chunkiesundae

And thank you to everyone who posted. I think I can do this!!!!!

dixRN- Thank you so much for your post, gave me a little boost of confidence. Animal hospital work is not easy, and we were there 6 days a week for 9 hours a day...definitely an exercise in mental stamina. Not always easy to look on the bright side, but I suppose I always reconciled my difficulty by believing that 1., someone has to fight for the patients and keep an eye on them (those doctors get busy!) and 2., I can help make things as easy as they can be for the owner's. I feel like a lot of this resonates with the NICU- but having you say it makes a big difference.

I suppose that if they don't want help, or they don't want to get better (not that they don't per say, but drugs have hijacked their brains to the extent that it's all they care about) then that's pretty much where it ends. It is really sad.

MegNeo- I suppose that it being less sad than PICU is a good thing, but I've never experienced either, so it doesn't give me a point of reference lol! I can see how that would be true, however, based upon the fact that in PICU the children are older and there are probably auto tramas and things like that. Ceiling-cat- I agree that the drug addiction stuff is just plan nasty and depressing. I wish there was more we could do...or more the hospital system could do. Obviously nurses do their best to make these babies are comfortable as possible, but what could the hospital do to help the mothers? aerorunner- that does sound amazing and miraculous, and is so inspiring!! Makes me want to do this for sure.

In a sense, I agree. Nurse practitioners who are doctorally trained may have the right to call themselves "doctor" but they probably shouldn't exercise that right; it confuses the patient about who is the captain of the health care team (sorry, but its the MDs/DOs) and the patients should be our top priority.

I am not a nurse, but as a human being who has worked with a variety of other human beings (mostly female!) I can offer a bit of advice. I recently started a job where most of the people were younger than me- 18, 19 year old kids. I had previous experience in the field that gave me some superior knowledge and a bachelor's degree, which made me sort of a "grown up" or an outsider. I will tell you what you do; let who you are speak for itself. Do your best always, treat people courteously, and be friendly. Make life as easy as you can for your aides, maybe even kiss a little ass...more than likely people will start to realize (after awhile) that you are a high quality person, a great worker, and probably a good friend. Sometimes it takes time to get "in", especially after a clash with one of the insiders. Just my two cents!

It's funny that you mention an "ocd" personality type because that is so me. I've always been really careful, detail oriented and conscientious. I feel really good about this, actually...I think I could do it.

Hey all! I have never been hospitalized, or anything near it, but I have been on some medication for depression and anxiety throughout my lifetime. I am wondering if this effects my ability to become certified as a registered nurse. That would be devastating. Does anybody know about this? Thanks a billion, Lindsay

Wow, thank you SO much for this statement. It really helped me think about this field and my decision to go to nursing school, which I am nervous about. I am realizing that my experience with pets working in the veterinary field as a "primer for dealing with tragedy" may be very useful in all this. I have always felt that being present with a family when their beautiful best friend passes on is really a gift, and to be able to comfort them and show their pet compassion and love is so great. I know this is so old, but this was such a great thread.

I find myself sometimes thinking I am tougher and stronger than I really am. Its not so much the "icky" stuff that I'm worried about- I've been working at a veterinary clinic for 6 years and the intestinal surgeries, mucus, infections, impacted anal glands....well, I don't love them, but I tolerate them...to be honest I'm a little intrigued by some of the medical interventions in the NICU. I hope that doesn't make me sound bad or sick. But really what is more tragic than a baby dying...I hate to see puppies and kittens suffer and die, and it happens all the time and we all go on with our lives. Yes we are sad, but in general the staff finds a way to get through it. However, puppies and kittens, cute as they are, are not baby humans and we would never do the extreme type of interventions that happen in the level III NICU. How do you cope? How do you not hate God every day? I want to take care of these special, special little humans but I don't know if I have it in me.

Hello all, I have considered a lot of details regarding my future career and there are many areas of nursing I think would be very satisfying and rewarding, not only personally but intellectually. I am very interested in taking care of preemies and babies, not only because I find children and babies' bodily functions less disgusting, but also because I am intellectually interested in caring for them and their families. To get to my point here, I am not sure if I can handle the sad aspects of the job. So many of the posts on here make me laugh and smile, and imagine how cute and sweet the babies are and how dedicated their parents are to their care. On the other hand, there are many times that I've been on here where the posts have literally made me cry- I am a sensitive person, and I get attached to people easily. Seeing babies suffer seems like such a horrible thing, but I know there are situations in which innocents (animals, babies, children) suffer and we do our best to fight for their wellbeing. (I currently work at a small animal hospital). To sum it all up: How sad is the NICU? Is there a personality type best suited to it? All advice is appreciated so much.