How do I explain my new job?

Specialties NICU

Published

I'll be starting work as an RN in the NICU in a few weeks--a job I've always wanted :) . . . but when I tell people where I'll be working most of them respond with something like, "Oh, how can you stand to hurt those poor babies?" It makes me feel kind of like an ogre :rolleyes:

I'll be working at a level III NICU and we get babies from several states, but most of them do go home, although a lot of the wee ones are discharged to other hospitals to grow first.

Do any of you get that reaction from people and how do you respond? Maybe I'll have a better answer after I've worked there for awhile, but at this point I really don't know what to say :confused:

Specializes in NICU.

When I began, the theory was that preemies don't FEEL pain. Now it's come to that they don't REMEMBER.

Too bad we can't talk to the former premies to hear what they felt and remember...

Hmm, maybe we can... I think I will search for them.

Kat

"at the end of the day faith is a funny thing. it turns up when you don't really expect it. it’s like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. the castle, well, it may not be a castle. and it's not so important... happy ever after, just that it’s happy right now. see, once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you, and once in a while people may even take your breath away."

dr. meredith grey

hi :)

i borrowed this saying off of one of my parents blogs....you will soon find that your explanations do not make much sense to those who have never held a 2 pound miracle fighting for their life before....i just tell others that miracles come to us ready for the fight, however tiring quickly due to things not within their control....tiny bodies, equal tiny systems, and fighting the biggest battles... without the arterial line monitoring their blood pressure, the uvc allowing fluids and life saving drugs, without the tube giving the tired lungs air....yes preemies, feel pain, and yes it has been proven that they remember....even proven that the smell of an alcohol swab can begin the pain response.....so as nicu nurses...we need to know...that the things we do are felt...learning how we can make these interventions less painful or tolerated easier is very important.

http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v6/n9/full/nm0900_971.html

an article you may find interesting :)

welcome to the nicu, be patient with others...and know how much of a difference you are making in the lives of your patients :)

+ Add a Comment