questions for a neonatal nurse?

babiesRmylife · Sep 10, 2009

The amount of schooling it takes depends on what type of degree you want (Associates or Bachlors degree) & what your local hospital requires. Some hospitals require a Bachlors while others don't. They say a Bachlors takes approximatley 4yrs (thats with your general education classes), but it took me 5yrs. to complete.

You don't have to have straight A's to be a nurse. Good study habbits will definately come in handy as you get into nursing school though. As far as is it difficult to get into nursing school itself, it depends on the school you pick & the acceptance requirements it has for the nursing program. My program was very concerned about past grades in high school & college, study habbits, & dedication to studying.

I love my job. It is very rewarding, but at times emotionally draining. I mean its hard to see kids get better then sick, & better then sick. It's a rollercoaster sometimes for those parents & infants. The reality is that it takes a speical person for this type of field. You see kids that have been in the hospital for MONTHS live when they have been REALLY sick, beat the odds, & live, while sometimes its not so lucky & unfortunately kids die. You learn to cry with parents, we are human!

It takes a big heart! Best of luck!

NeoNurseTX, RN · Sep 13, 2009

Im a junior in highschool and have been interested in getting into neonatal for about two years now.

How much schooling does it take? I have a bachelor's so 4 years (okay 5 for me but I did a few semesters part time). you can do it w/ an associate's.

do you enjoy your job? most of the time

is it an emotional job? depends on the person. if you have a baby die and don't get emotional..then i guess not..but this is not the normal response.

what degree do you have? bsn

Do you have to have straight a's to get into it? i went to a highly competitive school and would not have gotten in w/o a 4.0

is it hard to get into nursing school? where i am, extremely

any other info would be great, thanks :)

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 13, 2009

You might want to talk with some neonatal nurses in your local area as you go through the process of choosing a nursing school. The likelihood of being hired into a neonatal unit (NICU) varies from place to place around the country. Some hospitals will hire new grads from any type of RN program (2-year Associate's Degree, 3-year Diploma program, 4-year Bachelor's Degree, etc.) Other hospitals will only hire new graduates who have at least a Bachelor's Degree and who have gotten some extra experience with neonates while they are a student. Some hospitals will not hire new grads at all and only hire nurses with at least one year of professional experience.

You need to find out the requirements in YOUR area so that you can have a realistic picture or what to expect for YOUR career.

My hospital will only hire new graduates into their NICU if they have gotten some experience in NICU as a student. Most new grads hired have Bachelor's Degrees and have done either a senior-year preceptorship in a NICU or have worked in a NICU in a student role (externship or nursing assistant) while they were a student. A very small number of new grads form other types of programs are hired into our NCU -- but they all have experience working with children/babies as an LPN, nursing extern, or nursing assistant. The average new grad does not even get an interview until after they have worked for at least a year as an RN in a related field, such as pediatrics, maternity or adult ICU.

You'll need to find the requirements for the NICU's in the city where you plan to work -- and then plan accordingly. Good luck to you!