Just graduated highschool, need tips

Specialties NICU

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I just graduated school and am starting college in January hoping to get my Bachelors in Nursing. My main goal is to be an NICU nurse because my niece spent the majority of her life there before passing away and since then I've known that is what I wanted to do. So what would be your tips to help me accomplish this goal. I would also like to hear the most rewarding part of your job along with the worst thing.

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Hi,

The most rewarding part of my job was really connecting with different folks. The worse part was looking at my assignment and noticing i will have to work like a dog for the next 8 hours.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

At this point, I'd suggest you focus on the foundation of your nursing education: sciences. A&P, Chem, Micro, and the social sciences-psych and socio. Growth and Development.

As you get further along, find out if you can do a practicum or internship (whatever they might call it) where you can spend a semester in a NICU.

You can try applying to NICUs when you're in the last semester of school. Before you get into a NICU, you can take Neonatal Resuscitation Program and STABLE if you can find them in your area. Try to get into a NICU that has a new grad program. Makes a big difference.

Best of luck.

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You can try to find a NICU to volunteer at or work as a secretary if you can handle working while taking classes. This way you can get to know the staff, absorb a lot of information, and hopefully be hired with them once you get your license. There were a few nurses in our unit who did this. Also once you're in nursing school, some hospitals have positions for nursing students that are like a CNA. At my hospital they called it a nurse extern. I wasn't in a NICU nurse extern position but that's how I got my NICU job straight out of school because my manager in the PACU highly recommended me to the NICU manager. Good luck!

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