KBNUR2004

I have an interview next week with a NICU director to be able to work in the NICU when I graduate in December. I've been through a few interviews lately and I get very nervous and freeze up. This is a very important interview for me because I would really love to get into the NICU to work as a nurse. Any tips and advice for interviews would be very very helpful. Thanks, Kimberly

Well I've called around to as many children's hospital's I could fnd. Some of the classes are the week my school starts up again so I won't be able to attend those. Other people said I would have to already be working in a NICU unit. Then I found a few that said I could take it since I'm an EMT but it cost $150 and a nurse educator that I talked to at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital told me that it doesn't really make a difference and when you actually start with the hospital it will be free. So I'm not sure if its worth paying that much money if it won't make a difference anyway. I got a good lead at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital though. They seem to have a good internship program and you only have to sign a 1 year contract. It includes 1 week regular orientation, 1 week nursing orientation, 2 weeks NICU specific classes and 14-16 week 1 on 1 preceptership. You have to start off working nights. It doesn't sound like a bad opportunity at all so I'm going to check it out even further. I've also sent letters out today to the Directors of NICU at the hospitals that I'm interested in so hopefully something good will happen with all this work I'm doing trying to find a hospital. Thanks so much for all your help......It has helped me so much! :)

How would I get my NRP? Would a hospital let me take that class?

Would I just send my letter to the hospitals main address and put Attention NICU Director or something like that? How do you find out the address and phone number of the Director of NICU? Thanks so much for your help!

Thanks......How would I contact the Director of the Floor I'm interested in directly? Just call the main number and ask for the director of NICU? Most people I have talked to have been pretty nice but some people don't call me back. I guess I'll just have to bug them until they give in. I'll find something.....I'm pretty determined.

Thanks so much for all that information. That is very helpful and definitly encouraging because I was starting to think that a lot of them didn't hire new nurses. Its funny that you said All Children's was rude because they haven't been that way for me yet but I also haven't tryed to meet anybody in person yet, but that doesn't mean they won't be rude when I go up their. They don't let you apply but only 1 month ahead of when you graduate which wouldn't give me much time to make plans which I don't like. Wolfson's told me that the only once in a while hired new nurses right out of school so they didn't seem encouraging. I haven't been able to reach the nurse recruiter at Arnold Palmer yet and she hasn't called me back after I left a message. I will definitly go up and check them out in person though since they will be having that new hospital coming in. That sounds really exciting. I would really love to be able to get right into NICU. Shands has been very nice so they are definitly on the list. I guess now I can understand why their were not many job openings at those hospitals right now. Do you think since they just hired so many new nurses that they will be needing many more? Maybe by december they will need some? I've also been looking around for hospitals that have internships but I haven't found too many. It looks like the Florida Hospital in Orlando has some but won't hire new grads for NICU and only for peds, which I guess would be fine to start with if that was all I could get into at the time. I found something about internships at shands in Jacksonville. And their are great internships at Lee Memorial Hospital for new grads in the NICU but that is the area I live in now and I'm trying to get away from and they want you to sign a 2 year contract. Which Shands did you check out.....the one in Gainsville or Jacksonville? Thanks so much again. I'm going to keep getting all my information together and figure where I'm interested in going and then I'm going to make a road trip to each of them and check out the neighborhoods and the hospital. So do they have packets of information about the hospital that they can give you? If so I will definitly get as much information as I can and find the best opportunity. I do have until December which is kind of far away but kind of not when it comes to finding a good job.

Thanks. I will keep all those things in mind when I am looking for a place to work. I've been calling different childrens hospitals to see who takes new grads and who doesn't and it seems not have positions available that they hire a new grad with. Are there any other options if I can't find a childrens hospital in the area I'm looking in that will accept me, like extra classes or volunteering that might help me get into specializing with children?

I am a nursing student going to be graduating in December. I was looking under available positions at childrens and womens hospitals and they had something called an NRP that is reguired to get before or soon after starting work. Does anybody know what that stands for? Thanks.....

Thanks for all your info. I am actually looking to relocate when I graduate to north florida. I've found the All Children's Hospital in St. Pete, Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, Shands Children Hospital in Gainsville which is a teaching hospital I believe, and the Shriners Hospital in Tampa but they are not hiring. I also just found Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville but don't know much information about them yet. I have been researching these hospitals and looking around for different opportunites in that area. I am in Southwest Florida right now. Do you recommend applying to more than 1 and just see who will hire me?

I am a nursing student and I will be graduating in December. I am very interested in working with babies and maybe doing some work with older kids also. I am looking into different Childrens Hospitals in Florida because I know the best way to get in is to find a hospital to put you through training. I haven't been able to find too many that are just dedicated to children and I have a feeling that a regular hospital that has a childrens department but is not fully dedicated to children might not have a training program. Is there anything I can do to increase my chances of getting into a neonatal position? Is it best to start off in Med-Surg or would it be ok to go straight into children? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm really looking forward to getting started with my nursing career and making a difference. Thanks......:)