NYbabyRN

14 days in a row - I can't imagine working 38! Now I usually never work more than 3 days in a row.

Is there any chance you can move upstate? Although the trend in the Capital Region is leaning towards favoring BSN applicants, many hospitals will hire ADN degree holders, especially if you are enrolled in a BSN program. In fact, most of the hospitals in this area require you to enroll in a BSN program within one year of hire.

We change TPN, lipids, med line and intermittent drips every 24 hrs. Continuous fluids every 96 hrs.

I know many people who have a poor GPA from attempts to go to college when they were young and not very focused. Go back to school for your pre-requisites for nursing, this is your chance to show you are a different student now then you were years ago. I believe it is a possibility if you get good grades with your pre-reqs for nursing and demonstrate the nursing school(s) that you are applying to that you are focused, passionate, and committed to becoming a nurse. Many have been in your shoes, you have hope, good luck!

The opportunities are out there! I encourage you to keep your heart focused on your desire to become a NICU nurse. I started nursing school only because I intended to become a NICU nurse. In my experience I rarely received positive affirmation to become a NICU nurse as a new grad/new nurse; but I kept focused on that goal. I worked more years in med-surg than I wanted to, but I am now a NICU nurse. To answer your questions, my unit hires new grads and experienced nurses from other specialties/populations. We currently hire associate degree nurses, but our new CNO is aggressively pushing for more BSN bedside nurses, which is a big change for our hospital's hiring criteria. That appears to be a nationwide trend. When you apply for a NICU job highlight your desire and plan to pursue your BSN.

Yes, I read about NICU nursing when I was 17 yrs old and decided I wanted to become a NICU nurse. I didn't graduated nursing school till several years later and then I started on a med-surg unit, even though I still desired to work in NICU. I worked there longer than I expected or wanted to, earned my BSN, and finally took the plunge. I have been working in NICU for less than a yr; I am glad I never gave up on my desire to become a NICU nurse and even though part of me regrets waiting so long to get into this specialty, I am thankful for all the experiences I have behind me that I believe made my transition into the NICU world easier.

Soliloquy, This was my exact same fear when I transferred from adult med-surg, where I had over 4 years of experience, to NICU. And my NICU had a hospital wide reputation for bullying. However my experience has been very good the last 7 + months. There have been moments when I feel like a new grad and a fish out of water. But the majority of the nurses are helpful and do not hesitate to answer questions or help with a procedure, etc. The night nurses are less helpful and even have told parents that the newer NICU nurses (who took care of their baby on day shift) are not experienced enough to take care of their baby--awful! I also study a lot on my own. It's not always easy, but it's been worth it.

Hello oobray, I have never worked in adult ICU, but several of my former co-workers went to adult ICU (I went to NICU). They report having to provide almost all the hands on care to their patients, including baths, personal care, bed changes, etc. They have some assistance from patient care assistants, but they are responsible for basically all of the care of their patients. Based on what you expressed, I think you would be better suited and fulfilled as a provider in an ICU or trauma environment. Good luck!

What an amazing story! You truly persevered! Wishing you all the best.

NurseRies, I appreciate your outlook! Nursing is not easy and I have learned over the years how to make it work, maintain a mostly positive attitude, and not constantly burden my significant other with the stress of my job. Still a work in progress; thanks for your example.

I started out in med-surg and remember my unit had a lot of OT available but felt nervous about picking up extra time. I think about 3 to 4 months after I got off orientation I started to pick up OT, and then I did a lot of it!

I usually felt a bit of anxiety before almost every shift when I worked in med-surg; there was just so many variables and how the shift could go! It usually got better one the shift started.

Depends on the facility and maybe manager. I used to work med-surg and my general surgery manager gave us good ratios, usually 4 to 5 patients. Other floors/hospitals can go up to 7 patients. I worked LTC briefly before my med-surg job and can commiserate with feeling overwhelmed and unsafe, managing the care of 30+ residents.

My facility uses Soarian Clinicals and in the VS electronic flowsheet there is a section in which documentation of parent presence can be documented, including if parent did skin to skin with infant. It's a drop down option and click the box type of charting. Even if you don't document vital signs you can still open this flowsheet and document that the parent did skin to skin.

AndreaLiboon, I think your past experience is relevant, however you would probably have greater chances at getting hired if your employer was willing to put through NICU orientation - similar as a new grad to NICU. I know my NICU would likely hire you and give you up to 16 weeks of training/orientation. My manager has hired people who have been away from NICU for awhile and put them through orientation, as well as nurses from other countries who have had a lapse in RN employment due to delays in passing the U.S. NCLEX and citizenship paperwork, etc. Good luck, I think it is possible; demonstrate your interest in NICU and be persistent.