Hey May 06 grads..any of you seeking NICU?

Kalico · Dec 1, 2005

:balloons: Congratulations....I'm so happy for you!!!!:balloons:

Kalico · Dec 1, 2005

Just wanted to let everyone know about my interview today. It was just a phone interview with the HR department but I got lots of info about the hospital as well as pay ranges, etc. I was asked about my strengths, when I knew I wanted to go into nursing, what technical or personal skills I was working on, and of course what floors I wanted to interview with. The woman I talked with was wonderful and answered all my questions, some even before I had asked them. She told me that I will have at least an 8 week orientation and if I get NICU the orientation will of course be longer. She also told me that I could ask for more orientation time if I needed it. It was a very nice interview and I can't wait until the 26th of December when I go down there and get to see the NICU for myself and have an interview with the NICU NM.

Tiny1Nisolet · Dec 1, 2005

Just wanted to let everyone know about my interview today. It was just a phone interview with the HR department but I got lots of info about the hospital as well as pay ranges, etc. I was asked about my strengths, when I knew I wanted to go into nursing, what technical or personal skills I was working on, and of course what floors I wanted to interview with. The woman I talked with was wonderful and answered all my questions, some even before I had asked them. She told me that I will have at least an 8 week orientation and if I get NICU the orientation will of course be longer. She also told me that I could ask for more orientation time if I needed it. It was a very nice interview and I can't wait until the 26th of December when I go down there and get to see the NICU for myself and have an interview with the NICU NM.

Thanks for sharing Kalico! Way to go. Most of the orientations where I am are 12 weeks long. It is nice that you may extend if you feel it is necessary. What size unit is it? What is their patient/staff ratio like? Let us know how it goes when you see the unit in person. ~Tiny

Kalico · Dec 1, 2005

Thanks for sharing Kalico! Way to go. Most of the orientations where I am are 12 weeks long. It is nice that you may extend if you feel it is necessary. What size unit is it? What is their patient/staff ratio like? Let us know how it goes when you see the unit in person. ~Tiny

The eight-week orientation is for med-surg floors. The HR woman I spoke with told me that the orientation will be longer for specialty floors. I don't have any unit specific information yet, I will get all that info when I speak with the nurse manager. I only spoke with HR yesterday and therefore she didn't have unit specific info.

If anyone out there could give me some advice on what questions I should ask when I interview with the NM I would greatly appreciate it. I want to have a list of questions ready when I go in because I will forget things otherwise. Thanks in advance for all your help.

Tiny1Nisolet · Dec 2, 2005

Well, some of the questions that are important for me have been:

orientation length. This is very important to me, the longer the better. :)

What type of shifts do they work. I would like 12's.

Do they mandate that you float to other floors?

Tuition reimbursement and loan repayment are also on the top of my list. I know I would like to go back to school. I want to make sure it is paid for, or at least a portion. :uhoh3:

I would like to know the average length of time for the nurses on the floor. Are they seasoned. There have been units that I have checked into that are primarily new grads. This is not where I want to work. I want to make sure I have a good support team.

How well does the staff work together? Is is a team environment?

When nurses do leave the NICU, what is the usual reason that they give.

That is all I can think of for now.

Kalico · Dec 2, 2005

Thanks for the great questions Tiny. I will be sure to add them to my list.

Just a question for all of you guys...Are you planning on obtaining your certification in High Risk Neonatal Nursing after spending a couple of years on the unit? Has anyone even thought about this? Please let me know.

Tiny1Nisolet · Dec 3, 2005

Thanks for the great questions Tiny. I will be sure to add them to my list.
Just a question for all of you guys...Are you planning on obtaining your certification in High Risk Neonatal Nursing after spending a couple of years on the unit? Has anyone even thought about this? Please let me know.

What does this entail? I am up for anything that will help me continue my education. I feel like we know so little in the grand scheme of things. :rolleyes: I am going to purchase some books to review over the Christmans Holiday. I want to take full advantage of my precepting. Talk to you soon!

