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NICU is highly specialized, the book that Jolie recommended is great - but don't overwhelm yourself by thinking you should read it all. Focus on the bigger / most important things to better understand and connect the dots.. I would recommend reviewing what is happening in utero (like circulation) (here is a great resource, I would watch all these videos (they are not too long or overwhelming : Meet the placenta! (video) | Khan Academy ) .. Also, review fetal status by gestational age (how does a 25 weeker differ from a 30 weeker or a 34 weeker; what milestones are typically accomplished around certain gestational ages or what are they most at risk of at certain gestational age). Review respiratory function and respiratory distress, thermoregulation, nutrition, NAS.. I would also recommend getting a mini note pad (that fits into your scrub pocket) and taking little notes here and there; this technique helped me with noting the important details. Also consider making goals for yourself for each shift.. maybe start by shadowing and doing little tasks, then try to do VS, chart VS, do safety checks, do some of the basic care for infant, feeds, gradually ease into doing the assessment, form bonds with the families.. And ask questions!!! You are learning, so take advantage of this and ask questions.

I think it is completely normal to feel nervous and scared, especially with everything being so new and an intensive care unit can feel overwhelming. However, that is why there is an orientation to make sure you are prepared and to gradually progress until you are prepared. If there isn't a nursing area that you completely fell in love with, then I really don't think there is a point to quit this so soon. I would recommended jumping into it with a positive outlook, you might just love it. An instructor of mine worked at a NICU for 1 year (she wanted it to look good on her resume, so she stuck it out and told herself she will stay for at least 1 year). She said she cried almost everyday on her way home and she hated it. On her last day of the 1 year period, she had a resignation letter prepared, but on that last day she had an amazing day and decided to stay. She ended up working there for 10 years and said it was by far her favorite job. I think if you enjoyed your preceptorship experience and you got lucky enough to find a position in the NICU, then why not give it a shot. Experience is always great. See how you like it.

Don't be discouraged and don't allow the bad experience bring you down. Nursing is a broad area with many different routes available. And if you don't have much experience in the hospital setting, then it's challenging to have certain expectations or any idea of what it will be like.. But nursing school is what it is, and now that you know what it is like, you have to decide if it is for you. If nursing in general is not meeting your expectations, then maybe you need to self-reflect if this is something you would enjoy doing as a career, because the majority of nurses and nursing students are very passionate about nursing. With that being said, if you have been to a NICU and are certain that you want to become a NICU RN, I would recommend sticking to nursing school and getting yourself to meet this goal. If you have not been to a NICU, I would recommend shadowing; reach out to a near-by hospital and seek an opportunity to shadow. As for the nerves, I think it is totally normal to be nervous. It is a challenging journey with ALOT to learn and ALOT of experience to gain. But it is so rewarding. If becoming a nurse is exciting for you, then this nerve-wrecking journey should be worth it. Give it all you got, take each experience and learn as much as you can from it, jump in and get experience as a student, to better prepare you to become a great nurse. I recently graduated and have passed the NCLEX and have gotten my first job at a level III NICU. I have my BSN (which I attained through an accelerated program). However, I know many people that have gotten their ADN and then gotten their BSN within 4 months, through online classes. NICU's typically hire RNs with BSN degree. One option is getting a job with your ADN degree at a postpartum unit (like mother-baby unit or L&D) and getting your BSN while gaining experience, and later try to transition to NICU. Also I would research residency programs or internships and research what their requirements are.. Another great tip is doing your preceptorship experience in the NICU or anything pedes-related. This is just my input. :)

