WannaBe NICU nurses roll call!!

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hey guys just wanted to see how many of you want to end up in the NICU and why you are choosing that road.

From my personal experiance, i was on a high school feild trip and it was to Valley Childrens Hospital which is in central california and has one of the best NICU's in the state. So we got to that floor and i immediatly felt a difference than in the other floors. It seemed mor calming and dim , and there is a nurse who talked to us and one girl in my class(didnt care for her) said kind of sarcasticly "how could you work here, it is so depressing" and the nurse smiled and said "When you get a baby who ends up in here who cannot breath on its own, and then one day you get to see it eat and breath on its own, it is one of the most rewarding experiances."

so ya ever since then i have decided i am going to end up there one day =)

p.s. i have a feeling working with babies might be easier in the sense that they wont complain and try to tell you how to do your job:p

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Specializes in NICU.

Hi! I have one more year of nursing school and NICU is where I want to be for sure. I have wanted to do this since high school. We had a project that we had to follow a healthcare person around. My mom has a friend that is a NICU nurse so I followed her. Oh my goodness, how awesome. These babies are little fighters. Also, I'm a small 4 ft 8 inch girl w/ not the most strength so I know I can't work with adults very well.

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NICU is one of the specialties I am considering after graduation. 10 years ago when our daughter was born she spent 2 days in the NICU (blood sugar regulation issues). She was a 9 pounder and I remember she seemed so huge compared to the other babies on the unit. As my own child wasn't fighting for her life, I had the opportunity to sit back and watch what was going on in the unit. I don't remember actually seeing a doctor there (although they must have come through sometimes), but was impressed with how these nurses were totally in charge of caring for those tiny tiny babies who faced so many health challenges. At any given moment they were educating parents on "commando feeding techniques", coaxing blood out of tiny heels, saving precious lives.

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Count me in!!! If I don't do NICU it will be L&D! I have ALWAYS been a sucker for a newborn (preemie and/or full-term).... My friends and family think I'm crazy because my favorite age with my 3 kids was 0-6 weeks.

I have worked at a day care in the infant room and now I volunteer in the nursery (Birth Floor) at our local hospital.... I can't wait to become an RN and really make a difference in these babies lives! I'm so excited!!!

Plus.... their poops are smaller, their puke is smaller, their cries are smaller, and they are just so wonderful!!! I can't wait... can you tell!!LOL

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hey guys just wanted to see how many of you want to end up in the NICU and why you are choosing that road.

From my personal experiance, i was on a high school feild trip and it was to Valley Childrens Hospital which is in central california and has one of the best NICU's in the state. So we got to that floor and i immediatly felt a difference than in the other floors. It seemed mor calming and dim , and there is a nurse who talked to us and one girl in my class(didnt care for her) said kind of sarcasticly "how could you work here, it is so depressing" and the nurse smiled and said "When you get a baby who ends up in here who cannot breath on its own, and then one day you get to see it eat and breath on its own, it is one of the most rewarding experiances."

so ya ever since then i have decided i am going to end up there one day =)

p.s. i have a feeling working with babies might be easier in the sense that they wont complain and try to tell you how to do your job:p

I would love to either work in a NICU or L&D.

My first son was born 10 weeks early. He spent 7 weeks in a NICU. The nurses were great. After that experience, I was drawn to nursing. Although I pursued a teaching degree first, I realized a few years ago that my real calling was nursing. Now I'm back for my RN license and my eyes toward the NICU or L&D!

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Specializes in L&D, QI, Public Health.

Hi,

Fellow NICU wannabe here. No personal stories. I just love the NICU.

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I admire you guys! :) My special needs baby was and is enough intensity for me. I can take care of her needs (she's tube fed and has some other issues) but I am looking for something less intense when I am an RN. Like L&D, postpartum, or general pediatric. Good luck to you!

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Just wanted to wish you guys good luck! The NICU is a great place to be. I had to laugh though, Cacori, about the babies not complaining - they can't complain and tell you how to do your job, but that's why they have moms and dads. :)

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Specializes in NICU.

I am going through nursing school with hopes of becoming a NICU nurse as well. :) I don't know what pulls me so hard in that direction, but there is something that does. (I do have two children - an almost 4 yr. old and a one year old, but both were full term and fine when born.) I know it is going to be hard and I know it is not all rocking and feeding babies, but I also feel that is part of the draw for me - I don't think I would be happy in a postpartum unit. I like high-intesity situations and I handle stress and chaos well. I love babies and I am a very compassionate person. I can see myself saving little lives, but I can also see myself helping families say goodbye and cope with having to let go of a little life that cannot pull through. I look at my future and just cannot see myself anywhere else. There are so many incredible experiences to be found in a NICU - birth, life, death, joy, tears, hope, pleasure, grief, pain - each experience is very intense and will leave a mark on your heart forever and I know that is where I am meant to be. :)

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Hi,

I am taking my prereq's to get into the nursing program. I have wanted to be in NICU since I was in highschool. I don't have any personal experiences that directed me to that decision, but it's more like a calling or something. I just have this really strong feeling, like this is what I am supposed to do. I'm so excited!!:)

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Specializes in OR Internship starting in Jan!!.

I'm really thinking about doing NICU, too. I love children, but since I'm not going to have any of my own, I think I will enjoy working in the NICU. It will be hard, but I think it will be worth it!

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I too am leaning towards the NICU. I volunteered at the Children's Hospital and really enjoyed it. Other than that....all I can say is that I'm drawn towards the NICU or something else in Peds. I've been told not to make up my mind until school is over, so I'm still keeping an open mind.

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