Neonatal Nursing career

Kimbern · Jan 24, 2018

Also, or is a there some kind of different path that I should be aware about?? For example, I go straight into the Air Force and become a nurse there?

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Jan 24, 2018

But these past couple of years I was thinking instead of becoming just a traditional RN nurse, I want to become a Neonatal nurse.

You either go to school for your ASN or BSN, take the NCLEX exam to become an RN, get hired at a hospital as a NICU nurse. There is no additional schooling after getting your RN. NICU is a popular specialty and may be difficult to get a job in a NICU as a new grad. If there is a hospital close to where you live that has a NICU, try to get a PCA/PCT job or unit secretary job in the NICU while going to nursing school. You may have a better chance of getting hired after graduation. Another option is to find a school that has a Senior Capstone placement/ Internship class in which in your final semester you are placed in a specialty that interests you. You are assigned a nurse who will teach you that specialty. My Capstone placement was a 135 hr (twelve 12 hr shifts) placement in a Level IV NICU. It helped me get a job in a Level IV NICU as a new grad. The last option is a summer externship. Similar to the Senior Capstone placement/Internship, you are placed with a nurse to learn the specialty except that in a Summer Externship it is not part of nursing school. It is a summer job (paid) that gives you training in that specialty. All of our Summer Externs are hired into our NICU after graduation.

After I build up skills and have experience in the NICU I want to work in Air Force as a Neonatal Nurse.

Air Force requires you to have a BSN and one year experience as a nurse (6 months in NICU). I have no knowledge as to how difficult it is to get a NICU job in the military.

babyNP., APRN · Jan 24, 2018

Guy- it can be difficult in regards to the military. The military has its own needs and will not shed a tear if you don't get your desired specialty. It's possible to do NICU, but if OP truly wants to do NICU and nothing else, I would stay out of the military.

I personally know 2 neonatologists (for the OP, this is the baby doctor who specializes in the NICU) who were required to work in a family practice clinic after they completed their pediatric residency & neonatal fellowship...!!! I asked one of them what in the heck, how did they know what to do and she was like, yeah I spent a lot of time studying from my med school days after clinic every day.

prmenrs, RN · Jan 28, 2018

I think you should take one step @ a time. Focus on your science classes in HS--you should @ least take chemistry and biology. If you have access to a community college, take medical terminology during a summer session. Next, college. Go for a BSN. Take your non science subjects first--English, History, Psych 101, and Sociology. Then your Anatomy, Physio, Chemistry. By then you should be into your nursing courses. If you can do a NICU focused internship or Senior seminar, whatever your college calls it.

If you go into the military, their needs will dictate what and where you work. You can tell them you want NICU, but they need to care for the servicemen and women first, so be forewarned. Everytime you change stations, ask for NICU again. Eventually, you'll probably get what you want.

Best wishes for a successful and rewarding career.

Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN · Feb 4, 2018

unless you enjoy having parents looking over u shoulder all day and i mean all day go find another area.