NICU Summer Extern?

krenee · Dec 13, 2008

I think if you don't want to do NICU/babies long term I wouldn't bother. My understanding is that it's very specialized and therefore wouldn't help you if you what you want to do is ICU. I'm sure you would do fine, I just don't see the need, and there may be people who WANT to do NICU who should maybe get that spot . . . I'm trying to get one for a preceptorship myself!

JMHO,

Kelly

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Dec 13, 2008

i think the hint the others (outside of your department) are trying to give you is to start on a medical surgical floor because it will benefit you more with school. as a tech i made the mistake of starting on my old floor as an extern and it almost cost me in clincials because the specialty floor was not a medical surgical unit. i transferred onto a medical surgical unit after six months and spent my entire summer working there... it was a great experience! do not get me wrong, it was a lot of hard work, but it helped me to grow my skills and improve my abilities where it mattered. the nicu will not grow your abilities or skills where it matters in school. you will not be allowed to do very much with the babies because nicu nurses won't let you do much without a license. with that said unless you want to be a nicu nurse, externing on that floor is the wrong way to go. you should either stay in the er or go to a medical surgical floor. gl!

-former nurse extern... now a new graduate nurse

Dr.Nurse2b · Dec 13, 2008

i think the hint the others (outside of your department) are trying to give you is to start on a medical surgical floor because it will benefit you more with school. as a tech i made the mistake of starting on my old floor as an extern and it almost cost me in clincials because the specialty floor was not a medical surgical unit. i transferred onto a medical surgical unit after six months and spent my entire summer working there... it was a great experience! do not get me wrong, it was a lot of hard work, but it helped me to grow my skills and improve my abilities where it mattered. the nicu will not grow your abilities or skills where it matters in school. you will not be allowed to do very much with the babies because nicu nurses won't let you do much without a license. with that said unless you want to be a nicu nurse, externing on that floor is the wrong way to go. you should either stay in the er or go to a medical surgical floor. gl!
-former nurse extern... now a new graduate nurse

how does one determine if they "want to be a nicu nurse"?

i am one of 2 males in a class of 40. just about every student i have encountered, most being female, stated at the beginning of the program that they "want to work in l&d" or "i want to work with children".

is this the same theory that we see in childhood where boys grow up and become policemen and girls become mommies?

what i know about nicu can fit into a thimble...babies born pre-term, really sick and in need of constant monitoring. i know there is a lot of technology involved with care and fluid balance and medications are also critical. i have done nicu and picu transport with a nurse team. i got to work the equipment...the baby part was covered by the nurse. :)

i enjoy working with cutting edge technology and thrive in environments that require focus and attention to detail. i am thinking nicu is all of the above...it just so happens that the patients are babies. my reason for interest in nicu is technology, challenge and the opportnunity to truly affect the outcome of another's life....we're talking about having a huge impact on the beginning of one's life. is this a good reason to work in nicu?

i don't see how one can make a statement "unless you want to be a nicu nurse, externing on that floor is the wrong way to go" knowing that most people entering into an extern really have no idea what is involved with nicu...except knowing that babies are involved.

that's like a guy saying i want to be i fireman because i get drive a fire engine.

avahnel, ASN, RN · Dec 13, 2008

I do not want to work in OB or peds, I want to do psych, or oncology nursing. I think that right now, you need to focus on getting through school, and doing a rotation in the summer that will directly effect the rest of your schooling. One of the 2nd year students told me to do a summer externship in Med-Surg or OB (because our OB/newborn clinicals are in the 2nd year and most of the other students were clueless, but she had 6 weeks of experience from the summer so she did well). I will take her advice this summer even though I do not want to do OB just so I can get though school-a lot of students don't make it through the third semester at my school because your assessment skills are really examined and put to the test. Whatever I can do to make it so this is as easy as possible on me is what I am going to do!!!

Dr.Nurse2b · Dec 14, 2008

I do not want to work in OB or peds, I want to do psych, or oncology nursing. I think that right now, you need to focus on getting through school, and doing a rotation in the summer that will directly effect the rest of your schooling. One of the 2nd year students told me to do a summer externship in Med-Surg or OB (because our OB/newborn clinicals are in the 2nd year and most of the other students were clueless, but she had 6 weeks of experience from the summer so she did well). I will take her advice this summer even though I do not want to do OB just so I can get though school-a lot of students don't make it through the third semester at my school because your assessment skills are really examined and put to the test. Whatever I can do to make it so this is as easy as possible on me is what I am going to do!!!

Do they let you use your assessment skills?

I was told that externs function basically as a tech or nurses aid. My thought was if I am going to work as a tech then I can at least do this in an area where I can see something new....and besides...Little People, Little Poop...right? :)

This makes sense though...I think I am looking at this as an experience, not a lesson. I did not consider the extern as something that would help me finish off school. Hmmm....

I've heard med/surg a few times...I worked on med surg as a tech...I don't want or need any more practice working as an aide. Please no more med/surg.

Maybe I'm just getting tired here...I've been working on a 4.5 year program for 5 years now and have over a year left to go... :clown:

When do we get to the part where we get to put tubes in people? :banghead:

pinkiepie_RN · Dec 14, 2008

Do they let you use your assessment skills?
I was told that externs function basically as a tech or nurses aid. My thought was if I am going to work as a tech then I can at least do this in an area where I can see something new....and besides...Little People, Little Poop...right? :)
This makes sense though...I think I am looking at this as an experience, not a lesson. I did not consider the extern as something that would help me finish off school. Hmmm....
I've heard med/surg a few times...I worked on med surg as a tech...I don't want or need any more practice working as an aide. Please no more med/surg.
Maybe I'm just getting tired here...I've been working on a 4.5 year program for 5 years now and have over a year left to go...
When do we get to the part where we get to put tubes in people?

