Is Mother/Baby a good way to get into NICU?

[heathermartin94]

I have received an offer for mother/baby as a new grad and I was wondering if this would be a good stepping stone in order to get into NICU. I don't really want to work in mother/baby but i am wiling to do it in order to get into NICU. Would you recommend going into postpartum right away after graduating?

[llg, PhD, RN]

It's not a bad way -- and it's certainly better than some routes. You'll get to practice newborn assessment, parent teaching, etc. and get a good foundation in the "normals" before moving to NICU and focusing on abnormals. The experience will do you good, if you let it.

[heathermartin94]

Would you think a medical/surgical unit would be a better way to start as a new grad? Or would Mother/Baby be a better unit to start in to get into NICU?

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

If you want to move into NICU, Mother/Baby would be a far better unit to get experience in for the reasons stated in previous post.

[KRVRN, BSN, RN]

If you can't go right to NICU, then mother-baby is a good choice. Mother-baby will be much more useful that med surg.

[feelix, RN]

Was hired into Mother/Baby with a promise of transfer to L&D which did not materialize for 6 years due to "lack of training resources". It is almost always impossible to move up. It is easier to move down the level of acuity.

If you are interested in any kind of ICU, get into an ICU first, then move horizontally.

[itsybitsy]

I came from L&D and postpartum and was basically a 'shoe-in' for NICU. I would say mother-baby would be SO much better than med-surg if you're looking to get into NICU. Also, if your hospital is small and mother-baby nurses cover the nursery, check to see what level nursery. Some hospitals that don't have NICU's will have a nursery that is technically a level II NICU and you might get some experience with some level II kids with respiratory interventions or antibiotics. That means you will also get some NICU experience. Although not full level III or IV, which I am assuming you're after, it is NICU experience none the less.

[BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN]

Was hired into Mother/Baby with a promise of transfer to L&D which did not materialize for 6 years due to "lack of training resources". It is almost always impossible to move up. It is easier to move down the level of acuity.

If you are interested in any kind of ICU, get into an ICU first, then move horizontally.

This may be true in the adult world but not really in NICU. Neonate are very different than adults. Nursery will give you a leg up in assessments, seeing the normal and picking up abnormal in neonates. Working with BFing moms is a plus also.

sorry this happened to you, but how could they not have enough help to orient someone? Sounds fishy.