Giving Nursing Students a Taste of NICU

So today I was wondering..... how well do we as NICU nurses best represent what NICU really is to nursing students? Specialties NICU Article

Too often, nursing students are abruptly dropped off at the NICU door, handed a scrub sponge, and abandoned by their nursing instructor, who is equally petrified of what lies beyond the glass-paneled door...

We all know that students rarely get a glimpse of what we do in NICU, let alone get to experience the day-to-day life that is our job as a neonatal ICU RN. Often we groan inwardly at the idea of having someone tag along with us on our highly organized and structured routine, interrupting our seamless flow of care with the interjection of questions and gasps at "how small these babies are."

Nursing schools haven't changed much in the way they teach neonatal nursing care. They just, well, don't. I mean, when I was in nursing school 5 years ago (= ages), We briefly covered nursing care of the well newborn along with the onslaught of information that comes with learning enough antepartum, labor/delivery, pediatric and newborn nursing in a mere 15 week semester. I can't even remember what I learned about neonates.

So where does that leave us, the lucky nurse to have been volunteered to show a student around?

I think it leaves us NICU nurses with an obligation to give them a realistic and honest taste of what NICU life is like. This means having them get report with you, check orders, go on deliveries, calculate meds, run fluids, change diapers, feed, assess, look up labs, observe procedures, attend rounds, etc. The most important thing is to let them get their hands "dirty." I can't tell you how many students have followed me, with a wild, petrified look in their eyes, suddenly relax and melt when I've picked up a bread-and-butter 31 weeker on room air and passed him to them while I changed the isolette mattress....The look is priceless..puzzlement, terror, then excitement... They suddenly go from believing "This is something I could NEVER do" to "Wait, I could do this!"

We need more good nurses in NICU. Here's our chance to mentor a few good ones, before they leave the unit thinking, "Wow... I could never do that.... I'm going to med/surg!"

My goal is to have that wet-behind-the-ears nursing student, overwhelmed by life, school, and the choices ahead of them, leave the unit after that one day thinking "THIS is what I want to do....."

Specializes in NICU.

If nurses got extra pay to train, then you'd have some people doing it for the money. Eagerness for the money does NOT translate into welcoming attitude and going the extra mile to give a new nurse a good experience. It sounds nice to pay extra because it's extra work for sure, but I think it would just make the problem worse. :(

I am getting ready to start nursing school very soon. I am praying I find instructors just like you. I want to learn and not just by watching. I am aiming for either labor and delivery or NICU. Your thread may have changed my mind to NICU. Thanks.

hi all!!!! i was hired to be a NICU nurse this december but the problem is that i dont have experience in NICU but in pedia ward only for only 4 months.Im quite scared since im going to work outside the country, im also thinking of buying books so i have immediate referal but what book i should buy?thre are alot off books in NICU and what i need now is a good one that would help me in my needs and provide overview on nicu routine.....

i just found this thread and it made me really happy to hear all of the positive experiences form the nicu. my aunt gave birth to a micro preme in 2007 at ucsf. when i went to visit it was like my entire world changed. the wonderful nurses there were so passionate about their jobs and they are the reason that my baby cousin is celebrating her fourth birthday in two months... i am sure they would like to see her now she was the smallest baby that some of the nurses had ever seen :)

i forgot my main point in that post: that experience solidified my choice to become a nurse. but not just any nurse a NICU nurse !!

Thank you for the Nurses that have a positive attitude and are WANTING to help us nursing students. I am a level III student now, and when i was in Pedi, in Special Care, I had one nurse that pretty much made me feel like i was bothering her. I know you nurses have a routine to follow, and yes, we DO get dumped off by our teachers, but if we are 'allowed' to do certain things with just the watchful eye of a nurse, who takes the time to show us, believe me, it makes a WORLD of difference..and even if we dont 'say' it, we talk about our experience in post conference and talk about the awesome nurses that helped us with hands on stuff, and we are soooo excited to have experienced somthing new.

Yes, some students can be timid about stuff,(like me) and when we get the vibe from our nurse that they could care less if we are assigned to them, it makes it almost intimidating to ask the questions we have.

