Senior practicum in NICU!

[babyNP., APRN]

I just found out that I get to do my senior practicum in a Level III NICU!!!!!

SO EXCITED!!!

Any tips, suggestions?

I've checked out some books from the library about neonatal care and am taking an NRP course and PALS course this month.

Plus, can't hurt to tell this to the nurse manager at DC Children's next when I go to interview in two weeks!!

Also: I have also heard back from CHOP and they said that they're a Level IV NICU. I've never heard of that...I'm assuming that it's just earlier born babies and the like?

Thank you for providing so much info in the archives for me everyone :cheers:

Oh, one more question: When you go for an interview and are offered the job, do you have to accept or not accept right away?

[littleneoRN]

Congratulations! In answer to your question about job offers... Any reasonable nurse manager should give you some time to decide. Sometimes you get an offer during the interview, sometimes they wait and call you later. Either way, ask them when they need your reply, and then take at least some of that time. Even if you know you want the job, it can be good to let the offer settle with you for a few days. Sometimes you come up with important questions after you've thought for a bit, and it's a great chance to get them answered before you commit.

If you search the forum, there are past threads about Level III vs. Level IV, but as I understand it... Level IV is an unofficial designation that NICUs use for themselves if they do ECMO. That said, our hospital has a busy Level III that is both a delivery hospital and a surgical referral center, with ECMO, and we call ourselves Level III.