Give yourself a little pat on the back!

[huggietoes]

I am currently an ER nurse and while I do not find it totally rewarding the excitement keeps me coming back for more, I am considering a part time position as a NICU nurse so that I can continue in ER but pursue an area I had considered since graduating nursing school.

So, if you would be so kind tell me what area of nursing you were in before NICU, what makes a good NICU nurse, what you love about NICU and what you hate--any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[dawngloves, BSN, RN]

Well I can understand loving the excitement of the ER. It can be pretty exciting going to deliveries, even if it's only a term kid vacuum extraction.Hanging over the isolette of a real sick kid is also exciting in a sense. But a lot of days it's not so exciting. You have four feeder/growers or you have a stable vent that you pretty much just look at for 12 hours, you hunch over a mom breastfeeding for the first time for half an hour.

I like having the sick kids. I'm an excitment junkie too. I did big people CCU/ICU before.

I have a lot of loves, like the one I mentioned above. I love having the little feeder grower sleep on my chest after finally taking a whole bottle! I love weaning a vent kid down to 21%.

I hate a lot of things too. PITA parents that yell at their 24 weeker, "Open you eyes for Daddy!" over and over, I hate assembly line feedings, I hate when labor floor calls us too early or too late for a delivery.

You have an advantage as you know a good deal about critical care meds and working under pressure. But you'll be blown away by the dosages and the first time you put a BP cuff on a little leg how fast it inflates!

That's my two cents. Hope it helps.