From school to NICU?

SmilingBluEyes · Apr 10, 2005

yes it is possible and you will get conflicting answers as to whether you "should" or not do this right out of school. I am one who says go for your dreams, whether right out of school or not, others will tell you get the requisite year of med-surg first. My experience truly is , MOTIVATION is what makes one a good "speciality" nurse, not just experience in med-surg. Actually, med-surg is so different from NICU, it's not even close.

Your challenge will be to find a hospital/unit that will hire a new grad into their NICU. The chances are pretty small. Good luck and best wishes to you.

Jolie, BSN · Apr 10, 2005

i just want to know if it is possiable to go from school to NICU and is that a good idea or should i go someplace else first

If you search the archives othe NICU forum, you will find several discussions of this topic.

My personal experience and advice is: Go to the NICU, go directly to the NICU, do not pass "Go", and do not collect $200!

Most large NICUs in teaching and referral centers routinely hire new grads, and are well-versed in orienting them. Proir experience is not necessary, and may not even be desirable, unless it is in peds or OB, which are specialties that are tougher to get into as a new grad.

Find a reputable hospital willing to provide you with at least a 12 week orientation 1:1 with a preceptor, including classroom instruction. Inquire about the ratio of experienced nurses (at least 2 years in the NICU) to newbies on the unit and shift you will work. Run from any unit which has less than 50% experienced nurses. You will need experienced nurses to mentor you and back you up as you begin to practice on your own.

good luck, and enjoy!

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Apr 10, 2005

Run from any unit which has less than 50% experienced nurses

Excellent advice here, not only for the reasons given, but also because if a unit cannot keep experienced nurses and has to rely upon new/recent grads for staffing, I promise you there is a reason why.

HappyNurse2005, RN · Apr 10, 2005

Well, the NICU I interviewed with last week was hiring new grads, otherwise I wouldn't have had an interview!

Ify ou want to do it-go for it.

nursingblahblah · Apr 12, 2005

yes it is possible and you will get conflicting answers as to whether you "should" or not do this right out of school. I am one who says go for your dreams, whether right out of school or not, others will tell you get the requisite year of med-surg first. My experience truly is , MOTIVATION is what makes one a good "speciality" nurse, not just experience in med-surg. Actually, med-surg is so different from NICU, it's not even close.
Your challenge will be to find a hospital/unit that will hire a new grad into their NICU. The chances are pretty small. Good luck and best wishes to you.

I am pretty lucky to ALREADY work in the hospital so i have a good chance i think

lady_jezebel · Apr 12, 2005

i just want to know if it is possiable to go from school to NICU and is that a good idea or should i go someplace else first

My advice is always:

1) If you have a passion, follow that dream first -- otherwise, you'll constantly long to be doing it while you're in another job

2) If you have no idea what you want to do in nursing, do med-surg first -- it's great broad-based experience!

SmilingBluEyes · Apr 12, 2005

well if you think your chances are good, why would you wonder? sounds to me as if it's a matter of whether you want to or not. If that is your dream, then why not ask those who work there (since you know them already) and ask for some honest opinions about the unit and how they like working there. That seems a logical next step for you.

Good luck to you.

ButterflyRN04 · Apr 12, 2005

I say go for it. A friend I graduated with started in NICU at the same hospital I work in. Her orientation was 16 weeks. If you are not able to get hired in NICU try a pediatric floor/hospital. Its still very different from NICU but you will have that pediatric experience and you might even have some contact with NICU patients. I work pediatrics and we sometimes have patients from NICU that are transfered to our floor. I would not recommend you work in med/surge if you can't work in NICU. Peds and med/surge are very different, especially concerning medications, you are constantly calculating medication doses according to patient weights, so it would be very good practice for you especially since dosing in NICU is so precise.

jeepgirl, LPN, NP · Apr 12, 2005

Peds or Nursery will be more beneficial to her if she can't go straight to NICU.

NICU is so different from other specialties. A general med surg would probably help you only on an organizational basis.