Congrats!!! That's so exciting!! My advice to you that has helped me or that I wish I knew before.. - Use a planner; it has saved me and my sanity many times. It is difficult to keep up with all due dates and all you want to accomplish. - Get a nice stethoscope from the beginning; I went through 3 before I actually found one I could hear through; I wish I had a nice one from the beginning because that's really when you will have the most time to actually hear all kinds of breath sounds and murmurs. I went cheap but none of those worked for me; I finally bought a Littmann Classic III and it is wonderful!! - App that I enjoy is NCLEX Mastery RN; you purchase it once and have it forever; there are thousands of questions (and organized by topics); I would usually do some of these questions prior to an exam. Also use ATI (if your school uses it); there are many quizzes and mini sessions to practice! - For studying, it EXTREMELY helpful to prep before a lecture; I didn't always do this, but when I did, I was most successful. I didn't really read chapters, it was just too challenging to focus. Instead, I would review the ppts ahead of time, and then skim through the book to get an idea of what's what. It is also very helpful to review right after lecture (same day at least); I found this to be helpful in really applying the content into my long memory. - Cheat sheets; I am a visual learner; so with any condition or disease, I typically would look up mnemonics. I would just type in a condition and add "nursing mnemonic" after it and find images on Google. Here is a website that has many images: Nursing School: Medical Surgical Nursing Mnemonics -- I would also print these out on 1/4 of paper and then make notes on the side. - Tips: - Throughout nursing school, I had a document where I would write random tips for the NCLEX about any condition or content, usually anything that professors would emphasize or other little quick hints to remember (ex: seeing floating dark spots of flashes of light = retinal detachment, decreased central vision = macular degeneration) - One thing I wish I would have done is kept a journal and wrote down my experiences from EVERY clinical day. I had assignments throughout school where it was necessary to write down my experiences, and those are the ones I remember most. Now that I am done with school and am going through interviews, I wish I would remember most of my clinical experiences so I could use them as examples. Nothing extensive, just a few sentences to jot your memory of what patient you took care of or some event / memory that happened. - Another tip is learn the HOW and WHY behind health conditions, diseases, or procedures. It will help you in the long run, to actually understand things and not be as stressed. - Be somewhat involved in different events or opportunities while in school; it will look good on your resume. Also, make friends and study together (by doing questions or teaching each other). After an exam, I would meet up with my friends to remember what questions we had on the exams. We didn't share this info with anyone, but between each other, it really helped us to remember the questions and understand what we did wrong, and prep for cumulative finals. - Also do as much as you can during clinicals. You are a student and it's perfect timing to gain experience, no matter how scared or nervous you are. Jump in! Good luck!! :)

Reviewing A&P may be very beneficial for you! Everything you'll learn will be related to the body in some way, it's good to know the HOW and WHY behind the processes, it'll help tie and connect all the dots together, and actually understand, instead of attempting to memorize everything. Even knowing the basics is helpful.

Wonderful advice! I have to agree with everyone; a planner is very helpful! I was a bit of a procrastinator in the beginning and the planner really helped me get my ducks in a row; especially one with a calendar view (for highlighting test/assignment due dates) plus individual days (for setting daily goals and tasks). Medical scissors for clinical also come in handy! I bought smaller ones on Amazon for approx. 7$. A clipboard is very helpful too; I found the folding whitecoat nursing clipboard to be very useful, it fits in my pocket which is great. I have not been able to find one under $30; pricey, but a great investment! Just be careful to not buy just the labels! Another helpful tip, which has been a tremendous help for me, is taking a mini journal with you (the little 3X5 memo book with flip pages) to clinical. It is pocket friendly, so it is great for quick reference. I jot down all relevant info during my experience; from the floor/unit i'm on and their pass code for supplies/break room for future use, relevant extensions, if I come across something I am not familiar with, ill jot it down to study it at a later time; various procedures or specific situations; meds most commonly given (so I can study them) and I make a list of skills I have done (for my school journal submissions). For studying, I would strongly encourage reviewing newly learned info right after lecture class. I found this to register in my long-term memory better. Also, forming a small study group may help you. I personally prefer to study alone (I focus better), however, I formed a small group with a few of my classmates which has been beneficial in terms of support, assignments, and reviewing for exams. We share a group message on "group me" app; and we help each other with any issues/questions. Also, if you are a visual learner, you may find this helpful. When learning a new condition, I find a visual mnemonic for it (you can find many here Nursing School: Medical Surgical Nursing Mnemonics ); I copy the image and print it on half or 1/4th of a blank page, and as I study along, I make notes around the image. This technique helps me to picture findings and correlate them better to my own understanding (esp for endocrine, with a lot of hypo/hyper conditions). Best of luck!! :) Amazon.com : ScrubCheats 5

I believe you would withhold the med and contact the provider if the pulse is digoxin | Davis's Drug Guide

Nursing school will be an even greater accomplishment! I would say, focus on your nursing coursework. Let it be your motivation to be successful and do wonderful in nursing school. For my associates graduation, I did not walk. However, once I received my diploma, I wore a cap and gown and took photos with my diploma and with my family, and then went out to a family dinner, to celebrate.

My school also did not allow retakes; only the original grades were viewed. Maybe consider a private college / medical academy, which don't look at the GPA. I know a few people who have successfully done that.