I am not new to this site by any means, but this is my first post, so please bear with me.
I've had my heart set on NICU sense i found out such a thing existed. We toured our closest NICU during nursing school and I completely fell in love. I currently work nursery and LOVE it, but am always thinking about NICU.
I have worked in a well baby/level I nursery for 5 years. Small rural hospital, about 35 deliveries a month, 1 nursery nurse per shift, no NICU in house. While I do not claim to be a NICU nurse by any means, I say all this to suggest that I have more than just "well baby" experience. I attend all my own deliveries (with the Pedi if premature or expected difficulties), am involved in resuscitation if needed, stabilize sick kids until transport arrives (usually 1-3 hours, so minimal critial care) start IVs, insert NG/OG tubes, we keep RDS kids on high flow canula for 24-48 hours depending on severity, hypoglycemic kids on IV therapy, IV antibiotics pending BC or long term (up to 2 weeks) if needed. We occasionally keep 34/35 week feeder/growers if weight is the only complication.
I did a very short stint (about a month) in the NICU in 2018 and, due to family obligations, had to resign from that position and returned to my level I nursery. What I did learn during my short stay was how stable even alot critical babies are. I expected a mad house, high adrenaline and to be coding/resuscitating often, but that was not the case. Now, I also realize a month in the NICU is no time and there are streaks of good and bad in any department, so I do not assume that this is always how things work in the unit.
My favorite parts of my current job are attending deliveries and transitioning or stabilizing kids. Well babies are great, but I look forward to my shifts with sick babies, high risk deliveries, and interesting cases that we didn't expect. I like feeling like I helped "fix" a kid, or after a resuscitation feeling like what I did really mattered. I also know that in the NICU, these circumstances may not come my way for a long while. Only the designated, experienced nurses get to attend deliveries, and once babies are stable, they generally tend to remain stable. (Please know, I do understand how sick these critical babies can be and am not attempting to play down the care it takes to keep their tiny bodies in perfect harmony. I oriented with a PPHN kid on NO and HFOV with the works.)
Life circumstances have changed, I am currently working on my BSN, and i feel like this may be the right time to try and get back into the NICU. I am now interested in becoming an NNP but need feedback on whether or not the NNP role would fill the expectations I have. The NICU I was in had NNPs but only on nights. I oriented on day shift, so I have not had the opportunity to observe an NNP in the capacity.
