Monday is the BIG day

Awesome! I am still a student, so I can't really help you there except just keep your mind open and take in everything you can. If you start to feel overwhelmed, stop and take a deep breath and remember that you can do this. You're not going to know how to do everything at once, so don't expect to, just breathe and learn and enjoy! Think of it like clinicals at first, you don't know much going in, but you learn as you go and you get help where you need it.

Best of luck - the NICU is my dream and I hope to be in your shoes after I graduate! I wish you all the best, let us know how it goes!

Well Monday marks my first day of orientation to the NICU and i cannot describe the amount of anxiety i am experiencing. I am so nervous, excited, scared, worried, happy, sad you name it i am feeling it. I just hope i do well. How did all of you cope with that first day?

How exciting for you! First off, I'd like to say congratulations. All of those feelings were quite familiar to me before my first day too. Actually, they were ever present for quite some time! As newbies, everyone has them and if they don't, they should! :chuckle I've been doing this around a year and I still get nervous at times. As far as coping, I'd have to say, remember to breathe! Try and absorb as much as possible; no one expects you to know much at this juncture, so don't feel like you have to! Keep an open mind when it comes to learning experiences and know that you're jumping into the best jobs out there (in my humble opinion, ). As the days and months fly by you'll find yourself adjusting to your new role as a NICU RN.

SO (phew), best of luck to you on your first day!! I hope it's awesome!

Best of luck to you as you start in the NICU tomorrow!

I am starting my third week of NICU orientation. How long is your orientation? It is great that you are starting now, maybe we can be new NICU nurse buddies.

How'd your first day go?? One thing to remember, as SteveRN21 said, the rest of us didn't know anything about caring for sick neonates when we started either, so absorb as much as you can and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Hope your first day went well!

I remember being extremely nervous and feeling as if I knew nothing at the end of my first day. As did the rest of my orientation buddies. It is a transition from nursing school, and nursing school was your foundation, but now it's really time to learn about neonates. You will be doing this throughout your orientation, and throughout your YEARS as a NICU RN.

Congrats!