New nicu nurse in need of advice!

Specialties NICU

Published

Hello everyone! I am a fairly new grad who just completed orientation in the nicu and is having a complete freak out!! It's my first nursing job and it's a pretty intense and busy unit which I love but Iam terrified to be in my own! My whole 5 month orientation has been on days and now I'm switching to nights. My preceptor was phenomenal and I feel like I learned so much but I have zero self confidence and doubt myself all the time. I have heard a lot of terrible stories about the night nurses and how they are very catty and nasty to the orientees just starting out, which makes me even more nervous because I feel even more alone. If anyone has any advice or words of wisdom for this new and terrified nurse it would really help me out!!

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

Not NICU but understand the being scared part. Just be yourself and don't be afraid to ask questions. Not everyone on nights will be mean. Lol

Sure, could there be some truth to what you've heard? Absolutely. Does that mean it's all true? No. Take it with a grain of salt and find a nurse you will be working with who you can develop a work relationship with and can go to for help.

A great way to do this is to volunteer to help them out and be willing to do whatever to make their shift go easier. Do that and you won't have any problems getting help if you need it.

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Specializes in NICU.

Like BecomingNursey said, don't be afraid to ask questions. The fact that you doubt yourself to some extent is a good thing. Nothing pisses off more experienced nurses than new grads that think they know everything and nothing is more scary than someone new who is drowning and refuses help from others. Be prepared to take constructive criticism.; most of the best nicu tips and tricks I learned are from more experienced nurses.

I mostly work days (because of sleep issues) but the odd nights that I work are actually more laid back and fun than days! There's somewhat more downtime and you have more time to chat and to get to know all your fellow nurses better. You'll be fine! :)

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Specializes in NICU.

Welcome to the dark side of night shift nursing. :)

I've worked in a couple units and nights has always seemed more laid back and willing to work with newer nurses. That said, of course there will be the occasional bad apple, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. You can find a few "buddies" to stick to as resource people while you make the transition -- whether you set up a mentorship relationship at the start or not, you'll have folks on the unit that know where you're at in your development and you can feel safe with when you have questions. That worked for me since I'm quite introverted.

And please ask questions! It's okay to be unsure! The best nurses never stop learning.

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I am not in your shoes yet, but I will be in a few short months and just the thought is giving me anxiety. My first day in the nicu was this past week and one thing that I noticed right away is the teamwork. Everyone was always there for each other and helping out because even if they don't get along well with the nurse, they would never wish anything bad upon their patients. We're a level III, so sometimes we get some uncommon conditions and even the experienced nurses don't feel confident in their work. My orientation is on days for now and I will later move on to nights but I was told the day shift was very catty and unwelcoming to new staff. However, when I first walked everyone was so nice and introduced themselves right away and then gave me a quick basic tour before my preceptor arrived. In my experience when people say the unit has catty and nasty staff, they are really referring to only a couple of people. Unfortunately negativity has more of an influence that positivity.

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Specializes in Telemetry, NICU.

Hello there!

Welcome to the beautiful world of the NICU, you are going to love it!! Im a nurse of 5 years, 2 of which was adults/tele/medsurg (eww) , and 3 in the NIcU, and I absolutely love my babies. Just relax, breathe, do what you know, be a safe nurse, double and triple check all your meds, iv's, and breastmilk. Dont be afraid to call your charge nurse memorize their number theyre your resource if you are stuck in a bind. Like someone here said, experienced nicu nurses hate it when newbies act cocky and is that "knowitall" youll go alot farther and be happier if you allow people to help you. I always get in report "that family is intense" and once i meet the family they are so sweet and I fall in love with them. So dont get carried away with all the blah blah blah of the unit. But Welcome to the Nicu where miracles happen everyday, im confident your gonna love it!!!

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Thank you all so much for your input! Nights isn't too bad it deft is more laid back but I'm all on my own now and it is very scary Inhave bonded with one or two nurses who are experienced so it does help! I have heard some nurses talk poorly on us new orientees so it's been hard to know who to turn to but I'm trying my best! All of your advice has helped me so if anyone has any general advice on being a new nurse please post!!! I'm sure I'm not the only one who would appreciate it l! It's nice to have some support

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Specializes in Telemetry, NICU.

Here's another piece of advice for you new nurses you won't feel comfortable in any specialty until you have about 2 years of experience I have 5 years and I still don't feel 100% I learn something new each and every day so just relax and learn as much as you can and always always above all else be the voice of your patient, don't be afraid to question the doctor sometimes they too can make a mistake. All the best in your nursing careers

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Specializes in NICU.

Enjoying reading these tips! I start my Versant program for my NICU position next month. Very excited and ready to absorb everything I can in order to take care of my babies!

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Specializes in NICU; Acute psych; pediatric psych.

Oh, Kcv19, I'm almost literally in your same situation! I'm about a month off of orientation (I did it on days as well) and working on nights. Our hospital is very small and so our night shift is super close knit so there are definitely times where I felt like I didn't fit it or I was being overly annoying but asking so many questions. But trust me, ALWAYS ask questions, even if you've asked them before. I kept on telling myself that I would rather be considered annoying than risking the health of my baby.

As hard as it was, I found a coworker who's personality and temperment sort of mirrored mine and stuck with her. Now sometimes I'll start off with, "I know this is a stupid question but..." and they don't seem to mind much anymore =] Some of the more seasoned nurses talk crap about the new grads and orientees right in front of us! But I've learned to ignore them, not gossip, and ask as many questions as I need to.

If you want to, we can message and complain about our experiences ;] and bounce ideas/questions off each other? It would be nice to have someone going through what I am!

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Yes! Cosmic hymns that would be so helpful!! I'll try and take your advice as well. It's hard to understand unless you have actually been in that situation. Message me anytime!

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I am starting my first orientation shift this week is there any advice you can give on maybe things to look up before? I am excited buy also overwhelmed.

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