NICUmiraclesRN

I have worked in two different Level 3 NICU's. One place my orientation was 2 weeks of class and 6 weeks on the unit during the day shift and then 2 weeks with a preceptor on the night shift. And the second place was one week in class and 8 weeks on the day shift. Both of these orientations were legnthy enough to get the gist of the flow and what to do. It took quite some to get comfortable with actually taking care of a micro preemie. However as with anything - the more you see and do, the better you become. Don't be afraid of taking any patient because they are "too critical or fragile". As long as you don't act like a know it all, and ask questions anytime you are unsure of yourself - it is the best way to learn and become comfortable. And you can always ask for an extended orientation if there are things that you think you have not seen, etc. During my orientations I was lucky enough to see basically everything. Some orientee's come and the NICU is very slow at that time, so they don't get to see as much and their orientation period isn't as beneficial as others.