Kalico · Dec 3, 2005

what does this entail? i am up for anything that will help me continue my education. i feel like we know so little in the grand scheme of things. i am going to purchase some books to review over the christmans holiday. i want to take full advantage of my precepting. talk to you soon!

here is a response to a post that i received a couple of years ago. i thought the information on it was very good and helpful:

hi kalico,

i went to the national certification corporation web site www.nccnet.org and found the following information:

at the main home page i clicked on "about ncc" in the top of the left hand column. it took me to another page which gave a general overview. at that page i clicked on "certification exams" at the top of the right hand column. this is what the next page that appeared said:

to take the test you must be able to meet all three of these:

(1) current licensure as an rn in the u.s. or canada.

(2) 24 months specialty experience as a u.s. or canadian rn comprised of a minimum of 2000 hours.

(3) employment in the specialty sometime in the last 24 months.

the page also lets us know we can receive the rnc credential in the following areas:

inpatient obstetric nursing

maternal newborn nursing

low risk neonatal nursing

neonatal intensive care nursing

telephone nursing practice

(there is a completely different web page concerning neonatal nurse practitioner certification).

i remember when i took my exam, computers were not as popular as they are today. i requested information on obtaining certification in what whas then called high risk neonatal nursing (now neonatal intensive care nursing) and they mailed me a big packet of information including test dates, prices, and all the paperwork that must be filled out. a page of that paperwork had a place where my current nurse manager had to fill in the dates and hours i had worked and that i had worked in the nicu which was the specialty area in which i wanted to take the certification test. i think she also had to sign her name on one place or another on the form. anyway, 2000 hours turned out to be equal to working full time for two years. i had worked in the nicu 2 years and 6 months when i took my exam and i passed it on the first try. i did study steadily for 6 months before the test, was a member of nann (ann didn't exist yet then) and had constantly kept myself up on things and reviewed books and asked questions of the nurse practitioners and neonatologists each time i cared for a baby that i learned something from. i've always had a thirst for knowledge and i think that my nearly constant review of my nicu related books and journals helped somewhat. most importantly though, i believe that if you spend 2 full years working in a specialty you will pretty much know all you need to know to pass the test... simply as a process of on the job osmosis of knowledge. many nurses i worked with didn't study much if at all and they passed. some took the test twice in order to pass though.

i bet if you search the site more you will find a way to download the information i had to write them for. good luck and don't give up on your efforts because they are well worth the effort!

you might be able to go straight to the page i'm talking about by going to:

http://www.nccnet.org/public/pages/index.cfm?pageid=111

special thanks to tikitorch for the original post 2 years ago.

ShannonSRN · Dec 3, 2005

I went to my interview for a position as a clinical tech in the NICU today! It seemed that it went very well...I spent an hour with the HR rep and an hour with the NICU manager. So I am praying that they were as impressed with me as I was with their unit!

Upon receiving my seating pass, I will become a GN in the NICU!!!!! :balloons:

They are building a brand new Women's Hospital that will include a 112-bed Level III NICU.

My hopes are high! :)

I will definitly work towards certification throughout the first 2 years! It is of great benefit to any nurse! Not only education, but usually you are compensated for it as well!!

Kalico · Dec 3, 2005

I went to my interview for a position as a clinical tech in the NICU today! It seemed that it went very well...I spent an hour with the HR rep and an hour with the NICU manager. So I am praying that they were as impressed with me as I was with their unit!
Upon receiving my seating pass, I will become a GN in the NICU!!!!! :balloons:
They are building a brand new Women's Hospital that will include a 112-bed Level III NICU.
My hopes are high! :)
I will definitly work towards certification throughout the first 2 years! It is of great benefit to any nurse! Not only education, but usually you are compensated for it as well!!

Congrats on the interview Shannon! I hope you will tell us how it goes for you!

Tiny1Nisolet · Dec 3, 2005

Yea Shannon! Way to go! Let us know. We are rooting for you!

ShannonSRN · Dec 3, 2005

Thank you, I am hopin' and prayin'!