However, the opposite will occur , if we are 'timid' and we have a nurse that is like 'come over and see this/do this/can u help me by..." we LOVE that...yes, we may be nervous...but we WANT the experience. Sometimes, we just arent lucky enough to get it, or a nurse willing to help.

SO THANK YOU NURSES FOR SHOWING US THE WAY!! WE LOVE YOU GUYS !!

My goal is to have that wet-behind-the-ears nursing student, overwhelmed by life, school, and the choices ahead of them, leave the unit after that one day thinking "THIS is what I want to do....."

You have my respect! Few preceptors think like you.

Of all my rotations as a student, I loved the NICU most.

I know I want to work in a NICU, but am still searching for a position in NY that is willing to train Med/Surg RNs to work in the NICU.

I am a first year nursing student and I had an observation day in the NICU. I loved it there and the nurses were helpful especially the one I observed. She let me hear the baby's heart beat, listen to bowel sounds and the lungs. I also got to feed the baby I never fed one before so I watched during the first fed. I was also able to take the temp and she showed me around the unit. We went over labs of various babies particulary ABG. I thought it was very cool maybe I"m more partial to it because I was a NICU baby. All the nurses were interested to hear my story. As of now I want to be a nurse in the NICU but I still have ER rotation to do.

Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

So on Friday I got to go to the NICU for maternity clinical and it was really fun. Basically, I'm missing one clinical day so to make up for it I had to come in on another day and since my professor also works as a NICU NP she said I could come in and hang out with her and we would discuss some high risk cases and stuff. It was pretty cool, very low stress but conductive to learning. For the most part I just observed but I did to get to assess the little ones on some of the basics. I went to rounds with her, then followed her while she assessed her patients and she let me do some nursing assessments and then we discussed the course of treatment for the kiddos and when we were done with her patients we went and looked at some of the other high acuity kiddos on the unit. It was mostly observation like I said but I felt like I really learned a lot and had fun that day. I am still interested in the NICU as well as Peds. ER but I don't know what I'm gonna do yet.

!Chris :specs:

Nursing schools haven't changed much in the way they teach neonatal nursing care. They just, well, don't. I mean, when I was in nursing school 5 years ago (= ages), We briefly covered nursing care of the well newborn along with the onslaught of information that comes with learning enough antepartum, labor/delivery, pediatric and newborn nursing in a mere 15 week semester. I can't even remember what I learned about neonates.

I would argue that nursing schools have changed a great deal -- in my diploma program (not that long ago, in the mid-'80s), our NICU rotation was four days of clinical a week for six weeks (with our instructor in the unit with us at all times), and the classroom content to go with it. We followed the same kiddoes for as long as possible and provided all their care (with supervision). We graduated able to function effectively at an entry level in an NICU setting (or in any other nursing setting). I'm appalled at how many programs now have students spend only a day or two "observing" in the OR, NICU, etc. I understand the reasoning (most nurses will never work in those settings, hard to find clinical sites, etc.), but I still think it's a real loss to nursing.

I agree... but nowadays, it more about getting everything done faster and cheaper. Quality is out the window, and the few people who miss it can do nothing more than just miss it!

Specializes in NICU.
If nurses got extra pay to train, then you'd have some people doing it for the money. Eagerness for the money does NOT translate into welcoming attitude and going the extra mile to give a new nurse a good experience. It sounds nice to pay extra because it's extra work for sure, but I think it would just make the problem worse. :(

I agree with you on the money thing, but some units have other motivators. First, those who agree to precept attend a class or two given by the hospital on making the most of precepting. Hospitals that have Clinical Ladders give points for mentoring/precepting. I've read of other hospitals that contribute a monetary credit towards attending a conference for those who mentor. Finally, all students/new hires who are precepted should have the opportunity to evaluate their preceptors. This confidential eval would help the unit manager determine which of her staff has the heart and skill for this, aid her in making future assignments, and give the manager another thing to praise and recognize the often forgotten bedside nurse for doing well. Assigning preceptors should be a mindful task, not a mindless one, as is often the case. Staff should view it as an honor and a vote of confidence, not "look how I'm being crapped on today". :nurse:

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