NICU vs. Med-Surg

Specialties NICU

Published

Hello all,

I just need some friendly guidance or suggestions. Is it easier to get a job in NICU coming right out of school as an RN, or is it better to have had a year of Med-Surg experience? I am undecided on what I want to do, but I definitely know that I want to do NICU. I often hear advice that it is better to get that year of MED-Surg experience to be a better nurse overall. BUT, I hear that NICU likes to mold new nurses and sometimes does not want the experienced nurse. One reason that I chose nursing is that there are so many areas that we can get into. I liked many of those areas and do not want to hinder or make a not so good move now, so that I can have great chances to move in the future. I would really appreciate your thoughts! I just love this forum!!!!!!!

Specializes in NICU.

You can start in the NICU as a new grad.

However, if you are at all interested in doing other areas of nursing later on in your career, I'd start out with adults. You will lose a lot of the skills and knowledge you learned in nursing school if you go straight into the NICU. I did that eight years ago and there is no way I would feel comfortable going into adult nursing at this point. I don't want to, but if I did, I'd be at a loss. Adult ICU might be an option if I wanted that, but med-surg floor nursing would be very very hard if that was something I wanted.

So yeah, if you had a lot of interests in nursing school, I'd do some adult nursing first so you don't limit yourself.

If you're like me, and you never wanted to work anyplace but NICU and are sure of that, then starting as a new grad is fine. But I worked in the NICU as a nursing assistant while in school and then did my senior preceptorship in the NICU so I had some real exposure prior to taking my first job. A few days of NICU observation here and there isn't enough, IMHO, to decide.

Thanks so much for the advice!

I don't think med-surg is useful in nicu much at all. I don't even think it's particularly important even if NICU isn't what you want to do forever. I know NICU nurses who have gone into L&D, adult ICU, OR, etc. The key was finding a good orientation in their new specialty.

Specializes in NICU.

Skip the med-surg

Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

ditto.

Specializes in NICU.

While I agree that med-surg experience is USELESS when starting in the NICU, I just wanted to point out that the original poster liked many other areas of nursing besides NICU.

If it was someone (like many of us) who would never dream of going anyplace but NICU, I'd say go for it. I just precepted a senior nursing student and encouraged her to get a job starting as a new grad in a NICU, which she did.

But this poster has other interests. I'd hate to see her get stuck.

I graduated last June and went straight to NICU and have doen fine without Med-Surg. I don't really think it's related, but like a previous post said, if you ever have any interest in working with adults, then you should do med-surg. It's a completely different world.

Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

You raise a good point, Gompers. However, anyone that's ever done both would wonder why anyone would want to go to med-surg for any reason whatsoever. They make bigger, smellier messes up there.

Specializes in NICU.
You raise a good point, Gompers. However, anyone that's ever done both would wonder why anyone would want to go to med-surg for any reason whatsoever. They make bigger, smellier messes up there.

Well, yeah! That's part of the reason I'm suggesting med-surg first. Because after you start in the NICU, it's very very hard to ever WANT to leave. In a certain way, we "ruin" nurses in the NICU. Most of us have no CLUE how anyone could EVER want to work with "big" patients. I certainly don't! I did my time as a CNA in med-surg and decided I filled my adult nursing quota for life. :barf01:

Everyone's comments are very informative and interesting. I guess it just comes down to what's really important to me :) If I can get in, than I will take the position...but I have been reading previous posts and it has often been suggested to go into the well baby area first before NICU. I think I would like that :) You all are so great! I am truly inspired!!!!!!!!

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