NICU goal

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Hello :)

I have always wanted to go into the 'medical field,' but strayed as life through other opportunities my way. After having my 2nd preterm baby, who ended up with a short NICU stay (9 days, born at 34 weeks) I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life. I debated about getting my ASN first, so I could get some hands on nursing experience while completing my BSN, but have (hopefully if accepted) decided to just go straight for my BSN. It takes less time with the schools I have looked at. As a single mom of a 2 and 5 year old, I am eager to be done studying and back to work. I am completing my last prerequisites and have just applied for the BSN program starting in August, 2015.

I have searched a couple of job postings when I first started, and quite a few of the NICU postings prefer experience. How do you get this? As an existing NICU nurse, what path or advice can you give to eventually land a NICU job?

Thanks for any info!

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Specializes in mom/baby, EFM, student CNM, cardiac/tele.

To gain experience you will have to work as a nurse on a different type of unit before the NICU will hire you. The hospital I work at requires nursing experience before you can work in the NICU. On the flip side, the other hospital in town prefers to hire new grads into their NICU training program. All depends on the hospital

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To gain experience you will have to work as a nurse on a different type of unit before the NICU will hire you. The hospital I work at requires nursing experience before you can work in the NICU. On the flip side, the other hospital in town prefers to hire new grads into their NICU training program. All depends on the hospital

Thanks! Do you recommend any specific area if I need nursing experience first? My friend (OB doctor) says to go for ER, because it gets you experience in everything....I think this will be my least favorite area to work. ;)

I think my ideal areas would be labor and delivery, anything pediatric, and NICU. I imagine I may have just selected the most competitive fields of nursing, but maybe I just have a tainted idea since this is where all my friends work. Maybe this will change as I experience more?

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Specializes in mom/baby, EFM, student CNM, cardiac/tele.

NICU is so specialized that it's hard to say. Med/surg can provide a good foundation for general nursing practice. Depending on the types of units your hospital has, a mom/baby or postpartum might be the easiest to get into that still provides work with babies. Our mom/baby unit floats to the NICU frequently and many of our nurses get hired on in the NICU since they get experience. If you can work while you go to school, try getting a unit secretary/cna position in one of these units.

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NICU is so specialized that it's hard to say. Med/surg can provide a good foundation for general nursing practice. Depending on the types of units your hospital has, a mom/baby or postpartum might be the easiest to get into that still provides work with babies. Our mom/baby unit floats to the NICU frequently and many of our nurses get hired on in the NICU since they get experience. If you can work while you go to school, try getting a unit secretary/cna position in one of these units.

Thank you!

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Specializes in NICU.

While it is possible to get into NICU as a new grad, it is difficult and almost to the point of being "at the right place, at the right time". I start next month in the NICU as a new grad. According to the email on my orientation schedule, there will be 6 of us starting at the same time (5 other email addresses on the TO: section). I don't know if the rest are also new grads or experienced nurses transferring to NICU. I sent out about 100 NICU applications to hospitals in 12 states and got 2 interviews (plus 1 that I turned down due to accepting a position).

My advice is a BSN with a Senior Capstone placement in a NICU (higher the level, the better). Plus the willingness to move to whatever hospital offers a job (I am moving 200 miles away for my job).

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While it is possible to get into NICU as a new grad, it is difficult and almost to the point of being "at the right place, at the right time". I start next month in the NICU as a new grad. According to the email on my orientation schedule, there will be 6 of us starting at the same time (5 other email addresses on the TO: section). I don't know if the rest are also new grads or experienced nurses transferring to NICU. I sent out about 100 NICU applications to hospitals in 12 states and got 2 interviews (plus 1 that I turned down due to accepting a position).

My advice is a BSN with a Senior Capstone placement in a NICU (higher the level, the better). Plus the willingness to move to whatever hospital offers a job (I am moving 200 miles away for my job).

Thanks. What is Senior Capstone placement?

As for moving....I really can't. By the time I finish, my girls will be 5 and 8. They do not have a living father, so I need all the family help I can get. Hopefully something local will open up? I live in a very big city with lots of hospitals.

That is super impressive you are moving 200 miles away! I would be so nervous - however I did that years ago when I became a flight attendant.

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Specializes in NICU.

In the final semester of my BSN, we had a Senior Capstone placement. It was a 135 hr. preceptorship (one on one clinical) with a BSN nurse in a specialty that interests you after graduation. I did eleven 12 hr shifts on my preceptor's work schedule. The emphasis was to demonstrate professional RN practice at the novice level. It allows you to synthesize and apply your knowledge, skills, and abilities, learn new nursing techniques and skills, while experiencing what nursing will be like as a new graduate nurse without your clinical faculty being present every day.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

If you can't get into NICU right away, try for nursery, peds or PICU. ER is pretty diverse and you won't get

the infant/peds experience. Given a choice over an ER nurse and a PICU nurse, I would hire the PICU nurse. Babies and kids aren't just a little version of an adult and everything is tailored to them, not a standard like adults.

All the bigger units in our area hire new grads, the smaller units do not.

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Specializes in NICU.
All the bigger units in our area hire new grads, the smaller units do not.

The one I am going to work for as a new grad is 101 bed NICU.

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The one I am going to work for as a new grad is 101 bed NICU.

I wonder how many RN's the unit employs! Wow

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If you can't get into NICU right away, try for nursery, peds or PICU. ER is pretty diverse and you won't get

the infant/peds experience. Given a choice over an ER nurse and a PICU nurse, I would hire the PICU nurse. Babies and kids aren't just a little version of an adult and everything is tailored to them, not a standard like adults.

All the bigger units in our area hire new grads, the smaller units do not.

I didn't even realize hospitals still had nurseries! My daughters born in a pretty large hospital (oldest is 5 years old) stayed in the room. They no longer have a nursery at all (which I preferred, because would not have used it anyway.) My nephew is 10 and born in a closer hospital, which also no longer has a nursery. I just assumed no hospitals had them anymore. I will have to check around.

My youngest (2 years now) went straight to the NICU. I cannot even imagine a NICU with 101 beds!! I think her NICU was 32 beds, maybe? I thought it was a decent size, but now realize it must be small.

Is it wrong that it scares me to think of being stuck in a position in the ER or with older people? Does every nurse have the same level of desire to help all people, or can their be a stronger desire in certain fields? My heart is for kids/babies. I still have compassion and will do the best I can with anyone I care for, but I just am drawn to kids/babies. It is just who I am!!

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