Peds OR Nurse to NICU?

[jdsmom, RN]

I have worked in a pediatric OR for 8 years now and really miss the interaction with patients and families. I deal with NICU babies and neonates on almost a daily basis and, as hard as it is to see a little baby fighting for their life, I love doing these cases. I have been thinking over the last year about transferring into the NICU. I realize it's a very different type of nursing than OR, but every time I'm in the NICU I feel like that is where I want to work. I have started talking with some of the NICU nurses to get a feel for what they like and don't like about their jobs. I have read through a lot of the threads and see a lot of great information here. One of my biggest concerns in my current position is just the lack of dealing with awake patients. Everything is rush rush rush, get them in, get them out. A lot of staff can be pretty callous about things, and that bothers me. Don't get me wrong, I give my patients the best care possible, but I definitely feel less compassionate and don't like the person I'm becoming here. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

Go for it! As you've probably gathered from a lot of the threads on this forum, many nurses love NICU with a passion. Also, if you dislike it, you can always try something different. You mention that you don't love the rush of OR; NICU can get busy at times, but in general, I find that you'll be able to spend a lot of quality time working closely with the kids and their families.

That said, I would prepare yourself for a big adjustment. OR is a very specialized nursing niche, and there will likely be a pretty steep learning curve. Workflow and time management will be very different. Realize that there will probably be times that you feel overwhelmed or even incompetent; you may have moments where you question why you left something so familiar to do something that is outside of your comfort zone. Those feelings are totally normal, and they will pass as you become more comfortable in your new setting. The transition can be stressful, but IMHO it is definitely worth it.

[TiffyRN, BSN, PhD]

Do it. I came to NICU from another area and it was a huge learning curve but I've not regretted it. We do occasionally get people from other areas that go back to them as NICU doesn't suit them but that is the beauty of nursing.