prplscrubs

Whatever you do, don't give up. NICU is what I have always wanted to do also and I a finally here... It took me along time. I got accepted into the OR right out of school (2006). about 2 years ago I started looking into getting into a NICU. I applied at the hospital I already work at and sent a email to the manager. I got the interview...and a lot of run-a-round from HR and my department I was working in... but I kept in contact with the NICU manager, showed her how committed I was to working in her department, and a year and a half after I started talking to her, I got my transfer... In short, you can do it! I know it's frustrating, but if you want it and work for it, you will get it! good luck.

HI! I have recently started in the NICU also. I found a report sheet on here a while ago and printed it off so that when I started working NICU i could use it. I found that once I started on the unit they also had a report sheet... I have found I don't like either, so I made my own up. If you PM me your e-mail, I can e-mail you both the one I made and the one I found on here. Hope this helps... also any other tips you have found that you would like to share, I'm all ears :)

http://www.nurseceu.com/neonatal_ceus.htm -mostly have to pay, last one is 1.1 hrs for free http://ce.nurse.com/Neonatal-Nursing - unlimited CEUs for 39.99 http://ce.nurse.com/FreeCE.aspx - not NICU related but free CEUs http://vapotherm.inquisiq.com/catalog/coursedetails.asp?caid=93&crid=203 - 1 free CEU http://motherbabyuniversity.com/ -some free CEUs- click on "self study modules" and "pea pods" on the left hand side to see which ones give you CEUs Hope some of these ideas help you.

typical days can very depending on what type of hospital (community, trama, etc.) hours too can very. Im my hospital we have people that work 8, 10 and 12 hour shifts. If you are interested I would say you should apply and during the interview ask if you are allowed to do a shadow day (or shadow for a few hours) just to see what it's all about. I started in the OR as a new grad, it can be overwhelming, but I think any specialty will be overwhelming for a new grad. good luck to you.

I currently work OR and hopefully I am transfering to NICU soon. Either way, the hospital scrubs are what are provided for us. I personally like it. 1. I don't have to pay for scrubs and I don't have to worry about laundering them also. 2. if you gain/lose weight or become pregnant, all you have to do is simply change your scrub size! 3. I love the fact that if you get something on you, bodily fluids and what not, you just go grab another pair. I used to work at a nursing home, and while it is fun to pick out fun and different scrubs, it is expensive. just my .

hi all. i posted last year about applying for a nicu job. i have always wanted to work in the nicu and for a year now i have been actively speaking with our nicu manager and it seems that the ball is finally rolling (slowly...) currently i am an or nurse (have been for 5 years) so i spoke with the nicu manager last thursday and she told me i qualify for the internship program, which i am very excited for:yeah:. so i understand that i will be getting a good quality foundation and orientation, but i was wondering if you had any advice as to what i should be doing now for the next month or so before i can actually transfer, to help prepare myself for the internship/nicu position. any advice would be great. i have looked at a lot of websites, saved and printed lots of information on drugs, labs(although i haven't found much on this..?), terminology etc. i even found a spread sheet on this forum that i loved and printed out so that i will have a starting template. is there anything else i should be looking up, learning, reading doing ? also, would it be wise to go ahead and buy an infant stepthoscope? i am assuming so, but figured i would ask (looking like a real newbie here...) thank you in advance for you advice and your forum has taught me so much!

