What did you do before?

I started as a new grad on a Surgical unit, moved to CCU, then to a Cardiac/General Surgical ICU. This was abt the time NICUs were just starting. I went to visit a friend in the "nursery", and promptly transferred, taking a demotion in order to do it. Worked there for a while, became an Infection Control Nurse/Practioner, then some night supervision. That job ended, so I went back to the NICU. Stayed there for the next 19 years, retired. Went back to work a few months later @ another hospital, Level 2 Nursery. Retired again after 7 yrs to care for my mother.

And there you have it.

Problem is that most of your education is adult nursing. A year in M/S cements all that stuff into your brain. Moving to the NICU then means you need to UNlearn all that stuff and relearn new disease processes, new math skills (How many cals/kg/day; how many ml/kg/hour) because NICU is a whole 'nother world, w/a pt population that might as be another species. Nothing is the same, honest!

It is so much easier to start in NICU if that is where you want to work. You can learn time management, assessment skills (which are significantly different in neonates), etc., in the NICU just as easily.

When I graduated going straight into NICU wasn't an option--they didn't exist! I spent 2.5 years doing adult nsg. It took me over 6 months how to look @ a baby and figure out very quickly if they're ok, because it is totally different from grown-ups. It was like being a new grad all over again. Not something you really want to do twice if you don't have to.

jmo