Does anyone have any tips on getting a level 4 NICU position as new grad?

Are you graduating from an ASN or BSN program?

When do you graduate?

I'I'm in a BSN program and I don't graduate until 2019.

Thank you so much for the advice!

I'll be graduating in May and I will be working in a level IV NICU. Everything IIg said is important but I can expand on a couple of those points.

1. Choose NICU topics whenever possible for research because you'll find that caring for neonatal patients is a whole different ball of wax from treating adults. And at least at the two schools in my area, neonatal nursing is taught for about 20 minutes before spending the rest of the pediatrics course learning about healthy newborns.

2. I was lucky to have a job in a NICU which is where I actually found out it was what I wanted to do upon graduating. Being around it in any way possible is a fantastic experience and if you find a few nurses who are willing to show you the interesting stuff you'll be very well off. Although I was also very proactive and did my own research on some of the conditions because like I said, they aren't really taught in school.

3. Volunteering/Internships in the NICU's in my area is not an option for students so the summer between my first and second year of nursing school I got a second job as a tech in my hospital's ICU. I know that babies and adults are different but I was able to learn quite a bit of general stuff about art lines, dialysis, therapeutic hypothermia, how to handle code situations, and just general ICU stuff that I felt might have given me a boost in my interview.

Now my own bit of advice as someone who was in your shoes two years ago...

Keep an open mind about what you want to do after graduation. If you're anything like me you might find yourself looking for completely different jobs after school. When I started school I was like 100% sure that i would be some kind adult CVICU or ED nurse and now I'm going to work with little babies. The job I took as a secretary in NICU was supposed to help me get my foot in the door to transfer to one of those departments and now I've worked there for 3 years and couldn't imagine working anywhere else. That being said I'm also hoping to cross train to PICU because there is a PEDs CVICU at my hospital and I'm still fascinated by hearts. It just goes to show how your interests and passions can change in such a short amount of time.

Get experience in the field (or a closely related one) before you graduate.

1. When you have the opportunity to choose a school project topic, chose a NICU one. Do great work, get an A, and include it in your resume and portfolio.

2. Get a part time job working in a NICU (nursing assistant, secretary, anything) or related specialty -- preferably in the hospital where you want to work.

3. Get a summer externship in a NICU or related specialty

3. Volunteer in a NICU or related specialty -- preferably for the hospital where you want to work

4. If your program includes a senior year preceptorship, do it in NICU. Talk to your faculty now to find out if that can be done -- and do whatever you have to do to secure that clinical assignment for yourself.

These are the only way we hire new grads.