What kind of experience did you have?

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Aug 30, 2012

I was a new grad with no nursing experience.

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Nurse Connie · Aug 30, 2012

I am also a new grad, starting in the NICU in 2 weeks. The only other experience I had was camp nursing this summer. Never in a million years did I think I would get into the NICU so quickly.

MrsNicuNurse · Aug 30, 2012

I too am shocked that I somehow got a job in the NICU.... Right out of nursing school I started on an adult med-surg floor that had a tiny 8 bed pediatric unit within (so some experience with babies, but not much). I worked there for 6 months before moving out of state for my husbands job. Then I accepted a job on a Ventilator care unit in a rehab hospital (because there were ZERO hospitals hiring at the time), I workerd on it for 7 months and HATED it! All we did on that unit was dig stim, wound vac, colostomies, tube feedings, trach cares....yeah, i hated it. So a NICU position became available at a great hospital in town. I focused on writing a killer cover letter that highlighted my exposure to infants in my first jpb and ventilator experience at my second job. I also made my passion for working with infants and to learn everything there is to know about NICU evident. Somehow among 300 applicants I got the job. I wouldnt recommend all the job hopping I did to get there, most facilities see this as a big negative. I guess my sincererity shone through, but yeah its a miracle I got the job.

Luckyyou, BSN, RN · Aug 30, 2012

6 months on a very understaffed med/Onc floor as an RN, but 2 and a half years in the normal newborn nursery/L&D/postpartum as a PCT/secretary, and a nurse externship in a level 3 NICU. They liked that experience more.

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Aug 31, 2012

5 years on a Stepdown/telemetry unit, then 4 years in a variety of cardiac telemetry that included some travel nursing. I only touched babies in nursing school and no sick or premature.

When I hired into NICU, it was easy to get into the field in my area because there are so many level III NICUs around. My only difficulty was that when I put in applications for the NICU in a hospital, I would immediately get calls from that hospital's cardiac units hoping I had messed and and really meant to apply to their unit.

Thankfully I was given a full 3 month orientation like a new graduate and was able to attend the internship classes they held for new grads that provided so much good information.

I was kind of a job hopper before NICU, moving between several local hospitals every 1-3 years. As of next month I will have been in this same position for 10 years and I think that's kind of a trend for nurses who find NICU. It's a special place. Don't get me wrong, our unit has problems, but deep down, I know I've found a good thing.

dseem13 · Aug 31, 2012

I worked mother baby for 3 years before I was hired in the NICU. The NICU wasn't even on my radar until I floated there frequently when they were short staffed and found out I loved it!

labordude, BSN, RN · Sep 5, 2012

I went into the NICU as a new grad. It did require that I relocated to another city, but it was what I wanted.

krenee · Sep 8, 2012

I did mother-baby first. It's a good place to start. The NICU I started in wouldn't hire new grads, they always hired for nursery first so you could learn the normal before the abnormal.

HopefulRN2010 · Sep 10, 2012

I start in the NICU next week. Straight out of nursing school I worked on an adult step-down unit. And for the last year I have been working in a Level 1 Trauma PICU.

twinmomstl · Sep 12, 2012

Our nicu usually only hires new grads. I was on postpartum 6 weeks before I tansferred to nicu. Other nurses with experience its only like a year or two.

babyRN0404 · Sep 18, 2012

I used to work on a high risk L&D unit.... they LOVED hiring nurses with ICU experience. :)