would working in peds help with NICU?

NeoNurseTX, RN · Mar 16, 2009

Can you work as a LPN in level II? We have at least one in ours.

I think peds would be more beneficial towards NICU than adults...I'm sure you'll get some babies.

picurn10 · Mar 16, 2009

I'm not sure, I'll have to look into it though. How can I go about doing this research? Do I just call the nurse recruiter at the hospitals?

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Mar 16, 2009

Peds isn't likely to help too much with the actual care of sick neonates, which is complex and specific to the population. BUT... it will help with learning how to interact with families. There's a lot of teaching involved in both areas, so you'll get a lot of practice in how to explain things so parents and siblings understand. Now, if you could work in a Level II nursery that would be ideal. By all means call the recruiter and ask questions. That's why they're there!

Sweeper933 · Mar 16, 2009

If you're able to work mother/baby that might help a lot as well. That way you'll be working with healthy, normal newborns. It helps to know what is normal in a newborn, that way you can spot the abnormal things a little quicker. Preemies can be a whole different ball of wax when compared to adults, so having some baby experience would help.

ECUPirateRN · May 16, 2009

The hospital I work in (I work in Pediatrics) doesn't hire LPNs. At all. Even in the adult world. There are a total of 8 LPNs that work in the hospital (which is a major university/teaching hospital) and they have been there for about 15 years or so. I know this has to be regionally based so check into that also while looking for jobs. I just started orienting to NICU last night. Policy on our floor is for Peds RNs to be oriented to NICU and PICU so we can be pulled as needed. Our patient load would be the feeders and growers or babies that are still in O2 via NC. I have to say, I was really worried about orienting to the NICU. Unfortunately, at my hospital, there is a bit of a rivalry between NICU and Peds. Peds RNs are often pulled down there but our floor is so well-staffed that we RARELY have a PICU or NICU nurse pulled to our floor. But I really loved NICU! It was really great. I REALLY love tasky things so I think that being on a schedule was beneficial to me.

Sorry for the rambling and the off-topic-ness...I am really sleepy and haven't been to sleep yet! That is night shift for ya! Good luck in what you decide to do while in nursing school.

picurn10 · May 16, 2009

well, luckily in my area of the country almost all hospitals hire LPN's. There are two hospitals here who don't hire LPN's at all, and one is the big children's hospital in town However, there are several (including the one I really have my sights set on) that have peds and a small NICU so I'm thinking I may see about getting on there.

The thing is, I've already been admitted into an RN program, so even if I work as an LPN it's going to be for less than a year so I don't know if I should just do a year of med-surg or try to get my foot in the door of peds? That's kind of cool that they have you cross-train and float in both, so maybe a year in peds would really help me...

ECUPirateRN · May 16, 2009

I'm thinking that if you really want to work in the NICU and you have a chance right now of working in Adult Med Surg and Peds, go with Peds. You will still get a good education in general med/surg working with the little ones. I like to call it a specialized med/surg!! You will learn about how to work with difficult families, how to get families involved (Go Family-Centered Care!!). We often care for little ones on our floor also. We get NICU grads who get admitted very soon after graudation who just couldn't cut it at home. We also get newborns with hyperbili who need phototherapy. You will get the chance to do an assessment on a relatively "normal" infant which will get you familiar with what to look for when you go on to assess a critically ill infant later. For example, to an extent, all newborns are going to belly breathe but that doesn't necessarily count as "retractions." Peds is great. I liked NICU. I can't say about PICU yet. But if you want to work with the little ones, I say go for peds.

ECUPirateRN · May 16, 2009

...just thought of this...Wherever you go, I wouldn't make a point of advertising that where you really want to be is NICU just for the fact that I don't know of many managers who are going to want to take the time and resources to orient an LPN just to have them turn around in a year and leave. When I started last year as a new nurse they told us how much it costs to orient 1 new RN for a 4-5 month orientation and while I can't remember the eact number, i was quite a lot. Some may disagree with me about this but I really think that you don't want to burn bridges or just look like the girl who is taking advantage of a program. I kno our peds floor is in demand. There is a 2 year waitlist to work there (or so they say...I didn't get put on a wait list and I didn't work there in nursing school) and we never have job openings. So I would also be wary of taking a position from someone who really wants to make a career in peds. Sorry...don't mean to all the sudden sound like a downer!!

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · May 16, 2009

Unfortunately here in NY, many acute care facilities don't hire LPNs at all, let alone in NICU. Here they are gunning to hire only BSN prepared RNs in NICU.

ECUPirateRN · May 16, 2009

Just out of curiosity, how do you guys who are actually staff nurses feel about having only BSN nurses in NICU? Does it really make that much of a difference between BSN prepared and ADN prepared nurses? I could not see myself in the near future getting my BSN. I have a BS degree in a health field and went for my ADN, mostly b/c it is so much less expensive and I owe a ridiculous amount in student loans! I have not met a problem so far in my practice and most of the nurses I work with have ADNs. I would hate to be in a position where I am forced to go back to school.

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · May 16, 2009

Nope. No one cares if you have an ADN or a BSN, as long as you are competent and professional.