Med-Surg to NICU?

[ellamia]

Hi nursing friends! I'm hoping those with similar experiences can help me out. I am currently a registered nurse on the med-surg floor at my local community hospital. I have been in nursing for three years, but only in the hospital setting for approx 18 months. Although I love and appreciate all of the experience I have obtained in my current position, I am longing for a change. Med-surg, for me, has always been a means to lead to another specialty down the road. I always thought the specialty I wanted to learn was L&D, however lately I have been drawn to learn more about NICU nursing.

• Do you feel that I have sufficient experience at this point?
  
• How long do you think orientation would be for a nurse with my level of experience?
  
• Do you know of any NICU units that allow nurses from other specialties and/or hospitals shadow for a short time in order to see if this unit is a good fit before actually applying for a position?
  
• Tips in general?
  

Thanks so much in advance - I appreciate your input and really enjoy reading about others' experiences in the wonderful world of nursing. :)

[prmenrs, RN]

I was just about to suggest you move to L&D 1st. You're still taking care of adults, but learning a LOT about normal deliveries and babies, risk factors, complications. It will give you a stronger background going in to NICU in 18 months or so.

Babies are a whole 'nother species than adults. Different meds, dosages, norms. It will feel like you are a new grad all over again. Which is not a bad thing, really. But it is kind of a shock to the system. L&D gets you in the neighborhood, so to speak.

Best wishes!

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

I suggest applying to PICU jobs. They handle patients from newborn to 17 yr olds. So you will get exposure to the sick babies while still having adult patients (some teenagers are bigger than adults).