, that's a nurse. A nurse practitioner does what is basically a doctor's job - instead of being at the bedside all day with one or two babies, like a nurse, they spend their day overseeing the care of many babies - performing procedures, ordering treatments and medications, etc.

Either way, you can't be a neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP) unless you've had at least 2 years of NICU nursing experience, so you don't have to decide now. But since you're thinking about it, I'd skip the community college programs and go straight to a four-year university to get your Bachelor's degree. It's just much easier that way.

In high school, let your guidence counselor know ASAP that you're interested in nursing. Every school has different courses, and they'll know what ones will help you the most. They'll also be able to look into the colleges you are interested in and tell you what requirements they have for acceptance into their nursing programs, so that you'll be sure to get those specific needs met.

Good luck!