student interested in NICU- what can I do now?

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I am currently on a three year waitlist for my local nursing school but I am going to apply to UCSF MEPN Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program in the next year or two. I was thinking of becoming a Lactation Consultant or Child Life Specialist in the meantime. Do either of these make sense? Will they help me get into UCSF or get hired more easily in a NICU? Both will take a considerable amount of time and money. Is there anything else that you would recommend? I do plan on volunteering as a baby cuddler, etc. soon.Thanks.

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Specializes in NICU.

First off, just to work in the NICU, you can either have a Bachelor of Science (BSN) degree or an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN).

Secondly, you have to have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) before you can go to school to be a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, and even then, some schools require you to have at least 2 years of experience as an RN before you start a practitioner program.

So, first and foremost, you have to get accepted into nursing school.

Being a cuddler in the NICU is definitely an awesome idea to do during school!

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Thanks for the reply RN4LOVE. I am currently on the waitlist for an ADN program and I have a BA already. This is why I can apply to UCSF's Masters Entry program- 1 year for the RN portion and then 1-2 year step-out. This is followed by a two year master's for the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program. I am looking for certificates, degrees, activities, experience,etc. that I can do now:) to improve my chances of getting into UCSF ( I have emailed them and am awaiting reply) and getting hired in NICU upon graduation. I can think of many ways to get involved in pediatrics but I am not sure what I can do now to get experience for NICU. I have asked around about Lactation Consultant and I have received mixed responses. Some say great, NICU employs Lactation Consultants and some say no, this experience is better suited for nurses interested in midwifery, L & D, etc. Any experienced NICU nurses care to weigh in? I have also started to look into Child Life Specialist but maybe this is better suited for pediatrics, not NICU. Thanks:D

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

In order to become a Neonatal Nurse practitioner, you will be required to have 2 years of full-time level III NICU experience.

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Thanks SteveNNP. Would you recommend anything that I can do now to better prepare myself for future work in a NICU?:)

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

You could look into volunteering in a local NICU...as a cuddler, etc...or even a car seat safety educator... the latter is an extremely useful tool in NICU.

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Thanks SteveNNP. I have contacted a local hospital about becoming a cuddler and the wait list is quite long - it could take as long as a year. However, I am on the waitlist and starting in on the long process. Looking forward to helping in any way possible. Working as a car safety instructor is a great idea, I am going to research that.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

You might want to speak with the head of the local volunteer programs. There may be opportunities to volunteer in the NICU that don't involve patient contact that are less popular than cuddling.

As a former NICU nurse educator, I have spent a lot of time bemoaning the fact that we had lots of non-cuddling work that needed done ... but that none of the volunteers would do it. I'm talking about things like clerical work, stocking shelves, etc. It just wasn't glamorous enough or fun enough to interest them. But if you can into the unit by doing that sort of thing, it would still be valuable. The nursing leadership would love you and may be able to help you -- write recommendations, teach you a little, open up other possibilities, etc..

If you have a talk with the head of the volunteers and tell them of your willingness to do the unglamorous work that others don't want to do, you might get your foot in the door that way.

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Thanks llg, I have enjoyed reading your posts for some time now. I find your posts to be a calm voice of reason and authoritative at the same time. I love your recommendation. I will volunteer for the "unglamorous" work, especially if it will allow me to start volunteering earlier. As it is, due to long waiting lists, the earliest I can possibly begin to volunteer is this December.Thanks again.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

You might not have to wait long to volunteer if they knew you were interested in doing the unglamorous work. Perhaps if you wrote to the Nurse Manager of the NICU and told her of your willingness to help with clerical work, etc. as a volunteer (and why), she might be able to request your services from the volunteer office.

You might volunteer for any dept. in the hospital that might be available. That would get you in the door. People who "only want to cuddle" and won't do anything else don't make a very good impression to NICU nursing leaders. They respect people who will do "whatever needs to be done" and often have a poor impression of those who "just want to cuddle."

Investigate all your options and take whatever gets you closer to your goal.

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