Nursing Student : I want a NICU position when I graduate

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Hello Nurse Beth,

I am currently a nursing student halfway through an ADN program, and planning on getting my BSN directly after graduation. I am a CNA on a med surg unit, but plan on transferring floors. The hospital I work at hires CNA's who currently work there and graduate and pass the NCLEX over people who do not work in the hospital. My goal is to eventually become a NICU nurse. I wanted to know what kind of prior nursing experience is good to have before looking for NICU jobs. I wanted to "get my foot in the door" as a CNA to a floor that would lead me in the right direction to eventually being a NICU nurse. Thank you so much for your help!

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Dear Wants NICU,

Congrats on your progress so far.

You definitely have a hiring advantage when you graduate, because you are already an employee. Like you said, they prefer to hire their own.

Your first priority when you graduate is to get hired.

Your second priority is to get hired into NICU.

To get hired, actively network starting now. Being known is more important than experience as a new grad. There is little experience you could get as a non-RN that will make a difference. There is lots you can do to network.

Every time you are on duty as a CNA, you are auditioning for your future RN job.

• Talk with the nurses and Charge Nurses. Let them know you are in school and eventually hope to work in the NICU.
  
• Impress them with your work ethic and performance. Later, when your name comes up as an RN applicant, people will nod approvingly.
  
• Get to know the names of the managers. They are the people who hire. Do you know the name of the NICU manager?
  
• Make trips to the cafeteria and other places off the unit count. Introduce yourself to new people regularly. Shake hands, make eye contact, repeat their name twice.
  
• Attend hospital functions whenever possible. Holiday breakfast, Nurses Week, community volunteer projects, etc. You will be seen as engaged and committed. Plus at one of these functions, you are bound to meet the NICU manager.
  

Hospitals are small places, and managers are friends with other managers. Your Med Surg manager can put in a good work for you with the NICU manager when the time comes.

Give yourself permission to change your mind about which unit you want to work on. It happens all the time.

Give yourself time to make it to NICU. You may have an opportunity to work elsewhere first, and that's OK.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

[ruthrowe]

I was hired into the NICU as a new grad. but that unit had a great leader who had a good sense for who would succeed and who might not and was willing to take a chance on them. We hired several nurses out of the float pool as they had floated into the unit and showed that they were willing to do the work and learn. It is a highly specialized area and you need to be able to give 110% but it was the best job I ever had. Ask about cross training into the newborn nursery as that will give you a good foundation for NICU. You can't know the abnormal until you know the normal so it is a good place to begin. If NICU is truly your passion, as it was mine, don't give up. It's that passion that makes a good nurse. Good Luck!