Switching to NICU

[SoldierNurse22]

Hello, all!

I am currently an active duty soldier serving in the Army at a military hospital. I am planning to separate from active duty in 2014 and am looking into civilian jobs. I have always enjoyed babies but never had a chance to work with little ones--I've always been on adult oncology, adult infusion, adult med/surg, etc.

My question is, what kind of additional training do you have that is specific to NICU? I currently have BLS and ACLS. I have seen some hospitals list NRP (?) as a requirement and some hospitals have their own NICU courses that are 5-10 hours as a prereq.

I know I'm at a disadvantage applying for a NICU job without experience in peds. Aside from hospital-specific courses, is there anything I can get as far as certifications/classes that might prepare me or make me more competitive for a job in NICU?

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

Amazon.com: Merenstein & Gardner's Handbook of Neonatal Intensive Care, 7e (9780323067157): Sandra Lee Gardner RN MS CNS PNP, Brian S. Carter MD FAAP, Mary I Enzman-Hines RN PhD CNS CPNP AHN-BC, Jacinto A. Hernandez MD PhD MHA FAAP: Books

Haha! I just ordered this the other night! :)

A little off-topic from the original post, but in your experience, how do employers feel about tattoos below the elbow in the NICU? As I recall, you're not allowed to wear anything below your elbow in the NICU, so you couldn't cover a tattoo if you did have one.

To clarify, I do NOT have any tattoos visible while in short sleeves, but I am curious as to whether or not the attitude has changed since I left the civilian sector or if it's about the same.

[prmenrs, RN]

I don't think tattoos are a problem. (depending on the subject matter!) Each unit/facility has it's own 'culture', so I'd think that would be something you'd have to check on later. I don't think it's a deal breaker in most cases.

Most places have a routine 'wash to the elbows' @ the start of the shift, and [frequent] handwashing the rest of the shift. That, and jewelry, or lack of, is more impt.

[prmenrs, RN]

BTW, I went to the app store and search 'neonatal' and got a LOT more stuff than I knew about. Fantastic and not all were pricey.

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

Cool! On both counts, even!

Thanks again, prmenrs. :-)