Considering a career in NICU but have questions.

[gentle_ben_RN, ASN]

Hello NICU nurses! I'm a male RN with 3 years experience (general surgery and recovery room). I have always had a huge interest in NICU nursing. Neonates are an amazing and inspiring kind of patient. I have this heartfelt desire to learn more about your kind of nursing, but at the same time I have no experience with babies. I find it very intimidating to be responsible for such a small life. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I was curious about the probability of a male RN with no baby experience landing a job in NICU. Thanks everyone and props for the amazing work you do.

[RNSC]

:welcome: Come on in! Anyone with good skills and a heart for babies is welcome. As for no experience with babies, I was a 20 something woman with 5 years med-surg and no experience with babies not even baby sitting when I started. I was a little intimidated by babies at first but you learn and you fall in love with them and their parents. As for you being male, I work with 5-6 men in my unit. All but 2 are fathers so I think you'll be fine.

[llg, PhD, RN]

The founder of The National Association of Neonatal Nurses was a man. So was his successor as president of the organization. Several men have played key roles within the organizatin -- and I have worked with many men as a NICU nurse over the years.

Men are generally very welcomed within that specialty.

[dawngloves, BSN, RN]

We have men and women in our unit that started when they had no children or nursing experience. You and your expereince are very valuable. Makes no difference which way you put on your pants.

[SteveNNP, MSN, NP]

Hey Pacu-rn, and welcome to our thread!

I am a guy working in a Level III NICU for the past 2 years. I started with pretty much no experience caring for children. I wasn't sure I had the personality or the nurturing touch I knew was needed for this type of job. It ended up being the perfect fit for me. I left NICU to try the ED last year, and quickly returned to NICU, simply because babies had become my ideal patient. I love interacting with the parents, especially the dads, since they often feel left out. I have gotten used to all the bottles, diapers, and breastfeeding aspects of my job. I am thrilled to see the tiny 23 weeker I resuscitated in the delivery room grow up and leave the unit, and months later see him at our unit reunions a healthy baby. It's been fun becoming "one of the girls" as I am the only male RN in our Women's & CHildren's division. I've heard more about boobs and PMS and sexual escapades than I care to know, but I find it hilarious now. (and by the way, chicks think it's so hot that you save babies lives at work:>) So give it a try. It'll be a totally new experience from what you're doing in PACU, but it'll be worth it. Find a unit with a solid orientation of at least 10 weeks, and go into it with a mind open for learning. It'll be a steep learning curve, but you'll enjoy it. Best of Luck!

Stephen RN/BSN NICU/PICU

[gentle_ben_RN, ASN]

Thanks everyone for the info. and encouragement..esp. SteveRN21. What you were talking about are exactly the things that are so intimidating for me. We have a level 3 NICU at the hospital where I work. I think I'll stay in PACU a little while longer because the flexibility is great (I'm back in school working on BSN). But I really would like to try NICU and see if it's for me. I appreciate all the support, and keep the advice coming. Have a great weekend everyone.