I wanted to say that I am in your boat so I thought I would share my experience. I applied for a job in the NICU of the hospital I work at in Feb 2010. I then e-mailed the manager of NICU and told her who I was, that I had always been interested in NICU and that I had applied for the job. To my surprise I got an interview!! I was so excited:yeah:. Well as time has gone on, I have not yet been hired for the NICU but I keep calling her/emailing her telling her that I am still interested etc. I told her I hoped I didn't come off as pushy and she said no that I needed to keep on her, so that is what I have done. I am (hopefully) in the final stages of this transfer as I will be meeting with her later this week to see what I have to do to finalize transferring to the NICU and starting an orientation. It has been a very frustrating process for me:confused:, but I am holding out hope that this has all not been in vein and that I will soon be in my dream job. We have to be our own advocate. I do believe I would not have even got the interview if I wouldn't have e-mailed her in the first place and I also don't think I would still be being considered if I hadn't been keeping in contact with her for this past year. Good luck to you !

i think you should put it in your resume.. just the facts you did this at this time for this long etc, then during your interview you will have a chance to show how you feel, and how you treat your patients and that you don't judge. It will def. come out in your interview so I wouldn't worry about that!! you'll do great, good luck.

hi all... i currently am an or nurse and have been for 4 years. when i got out of school i wanted to do l&d but never got the interview. i have been searching and have found an l&d position and actually got an interview:yeah:!! i am also going to be doing a shadow day soon i am excited about that! i've just been doing some debating in my head and thought i would throw this out here and see what others thought... my dilemma is this is something that i have wanted to do! so i am thankful for the possible opportunity to get hired, but it is an hour away (drive really wouldn't be too bad not much traffic etc...) and would be 8 hr shifts where i currently work 12s. also the pay would decrease (although i feel i would make it up since i would be working more hours then i am now). also the way things are with the economy, it does scare me about starting over at a new place and losing seniority and vacation time, etc. all these thoughts just keep swirling in my head and i am trying to sort it all out so that if they do offer me a job after my shadow day, i will know what i want to say... i just can't see not doing what i have always wanted to do if i have the chance:confused:?!? any thoughts are welcome thanks for reading and offering your opinions!!

i work in a 14 or hospital non trama we are required to have acls (had to obtain within 1 yr of accepting position) if we don't or let it lapse we can't transport to and from icu... and i'm sure theres some other things... not sure what because i dont let my lapse {would rather do the 1 day reveiew then redo the whole weekend course!! }

i vote to just go straight for your rn... once you get out of school it is hard to go back. at least for me it is. i went straight for my bsn and i believe its the best thing i have ever done for myself. i have since wanted to go back for my np, and i cannot get motivated afte being out of school for only 4 yrs. also my mom took the long route.. cna, cma, lpn. she has been an lpn since 2002. she has tried several times to countinue on to her rn and is still strugling with it (due to work, home and other obligations). if you can get into rn program just go for it!! good luck with whatever you choose to do.

i was a new grad that was hired directly into the or internship program. the question came up at my interview "why should we hire you directly out of school with you doing a year of med/surg?" i told them, that i am an open book that they could teach and train me the way they wanted to without having to "reteach" things that i learned on the floor that were done differently in the or (ex. administering blook products.. on the floor i believe it has to go in over 4 hours? not sure exactly, but in the or we have rapid infusers that can put a pint of blood in in just a few seconds if need be when we have a patient bleeding out) things are done so different in the or. for a long while i have to say i did feel as though i was not using my nursing skills like they taught in school, then i realized, i am just in a different way. which is what its really about anyway. good luck to you! if it is what you want to do, i say go for it!

loveanurse... thanks!! i have not joined nann although i have looked at their site. i am also thinking of buying "the handbook of neonatal nursing" which i have read on here is a helpful book.

an rn can work as a scrub nurse, but if you don't have prior experience with scrubing you prob. won't be considered for the tech position. example: i am an or nurse and during my internship we were taught to scrub and circulate, therefore i could scrub cases if needed. they prob. won't train you to do that job since scrub techs go through specialized training to do that job. i would say that you should get the managers number and call them/e-mail them tell them that you have applied and this (ob nursing) is what you really want to do. thats what i did in the nicu. and i have to say its working. got me around the whole hr portion of everything plus 2 interviews and basically a job offer. good luck!

rns are not allowed to administer propofol under dr orders or not! it is outside our scope of practice and that nurse can get in a lot of trouble!