Is NICU Nursing right for me?

babyNP., APRN · Oct 14, 2008

Holding babies is awesome and I love that about my job, but I would caution that if you work in a level III NICU, you won't do a lot of holding because many of the babies need to NOT be touched b/c they're so sick!

I would focus on getting into nursing school first. There are pre-req's to get if you don't have them, like Anatomy and Physiology, statistics, chemistry, etc. It's somewhat easier to get into an ADN (community college) program rather than a BSN (bachelor's), but then again it's easier to get into the NICU as a BSN graduate instead of an ADN graduate. Legally, both graduates have the same scope of practice and are not different. Many people who are short on money get their ADN and then do a year program to get their BSN since it's a lot cheaper.

If I were you, I'd go straight for my RN license instead of becoming an LPN because many people get stuck on being an LPN. Getting your CNA certificate may be helpful for you to understand how healthcare works and will look good on your nursing school application.

As far as getting into the NICU when you're all done with school, it's easier to get a job if you're willing to move or if you get lucky in your own area. I got lucky and am a newly graduated BSN nurse who got into an internship program that's 5 months long where I have classroom once a week for 4 hours and being with a preceptor the other 36 hours. So, it's definitely doable without going into another nursing specialty (don't let anyone tell you that you need to do a year of med-surg first), but it can be difficult to find a job that takes new grads.

If you're not able to get in, go with labor and delivery or pediatrics instead of an adult floor unless you find something else to be your calling.

As far as being a nurse...I'll post an abbreviated version of what I put in my blog recently:

"...but I will say that I will dare defy anyone who says that nursing isn't hard. You might think that taking care of little babies would be easy and fun. The latter half is correct, but certainly not the former. I definitely earn every single penny of the salary that I get from them.
This job is extremely detail-oriented and there are a million things to keep track of. And that's just ONE patient. Add in two (and I'm supposed to do up to 3?!) and you run the risk of forgetting that this patient has anti-retrovirals for HIV and this other patient is on Lasix to take care of the fluid out of his lungs. One of them is on Enfamil Premature 24kcal formula while the other is on breastmilk that needs to be fortified with this type of powder to make it 28kcal and then suddenly you get an order that changes the amount of the formula or the type or the number of calories that are supposed to be in the formula or breast milk.
And that's just a very small slice of the picture. Put in respiratory care, teaching parents (or working with social work for parents that aren't in the picture or shouldn't be in the picture), physical therapy, drawing up blood labs, interpreting vital signs and wondering if your kid is well enough to wean to an open crib or should stay in the isolette, intakes and outputs, special procedures to prepare the baby for (getting a PICC line (basically an IV into a big vein that threads into the heart) into a baby is HARD. So says my feet that stood still without moving for 45 minutes holding a baby under a sterile field and my mind abound with worry that I wouldn't be able to catch up on my charting). Plus remembering to check for new orders every few hours as the docs/NNPs (nurse practitioner) will change their minds and not tell you. I could go on and on.
Oh, yeah, and all of this means nothing when your patient codes and you focus on trying to keep the kid alive, oblivious to your other patients unless they start to code too. I haven't had a kid code, but enough that I've had to stimulate and bag a kid for a few minutes a few times."

...

That may sound like a bit of whining, but I do absolutely adore my job. I wake up in the morning and I look forward to going to work! If your passion is the NICU, go for it! I'm so lucky to love my profession.