NICU is the best!!!

You sound so much like me after having my clinical day in the NICU! When it's the right place for you, you just know it in your heart. I graduated in December '09 and had to move to get a NICU position..it was SO worth it. I love my job more than anything, and I am grateful everyday that they took a chance on me. If you are in the position to move for a NICU job, I say go for it! Good luck with the rest of school! :)

YAY!!! And good luck with landing a future NICU career!

Thank you :)

I just got an email from my school today saying they are offering classes to be a certified lactation educator. Should I do that? or is that more for L&D?

Being a certified lactation educator would be great experience! My unit is always encouraging breast milk and sometimes there aren't enough lactation consultants to go around to help out mothers having difficulty. Having an opportunity to help moms bond with their babies would be great experience for the NICU!

I would say definitely go for it! We always encourage our moms that breast is best and having someone that is able to teach them good techniques is so helpful! Also, you will have a 1 up on another candidate with no breast feeding experience.

Yay for finally loving a clinical rotation! If my school offered a clinical there I'd be in heaven! Unfortunately we go to OB and peds but not the NICU what was your clinical day like? What did you get to do? And the lactation consultant sounds like an awesome experience, I say go for it :)

Well unfortunately the days that classes are for lactation education are the same days as my clinicals so I cant do it. But they said they'll be offering the classes again in september so hopefully i can do it then.

Honestly I really didnt even get to do a whole lot, we werent allowed to give meds in the NICU since the consequences for errors could be so dire. So I pretty much just held them and fed them, did assessments, and watched other nurses do things and helped when I could. But even though i didnt do a whole lot myself it was still really great. You just cant be mad at the babies, you really cant. Even if they're crying and fussy its still so cute! lol :redbeathe

Well unfortunately the days that classes are for lactation education are the same days as my clinicals so I cant do it. But they said they'll be offering the classes again in september so hopefully i can do it then.

Honestly I really didnt even get to do a whole lot, we werent allowed to give meds in the NICU since the consequences for errors could be so dire. So I pretty much just held them and fed them, did assessments, and watched other nurses do things and helped when I could. But even though i didnt do a whole lot myself it was still really great. You just cant be mad at the babies, you really cant. Even if they're crying and fussy its still so cute! lol :redbeathe

Don't forget, in Pediatrics or NICU you have to deal with the PARENTS of those babies.....and they are NOT "so cute". (Just a heads up) and it can also be very sad in there....you have to have what they call "tough love" I guess you could say. Yes the less acute babies ready to be discharged are very cute and fun, but the very acute, sick babies that you can not hold and feed by bottle (and have to explain this to the parents who want to hold their baby) are not so cute; they are fighting to stay alive.....and have you ever done postmortem care on an infant?? and brought them down to the morgue?? And dealt with the parents after THAT has happened?? I'm just saying, you make the NICU sound so cute and fuzzy, when really you sound pretty naive....

Don't forget, in Pediatrics or NICU you have to deal with the PARENTS of those babies.....and they are NOT "so cute". (Just a heads up) and it can also be very sad in there....you have to have what they call "tough love" I guess you could say. Yes the less acute babies ready to be discharged are very cute and fun, but the very acute, sick babies that you can not hold and feed by bottle (and have to explain this to the parents who want to hold their baby) are not so cute; they are fighting to stay alive.....and have you ever done postmortem care on an infant?? and brought them down to the morgue?? And dealt with the parents after THAT has happened?? I'm just saying, you make the NICU sound so cute and fuzzy, when really you sound pretty naive....

Lighten up a little N1colina! Of course the OP is going to be naive! She is still in nursing school and has only had the one experience in the NICU. I think it is great she found an area of nursing she is passionate about because I think that will help her take her far in the field with its ups and downs. Yes there are awful things that can happen in the NICU, but those cute fuzzy moments is what gets me through the tough times.

gee N1colina, thanks for the support and encouragement. I wrote my post right after I had just gotten home from the best day of clincals I had had in nursing school and was happy. Of course there will be parents, there will be worried/sad/angry/upset family members in every area of nursing. And of course there will be sad times and they dont always get better. There is death and sad aspects to every area of nursing as well. I may still be a student with no actual NICU experience but that doesnt mean I am that naive. I also did not just care for health babies about to go home, one of them had a mother who drank most of her pregnancy and she had major heart problems and was about to go for her second heart surgery. While I did find this sad, I was more mad at the mom and all I wanted to do was help the baby. I also had pts in pediatrics yesterday who were sad, one with ESRD on dialysis 16 hours a day and the other was just diagnosed with lung cancer yesterday. While I was sad for them, I was not about to run crying. I know the world is not fair and innocent children will have to face horrible things, but thats why I wanted to be a nurse so that I could make a difference. I couldnt cure the babies ESRD yesterday, but I could play with and make him laugh. Plus, I am the type of person who thinks we place too much value on life, and that there are worse things than death. I would rather see a baby die than know they will suffer longer or have a poor quality of life. No, I dont think it'll be easy, there will definitely be days that I cry but doesnt every nurse?

gee N1colina, thanks for the support and encouragement. I wrote my post right after I had just gotten home from the best day of clincals I had had in nursing school and was happy. Of course there will be parents, there will be worried/sad/angry/upset family members in every area of nursing. And of course there will be sad times and they dont always get better. There is death and sad aspects to every area of nursing as well. I may still be a student with no actual NICU experience but that doesnt mean I am that naive. I also did not just care for health babies about to go home, one of them had a mother who drank most of her pregnancy and she had major heart problems and was about to go for her second heart surgery. While I did find this sad, I was more mad at the mom and all I wanted to do was help the baby. I also had pts in pediatrics yesterday who were sad, one with ESRD on dialysis 16 hours a day and the other was just diagnosed with lung cancer yesterday. While I was sad for them, I was not about to run crying. I know the world is not fair and innocent children will have to face horrible things, but thats why I wanted to be a nurse so that I could make a difference. I couldnt cure the babies ESRD yesterday, but I could play with and make him laugh. Plus, I am the type of person who thinks we place too much value on life, and that there are worse things than death. I would rather see a baby die than know they will suffer longer or have a poor quality of life. No, I dont think it'll be easy, there will definitely be days that I cry but doesnt every nurse?

I'm sorry...let me apologize. I guess I just interpreted that one post wrong. I'm glad you have found an area of nursing you are passionate about...I'm actually jealous! Because I can not decide where I want to end up long-term yet....it really takes a special nurse to work in the NICU, so good for you! And again, I apologize for sounding so snotty

Thank you, I appreciate it :) and I wish you luck in finding the area that you will love :redbeathe