ittybittie

Since you are such a planner and you're getting started early, perhaps going back to school quickly will work for you. I have worked with NNPs that had very little experience before school and, while their first year or so out was a little rough, they are now very skilled NNPs. It's definitely possible! I will say though, that the RN staff was very resistant and critical of them at first because they didn't identify and empathize with the RNs quite like those that had been in the RN role, dealing with all its struggles, for a longer time period. I was a different story... I am just starting as an NNP and had ~7 years experience in different NICUs as a preceptor, council leader, charge nurse, etc... and feel pretty overwhelmed with the new role. (There are, of course, a lot of factors that go into that but that's not the point!) I don't think you can put a time limit on what is adequate, but I definitely drew on my years of experience and ability to recognize and anticipate plans of care for certain babies in order to understand things while studying. (Many ah-ha! moments!) My advise to you is this: 1. Shadow an NNP for a couple of days when you get your sea legs as a bedside RN. I LOVED school and learning all the interesting patho stuff, but got to the end and started clinicals and found out the job was not at all what I'd expected - and I'd worked along side NNPs as an RN the whole time. It is, as was mentioned before, very different than it looks from the outside. 2. Take your RNC test. It was a really good gauge for me that I was equipped to handle the study time and test-taking skills that were required in graduate school. It also gave me a tiny bit of an idea of all the things NNPs are required to know every day in order to care for babies from a different perspective. It's more than you think! 3. Don't rush your time as an RN, or see it as a means to an end. There is a huge amount of value in being a great bedside nurse that will serve you in a lot of different aspects of life, not just in the NICU. 4. Be open to change. I saw people in NNP school change their minds and decide not to finish, or switch to a different NP or MSN program. They'd been in NICUs for a long time and for whatever reason, they realized it wasn't for them. (For some, it was life reasons, for others they just realized they wanted to stay at the bedside.) I wish you the best of luck... being new in the NICU can seem crazy overwhelming but it is also incredibly rewarding!

Hi all, I am a recent grad as well and am facing boards next week. I am, of course, very nervous, and just wanted to know if you felt like the Pediatrix questions were a good gauge; meaning, if I can pass those, then I should be able to pass the real test questions? Or were they too easy? Some of the questions seem way too easy, and some seem completely out of left field for me. I just wanted the opinions of people that have recently taken the test! Thanks!