Have you had your OB rotation yet? I know when I did mine, there was a shadow day in the NICU. I thought about doing an externship last summer but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, so I kept my tech jobs, one in psych and one in same day surgery. After having my peds rotation in the fall, picking a speciality for my practicum was a breeze and hey I'm at Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital for my practicum and hopefully I'll work there when I graduate!

Aside from an optional summer externship, I know my school and most around me do a practicum which is so many hours of hands on in a specialty of your choosing either the winter or spring before you graduate (assuming you're a May graduate).

I don't want to come off as rude, but I also second what someone said about someone else going in knowing they want to do NICU and someone not so sure taking their spot. I don't know of anyone who has done an externship that did it on a floor that they're not interested in. I have a friend who got a job as a tech in MICU, transferred into an externship there, is doing here practicum there, and will probably work there when she graduates. Things like externships in a specialty set you aside from other people who may apply for a job in such a specialty and not have extern or tech experience there. Not everyone gets an opportunity to do an externship, so keep that in mind. If you think you want to do NICU, go ahead and go on an interview there, maybe have a shadow day and see where it goes.

QuietRN · Dec 14, 2008

Wow! You got some harsh advice! Don't let that get you down!! I do agree with a previous poster who said you should go shadow and see if you might like it before you apply. That's a great idea!! How could anyone NOT love being in the NICU - being able to help those tiny babies! I think it's great you want to challenge yourself and learn as much as you can! If you can get accepted into that NICU externship - then by all means - go for it!! Who knows - you might end up being one of the best nurses those babies will ever meet! Good luck!! :)

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Dec 15, 2008

how does one determine if they "want to be a nicu nurse"?

either shadow in the nicu or volunteer. my nicu has volunteers who hold the babies because many need stimulation or to be held a particular way in order to feed. this is what i would do if i wanted to better understand the nicu. i would not throw away my learning opportunities as an extern by choosing that floor. again, in the nicu, you will not be allowed to do much as an extern. in fact, you will be allowed to do just as much as a volunteer as you would as an extern with the exception of performing assessments. the reason i know this is because i know former nicu nurse externs.

Mexarican · Dec 17, 2008

Okay...i've read all the posts and now i must offer an opinion. I am a guy who has one semester left. I graduate in May of 09..five more months! Yes! Ok i regress...

So here is my take. I did a nurse externship in the NICU this past summer and i absolutely loved it! I knew the first day on the unit and NOT a day sooner! Now did i know i was going to love it? Nope. Did i have an idea that i might like it as the Intensive Care Unit that it is? Yes, but i wasn't one hundred percent sure. Now i know and as an extern i got to do a ton of cool stuff. I got to practice all facets of care except physically give Meds (i drew them up though) and start IVs. It was an awesome experience! Now i have put in a practicum request for the NICU...and i'm crossing my fingers as i wait.

Now with that said i can understand why people say to not take a spot from someone who really wants it. Because getting in the NICU is extremely competitive as a new grad! But i'm not sure that people can be so sure that they really want the NICU without having done something like an externship. Case in point, the NICU where i did my externship only had two slots for externs in their NICU. The other person, a girl, was "one hundred" percent that this is what she wanted to do. Guess what...she has since decided that the NICU is not for her and her mom is a NICU nurse! I know this because she is in my class. They gave both of their externship slots to two of us from the same school. And teching in a NICU is not indicative of wanting to do the NICU either. They asked me if i wanted to stay on as a tech in the NICU and i did. I must admit i really don't like being a tech here. It's boring and it was nothing like my externship...but being that getting in this unit is so hard...i put up with it in order to have a leg up.

In my opinion based on what i have heard from NICU nurses who were once new grads...getting an externship leads to getting a practicum which leads to getting hired in a NICU as a new grad. Getting in a NICU without those two experiences is hard and if anyone has done it...they are awesome in my book. I was told flat out in my school that the only reason they approved my "request" for a NICU practicum is because of my NICU externship and that is why it was approved because i actually stood a chance of getting a NICU leadership/practicum slot from the hospital. In fact we were the first two students from my school to get awarded NICU externships in a really long time. So we really lucked out.

So in conclusion, i say go for it if you have sincere desire and "interest" in the NICU. If your "stabbing at the wind" then i must side with those who say not to take the slot from someone who really has an "interest". So good luck!

Thanks,

Mex

llg, PhD, RN · Dec 17, 2008

If you think you may want to be a NICU nurse there is nothing wrong with that. Get whatever experience in a NICU that you can (volunteer, extern, whatever) to help you decide.

Others are right though ... the skills and knowledge for NICU is very different than what is needed for other areas of nursing. It is often difficult for NICU nurses to transition to other specialties, particularly if NICU is all that they know. However, you have an EMT background that gave you skills and comfort working with big people that should help you transition OUT of the NICU if you choose to do something else later.

As for being a man in the NICU ... Men have a long history of being well-accepted in the NICU. Both the first and second president of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses were men. Other men have also been prominent in that organization. It's great to have some men in the nursing role in the NICU who can relate to fathers as well as mothers -- and provide the same expert nursing care to the babies that the women nurses provide.

It's actually a good career choice for men interested in maternal child. There are lots of opportunities for advancement and because the patients themselves don't have "privacy issues related to gender" there are less difficulties in that area than there are in pediatrics or OB.

I suggest you go to the NICU nursing section of allnurses. You'll find some great men there who have successful NICU careers.