What Classes I Should Take?

[LRichmond88]

I need some information. First of all I want to be a nurse who works in the nursery with the babies. I believe they are called Neonatal Nurse. I was needing to know exactly what kind of classes I need to take. I was thinking that RN are the one that works with the baby but im not sure if they are the ones or not. So please let me know something. Thank you.

[JettaDP]

The only way your are going to know what exactly classes you are going to need is to go the school/s you want to apply to and ask them questions. Every school has different requirements. RN's do work with babies. They also work in every other department of the hospital, long term care, home health and so on. You need to complete a nursing program and then apply for jobs in the area you want to go in. Depending on the program, you will most likely spend 3-4 years in school before you can become an RN. Also keep in mind that many schools are competitive. You need to keep your grades up in order to get into nursing school. And you may have an entrance exam that will be critical to score well in. Working in the health care field as a CNA or some other more entry-level position will help you not only gain knowledge about nursing but it will also show the instructors who interview you that you know what you're getting into.

Hope this helps. If you post what state you're in, people may be able to give more information about that state if they live in it.

[MB37]

I'm sure this varies by facility, but it would surprise me if there aren't any LPNs who also work in a newborn nursery. If you're interested in NICU (neonatal intensive care unit, the really premature and/or really sick babies) you'd probably have an easier time getting a job as an RN, but again that might depend on the area you live in. Either way, you have to do some research, on this site or elsewhere, into what it takes to become a nurse.

http://www.discovernursing.com/

That's a good intro website, and if you look up some of Daytonite's old posts she always posts several when people are just starting to look into the profession. In order to become a neonatal nurse, you first must become a nurse. That means completing prerequisites - which vary by school - and then entering a program either at a technical school, community college, hospital-based program, or university. There are pros and cons to each route, you'll have to research them yourself to figure out which might work best for you. A good place to start is to figure out how many schools of any type are within an hour from where you live or would be willing to move to.

Nursing schools don't prepare specialists, they prepare generalists. That means in order to graduate you'll have to do several adult rotations, plus one each in Psych, L&D/postpartum/nursery, Peds, and possible Community, Leadership, and/or Geriatrics. Many school do include a senior practicum/preceptorship, where you get to do a more intense rotation in an area you choose - but it depends on availability. For example, you might not get the nursery, but maybe instead Peds or L&D. Keep in mind also that hospitals are beginning to do away with newborn nurseries in favor of providing "couplet care" to mom and baby together postpartum. Even in you work in a NICU, you're providing care not only to the neonate but also to his/her very distraught family. There is also a position called Neonatal Nurse Practitioner you may want to research - it's a master's program, so you'd need to earn a bachelor's in nursing first (unless you can find a direct entry master's program, there are some out there, but there might not be where you live).

You've got some research to do to figure out if nursing really might be for you, but it is an exciting journey! Good luck!