Maternal Newborn vs Low Risk Neonatal

Specialties NICU

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Specializes in PEDS ~ PP ~ NNB & LII Nursery.

Not sure if this thread should be in the NICU or Ob-Gyn Nursing discussion board . . . So, I am putting it in both :dncgbby:

I work in a hospital that combines L/D, PP, Normal Newborn and LII Nursery, and PEDS all together in one unit. I do everything except L/D. Got to love those ladies that do though!!! To my question...

I am planning to test for certification and am torn between the exam for Low Risk Neonatal Nursing and Maternal Newborn Nursing. All I know is I don't have enough experience for the NICU exam. :imbar and that is not my area of comfort anyway. I stabilize and ship those poor babes. Our facility is not set up for the care they need.

I looked at the practice questions (all 5) for each exam and they actually had 3 questions that were exactly the same! When I finished that very short example of questions I knew I was not getting an accurate feeling of either test as I ended up thinking... If that's all it is I can test right now! And from what I have heard honestly that is not an accurate feeling. I know no matter which certification I choose I am going to have to find resources to study and hopefully a practice test that is a bit more challenging, or at minimum a book with practice questions.

Any and all feedback is welcome. I have talked with my nurse manager about what she thought but it doesn't seem to matter which certification I am referring to at the time (been stressing about this for over a year now!) she has the same response, "Oh, that certification has the highest number of failures by test takers!" Gotta lover her, she is a ray of sunshine. :loveya: !!!

rags

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Specializes in L&D, Newborn Nursery, NICU.

I am a level II NICU nurse with a background similar to yours. My original job was in a L/D mother baby unit that had nursery and peds on the floor as well. There was some debate over here as to whether I should try to study and get my NICU certification or just do the low risk neonate cert. It seemed that people were trying to make me feel like it would be less valuable to have the low risk neonate cert-but this didn't make sense to me as a certification is a certification in my mind. So I don't think you should feel like one is better than another. Get the certification that you'd like to have. Do you want to work in mother/baby areas in the future? Do you think having the maternal component will be useful to you in the future? I think the poor pass rate for the low risk neonate might have more to do with mother/baby unit level I nursery nurses taking it thinking that "low risk" neonate means normal newborn. As you know, level II babies are anything but "normal". We just did our review course for the RNC exams and I feel like the low risk neonate exam is doable. It sounds like you are self-motivated and will study for whichever you choose to take. Good luck!

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Specializes in L/D 4 yrs & Level 3 NICU 22 yrs.

I totally agree with low-risk NOT being the same as normal newborn. I work in a large level 3 and we also have level 2 babies. I have the RNC-NIC cert and would strongly recommend that you test within your comfort level and not try to reach above that. Your cert shows you have expertise in a specialized field, no matter which one. Look online for study guides, figure out your weak areas and concentrate on them. Don't try to learn everything. There is too much material and you will become overwhelmed and frustrated. It is like the NCLEX, 1-2 questions about everything. So try to know a little bit about everything. Set a date and study a little bit each day. You can do it. Let me know if you need anything else! Good luck!!!

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Specializes in L/D 4 yrs & Level 3 NICU 22 yrs.
http://www.nccwebsite.org has a candidate guide with an outline of the content on the exam. Check it out.
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Specializes in PEDS ~ PP ~ NNB & LII Nursery.

Thank you so much flutterbynurse. You make some very valid points that will play a part in my decision. And... BTW... Your right there is nothing "normal" about a LII. Those little turds can keep you on edge your whole shift trying to figure out "just what are they doing???"

rags

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Specializes in PEDS ~ PP ~ NNB & LII Nursery.

Thank you, karnicurnc for the words of encouragement. I must admit though that the word... NCLEX.... made my little heart go up a few beats! But this time, it's for me. Not simply to get my licences after all that hard work getting through nursing school. I think that makes a HUGE difference!

Any good ideas on a book that offers good study questions or review for the Low Risk Neonate? I think that is the directions I am going to go. That really is my passion and most definitely more of a comfort zone for me.

rags

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Specializes in L/D 4 yrs & Level 3 NICU 22 yrs.

Unfortunately there isn't a concise study guide for this certification like there is for the high risk cert. I would suggest reviewing the outline in the candidate guide on the NCC website and purchasing a basic NICU resource book to study with. One that I have and really like is Handbook of Neonatal Intensive Care (Paperback) at Amazon.com for $42.18. While this book does cover level 3 material like HFOV, ECMO, etc, it also has level 2 content as well. Maybe one of your coworkers has a copy you could borrow and look over. I think it is a great resource, anyway. Again, I would try to concentrate on your weak area(s) and not spend too much time on what you already know well. I hope that helps! Let me know if you need a pep talk down the road!

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Specializes in PEDS ~ PP ~ NNB & LII Nursery.
Let me know if you need a pep talk down the road!

Will Do!!!

Rags

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I'm in the same boat as you are, Rags... And was wondering if you'd taken the LRN Certification test yet. If you did, how did it go??

Thanks in advance!

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