does anybody NOT like nicu???

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Specializes in OB, Cardiac.

It's seems that everyone i encounter absolutely loves nicu. which is great & motivates me even more to want to work in nicu!!! so does anybody not like it??

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Specializes in Cardiac Stepdown and CVSICU.

i have never worked nicu but did part of my maternity i clinical rotation in the nicu. i hated every minute of it. all those babies on all the tubes and machine... i spent 4 hours rocking a heroin addicted premie...i watched the doctor tell 2 really wonderful people that their baby had downs and some type of leukemia...after that, i went home and cried & cried. nicu is definitely not for me. my heart can't take it.

jmho

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Specializes in OB, Cardiac.
i have never worked nicu but did part of my maternity i clinical rotation in the nicu. i hated every minute of it. all those babies on all the tubes and machine... i spent 4 hours rocking a heroin addicted premie...i watched the doctor tell 2 really wonderful people that their baby had downs and some type of leukemia...after that, i went home and cried & cried. nicu is definitely not for me. my heart can't take it.

jmho

i figured if someone didn't like nicu it would be because of the sadness that can come along w/ working there. thanks.

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i figured if someone didn't like nicu it would be because of the sadness that can come along w/ working there. thanks.

When I was in school I wanted to work NICU too. Everyone told me it was too sad, so I did adult ICU. A few years later I saw firsthand NICU was not a sad place, so I finally got the nerve to do it. I lost as many pts my first year in adults as my entire career in NICU. People are surprised when I tell them 99% of our babies are discharged from our unit.It is it so rewarding to see that 600 gm baby you worked so hard over/with go home, have that drug addicted baby cuddle up against you and go to sleep, get the Down's baby to finally take a whole bottle. I wish I had done this sooner!

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Specializes in NICU.

I have my moments of not liking NICU. I think it's more not-liking-work in general though.

I love NICU. Love it. It's definitely not for everyone though.

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I am a NICU RN, I absolutely love taking care of babies. I don't love the tenseness of the unit along with the cliques. I feel like I am in high school all over again. Except this time we are supposed to be watching over little lives not chatting it up and playing on the computer all night.

Is it like that everywhere?

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I am a NICU RN, I absolutely love taking care of babies. I don't love the tenseness of the unit along with the cliques. I feel like I am in high school all over again. Except this time we are supposed to be watching over little lives not chatting it up and playing on the computer all night.

Is it like that everywhere?

It's like that at every job.

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Question for the NICU people: I have all adult med-surg experience since graduation, and would like to do NICU, however it seems that there is a lot of competition for the few positions in the large peds hospitals. Would it help if I had priv. duty peds experience (neonatal)? There are so many agencies in my area that they are offering to train those people w. no peds experience (for the in-home vent cases). Thanks for advising.

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lcc1080: best to start another thread with that one.

Welcome to Allnurses!

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Specializes in NICU- now learning OR!.

I think for the most part we all "hate" aspects of the job.

I hated watching a 26 weeker with a MASSIVE brain bleed have cluster seizures over and over and over....

I hated caring for the former 24 weeker who was very neurologically damaged that my soft, simple touch would make him scream as if I were stabbing him...sigh....

I think any nursing job exposes us to moments that we simply "hate" because no one wants to watch another human being suffer, or be in excruciating pain. Sometimes it is worse when it is a tiny, helpless baby who is suffering.....

I still love NICU - it is where I belong.

Jenny

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Specializes in PICU, surgical post-op.

my fine motor skills aren't good enough.

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my fine motor skills aren't good enough.

:confused:

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