Switch to NICU/Neonatology

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I am an Associates Degree prepared RN

I expect to graduate with a Bachelors Degree in Nursing in May 2010

I've been an RN on a Med-Surg + Geriatric floor at a local community hospital since June 2008

Most recruiters want to hire you in the area of your past experience - in my case med-surg. So, what if I want to switch to neonatology? Is it really that tough to train a med-surg nurse in another area?

What about all those promises about being able to do whatever you like as a nurse? I loved the neonatal area, specifically, the nursery and the NICU. Since nurseries at hospitals are shutting down due to shorter hospital stays, that narrows it down to the NICU.

What should I be doing to make myself more marketable as a NICU RN, while still working in the Med-Surg area?

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Specializes in NICU.

This question has been asked countless times before. Try using the search button and good luck on your journey!

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Specializes in L/D 4 yrs & Level 3 NICU 22 yrs.

We hire nurses from different backgrounds all the time as well as new grads. I don't think you should have a problem. Be sure to highlight organizational skills, work well under pressure, being a team player, and good critical thinking skills in an application/interview. Best wishes!

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Thank you katnicurnc! What are these NICU levels?

Is there a new grad program of sorts for people who switch specialties in your institution?

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU.

Try looking for NICU GN positions around the time when nursing school semesters are beginning. Almost all of the jobs I applied to have said "also for RNs new to the specialty" or "Current experienced RN's are eligible to apply as well". When I was at my interview, there was a nurse there that had 5+ years of ER experience and she was wanting to make the switch to the NICU. I think it's worth a shot, plus you will get the benefit of a formal internship program.

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Which area are these hospitals you look at, in?

Would you mind naming a few so I could look at those specifically?

Try looking for NICU GN positions around the time when nursing school semesters are beginning. Almost all of the jobs I applied to have said "also for RNs new to the specialty" or "Current experienced RN's are eligible to apply as well". When I was at my interview, there was a nurse there that had 5+ years of ER experience and she was wanting to make the switch to the NICU. I think it's worth a shot, plus you will get the benefit of a formal internship program.
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Specializes in Neonatal ICU.

I am in Texas. I applied to all the major cities: Houston, Dallas, San Antonio. I accepted a position at Baylor, and the job posting has since closed. I will PM you with more info.

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Specializes in L/D 4 yrs & Level 3 NICU 22 yrs.

I found a quote from somebody else explaining this. Basically Level 1 is wellborn nursery, level 2 is like progressive care and level 3 is intensive care. It is confusing because trauma centers are graded the other way around. Level 1 trauma has the greatest number of resources and skilled people.

Here is the quote and I am probably doing this worng but I want to give credit:

From EricJRN

"Re: Level 2 vs Level 3 NICUBabies in Level II NICU's have some problems that make them not quite suitable for a newborn nursery, but they generally don't have immediately life-threatening issues. Critical babies born in hospitals with Level II NICU's are generally stabilized and transferred to Level III NICU's.

Level III NICU's take care of kids that require interventions like ventilators and pressor agents. A Level III NICU generally has on-site or rapidly available pediatric surgeons and other subspecialists, but they may or may not be able to repair complex cardiac defects or utilize ECMO. (Sometimes you'll see Level III divided into IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc, depending on the services of the unit. I've even seen NICU's with ECMO capability who call themselves Level IV NICU's).

To make this more confusing, some hospitals have only Level II units, some have their Level II and III babies all on one unit, while others have completely separate Level II and III units.

Level III units are often found in suburban/outlying hospitals, but often patients will have to be transferred to an academic center for really complex problems."

I work in a 60 bed Level 3 with Level 2 mixed in. So my assignment could be all 2 or all 3 or a combination of both. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have further quesitons!

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Specializes in NICU.

I don't know anything about nurseries "shutting down." Ours is alive and well. Typical stay for a healthy newborn in our facility is 2-4 days, most dependent on whether mom had a CS or a vag delivery. Granted though, with the push for rooming in, the nursery is staffed with 1-2 RNs caring for a smaller number of babies. I wouldn't imagine there are a lot of nursery jobs. Where I work, the nursery nurse is just an assignment that a mom-baby nurse can get.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Pediatrics.

Levels of NICU Care

Level I: Basic Newborn Care: Level 1 nurseries care for healthy, full-term babies. They are able to stabilize babies born near term to get them ready to transfer to facilities that offer special care.

Level II: Specialty Newborn Care: These nurseries can care for babies born at greater than 32 weeks gestation or who are recovering from more serious conditions.

Level IIA: These nurseries do not provide assisted ventilation.

Level IIB: These nurseries can provide assisted ventilation for less than 24 hours, and can also provide continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).

Level III: Subspecialty Newborn Care: Level III NICUs care for the sickest babies and offer the greatest variety of support.

Level IIIA: These nurseries care for babies born greater than 28 weeks. They offer mechanical ventilation and minor surgical procedures such as central line placement.

Level IIIB: Level IIIB NICUs can offer different types of mechanical ventilation, have access to a wide range of pediatric specialists, can use imaging capabilities beyond x-ray, and may provide some surgeries requiring anesthesia.

Level IIIC: The most acute care is provided in level IIIC NICUs. These nurseries can provide advanced ventilation, including ECMO, and can provide advanced surgeries including “open-heart” surgeries to correct congenital heart defects.

(http://preemies.about.com/od/allaboutthenicu/a/NICUPart1.htm)

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Pediatrics.

And, if you really want to get into the nitty gritty of the NICU levels and their designation, go to: http://www.centerforpolicyanalysis.org/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/finalnicureport.pdf

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Pediatrics.

Just an FYI, I am in the same boat as you, except I know that all I ever wanted to do is NICU. However, the majority of my background is Med/Surg/Tele because I have had a hard time getting and finding employment in NICU. I am starting to believe that I live in the wrong state. Here, all of the NICU positions I have applied to or even had interviews for, they were always looking for and hiring experienced NICU nurses only. I applied to these positions anyway because I am really hoping that someone will take the chance and hire me without all that experience. I may not have much experience in NICU, but that is all I know. I always had a hard time in Adult care areas, maybe because I really didn't want to be there and didn't enjoy it! But, I had to work, so I have been doing whatever I have to do to support my family. Now, I am to the point where I don't want to and refuse to settle for these types of positions. I am just not real sure of where to go to get what I want and how to get there. Good luck!

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