New Grad NICU Support Thread

Sorry to hear you didn't get your dream job but I am so happy for you that you got a job! You have such a positive attitude, and you will thrive in your new unit!!

And yes, God has a plan! Best of luck to you!

It's okay...it doesn't mean that I can't ever work in NICU, it just means that NOW isn't the best time. I can transfer after 6 months if a spot is open. We'll see what happens :) The floor I'm on will be great experience, nonetheless, even though it's not an area I'm extremely interested in. The telemetry experience will look good for any area I want to go to in the future, they said. Most importantly, I am putting my nursing license to use and will achieving some of what I want to accomplish in nursing- helping others throughout their journeys of health care.

Thanks, all of you, for the wishes of luck though! I truly appreciate the support and advice you all gave I hope everyone has the best experience as you start your new NICU jobs!

It's okay...it doesn't mean that I can't ever work in NICU, it just means that NOW isn't the best time. I can transfer after 6 months if a spot is open. We'll see what happens :) The floor I'm on will be great experience, nonetheless, even though it's not an area I'm extremely interested in. The telemetry experience will look good for any area I want to go to in the future, they said. Most importantly, I am putting my nursing license to use and will achieving some of what I want to accomplish in nursing- helping others throughout their journeys of health care.

Thanks, all of you, for the wishes of luck though! I truly appreciate the support and advice you all gave I hope everyone has the best experience as you start your new NICU jobs!

Absolutely! Any nursing experience is experience! I did my preceptorship on a telemetry floor and the experience was invaluable! Best of luck!

Absolutely! Any nursing experience is experience! I did my preceptorship on a telemetry floor and the experience was invaluable! Best of luck!

Thanks! I've heard it's a great floor for a new grad.

I think creating a new grad support thread was an excellent idea - it is a stressful transition. The precursor to this thread was a thread looking for e-mail pen pal for new NICU nurses. It was also suggested in that thread that maybe more experienced nurses could check in and offer support and advice every so often which is why I am butting in, even though I am new to the forum.

I'm going to assume that most of you on this thread practically grew up on the internet, facebook, blogs etc and are quite comfortable sharing information about yourselves. However, it is imperative that you monitor all aspects of your online activity to ensure that you are not inadvertently placing your hospital, co-workers and self at legal risk with information shared online. You need to consider info available in totality, even if it is not listed in one entry.

There is mention in the original pen pal thread directing readers to a blog. That blog lists, item by item, all of the errors that occurred on a specific day at work and makes mention that there was "obvious harm done to the patient."

I believe the author assumes she is okay since she doesn't use her name on her blog. She does not have to....she has already given readers all they need to know. She has told anyone reading her blog, exactly what problems occurred in the NICU of a specific hospital on a specific day and shift. This is the stuff that will give the risk management and legal department of that hospital a coronary, understandably so.

Someone did not stop and think. If anyone is in touch with the blog author, I would recommend contacting her to suggest she remove certain entries. We all need to carefully consider any info we post pertaining to specifics of our professional life.

Did you try the pearsonvue trick yet? It has been 100% accurate with my classmates. (Do a search for the directions on AN if you haven't).

I start my orientation in a few weeks, so I'll be watching this thread with great interest. Most of the time, I am really excited about starting my first nursing job, and then I get a thousand butterflies in my stomach that represent all the "what if's". It will be nice to have people around that can empathize.

I'm just a few weeks behind. Oops!

yes I did the "trick" and it worked for me. I found out 48 hours after taking the test that I passed.

I am officially following this thread, as I hope to be a NICU New Grad in a couple of years :) My hope is that I can come back at that time and say that I have fulfilled my dream!

The last 5 days that I worked were very interesting, as a newer nurse. The first day, I was allowed to orient with another nurse on a sick, vented 24 weeker with uac/uvc and a dobu drip. The next 4 work days, I had that kid on my own.

He went from just vented to INO to Jet vent and fent/dopa/dobu drips over the next 4 days, with a large head bleed and pulmonary hemorrhage from the surfactant he was given at birth.

I was there on about the 3rd day, and realized *I* had the sickest kid on the unit. ME, an October 2009 graduate...wow, how overwhelming! I spoke with my wonderful charge nurse, and asked her how that'd come to be.

She told me I'd gotten the assignment because they felt I was ready for it, capable of handling it, had the right mind-set and common sense to deal with whatever came up, and that their goal is to see me as one of their "go-to level 3 nurses" on the unit. It was an awesome feeling to have my hard work recognized, especially coming from someone whom I hold in great respect.

My unit manager stayed over the next night to speak with me, and again reaffirmed that they were very happy with my progress, and feel that I'm one of their "shooting stars" in the NICU. That she sees me at some point being their choice for charge, for sections, for the sickest babies, for ECMO when it comes to our unit, etc.

Again, overwhelming but so, so appreciated. I'm in love with my job, dedicated to these babies, and thank God that I have been allowed to start my new career in such a great environment.

I found out today I passed my NCLEX RN! I’ve had a job lined up for a few months, but I wanted to wait to post here until I passed the NCLEX (so I didn’t jix myself). I’m starting in August in a level III. I feel so blessed to not only have a job, but in the specialty I love! :)

HELLO ! i am a new nurse starting in the NICU III in Tampa, FL. So excited after having done my practicum in the NICU at Shands in Gville. Def will stay tuned to discuss further.

NEONURSEMAY 10. I would like to specialize in NICU or Peeds. Will this be included in the aas program or do I have to take seperate classes?