Wanna be NICU Nurse, discouraged and Needs Advice

[Mandy52203]

Hey Everyone,

I am currently at the end of my first semester at a community college. I am in what they call their "Allied Health" program. I'm working on my pre-reqs for nursing and have all straight A's except for math. I work at a local hospital in a telemetry unit and almost all of the nurses I work with are telling me to skip my associate's degree and go straight for my bachelor's. I'm really confused as to what would be the best path for me. I have called a couple of BSN colleges in my area, and most of them are extremely grim about my chances of getting into a BSN program as a transfer student:( My ultimate goal is to become a NICU nurse. I'm wondering if anyone has any opinions as to what would be the best route to get there.

Thank you in advance:)

[Jules A, MSN]

If you need to work while going to school to me it makes far more sense to do the ADN degree first. It is cheap and you will be making similar to what BSN nurses make. Back when I graduated there were a couple of fellow students from my community college that started right in NICU. That probably won't happen in the employment climate that is going on today but that doesn't mean you won't eventually be able to do NICU. Perhaps you could start in L&D? You are lucky in that you have contacts at the hospital already. The other thing I wanted to mention is that most people I went to school with didn't end up pursuing what they originally thought once they had more exposure to different specialities. It doesn't sound like you are even in the nursing program yet so I'd be patient. Good luck!

[Mimi2RN, ASN, RN]

If the ADN program works best for you now, don't worry about it. There are many programs available to follow up with your BSN, and at our hospital you can get assistance with your tuition.

As far as NICU is concerned, sometimes we hire new grads, sometimes we don't. A year or so ago we had a bunch of interns, but now we are looking for experienced nurses. This just goes in cycles. You need RN after your name, and ADN or BSN doesn't matter. I started with m/s for about 18 months, then moved to the Peds unit for several years before we relocated and I was hired for NICU.

Just get on with your education, you never know what doors will open!