Is the NICU a good place to prepare for CRNA?

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Hi everyone, I posted this on a different forum and didn't get any replies so I thought I would repost it here. Any answers are appreciated.

I am currently in nursing school to get my BSN and I will graduate in December. I am interested in becoming a CRNA someday and am wondering whether the type of ICU I am most interested in will adequately prepare me for the profession. I have emailed the director of the school I want to attend and he told me that a NICU would be fine for admission but due to the lack of titrations and more complicated medications, I am wondering if it really would be? Have any of you worked in a NICU prior to starting a CRNA program? Did you feel adequately prepared for the classwork and then later on for the job itself?

thanks for any replies

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Specializes in Adult ICU (All over), NICU, Education.

I have worked both NICU and adult ICU. Since most of the issues in the NICU are resp issues, you may not be experienced enough handling a cardiac arrest. I do agree that you may not be exposed to the amount of drips you are exposed to in the adult world...Dopamine and Insulin are the drips that you see the most in NICU. If you work in a NICU that does ECMO, frequently enough, and you can get on the team that would be great. Good Luck!

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IMO, I think adult critical care wouldgive you more of an edge and prepare you better.

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I used to work in NICU and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I don't think it's where you want to be if you are planning on CRNA. There is just no comparison to the breadth of procedures and diagnoses you will see in adult ICU's. Even Pediatric ICU doesn't have the experiences they will expect you to bring to CRNA, although PICU has more experiences than NICU.

Adult ICU experience is the standard you will need to get into a program.

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Specializes in NICU.

I work with someone that is currently attending a CRNA program, she worked in NICU from the start and isn't having a problem.

Actually, we do deal with titrations of Dopamine, Dobutamine, pain meds, insulin etc., you also become experienced in arterial lines and respiratory support (obviously). If you go into NICU with the intention of working with the sickest babies, not just hanging out in feeder-grower land, you should get the experience you need without a problem. Good luck with your plans. :D

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

I am not a CRNA, but assume that there are fewer variations in types of care rendered when the population is restricted to a specific age group. Even if you ended up working as CRNA in pedi hospital only, you would not have background on older pedi patients, how to adjust for airway differences, lung volumes, drugs and gases.

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Thanks for all the replies everyone. You have been very helpful. :-)

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

I thought about this some more------- you will learn a lot in CRNA school. I doubt they expect you to know everything ahead of time. Therefore, ANY experience you get will be valuable. Go for it!

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