Interested in pursuing a career in the NICU

[arichards488]

Hello,

I am a third semester nursing student and have been trying to figure out which specialty would be right for me. I spent two days in the NICU and I loved it so much that I want to pursue it. I plan to get my BSN after my associates. I wanted to know if there are any certificates you would recommend I obtain to boost my chances of getting my foot into the NICU? Any associations or groups you recommend I join? Also, what are some of the pros/cons of being a NICU nurse?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

7 hours ago, arichards488 said:

I wanted to know if there are any certificates you would recommend I obtain to boost my chances of getting my foot into the NICU?

NRP and STABLE are the only two certifications that would be available to you, but there is no real value in you having them before getting hired since all new hires go through NRP in their first few weeks during orientation. A Capstone in a NICU or a job as a PCA in a NICU is more useful to getting a job than getting NRP.

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

15 hours ago, arichards488 said:

I wanted to know if there are any certificates you would recommend I obtain to boost my chances of getting my foot into the NICU? Any associations or groups you recommend I join? Also, what are some of the pros/cons of being a NICU nurse?

You must be an experienced nicu nurse before taking any critical care certification,I would concentrate on learning the maternal child areas really well as nicu encompasses those areas including peds since you might be able to get a foot in the peds floor first.

Your math skills better be good, and not be bothered by having parents up your butt all day long.

Nrp as the other writer said you must take on the job, and everything has an expiration date so wait til you are employed and they send you to class.

[babyNP., APRN]

This isn’t a popular opinion on this forum, but I would recommend taking NRP as a nursing student if it won’t affect your grades at school and you have the time to devote studying for it.

Getting a capstone or practicum is more important to an employer but you may not be able to get one while in school. Whereas you can take NRP as long as there is a class offered.

Getting into the NICU can be very hard and if you’re serious about it I would take any advantage you can. I did it as a nursing student and I have since taught NRP to students who did very well.

you can also look to see if you can get a job as a nursing aide in a NICU. Check out children’s hospitals which frequently hire for this sort of thing.

Best of luck to you and let us know how it goes.

[gatornurse305, BSN, MSN]

I got hired into the NICU as a new grad and that was because the hospital was offering an internship program for new grads. The only thing that may have helped me was volunteering in the NICU, while I was in college. And as others have stated, is trying to get your practicum in the NICU as I’ve seen they’ve hired nursing students after they’ve graduated.