This is a question that has been nagging me for quite some time.
Why is it so horrible for us to plan out our route? I want to become a NNP and as stated in a previous thread, infants are the only reason I chose nursing instead of completing a tech degree. From what I have seen on this board and a couple of others say, nursing students shouldn't choose their route before clinicals. But many pre-med programs allow students to choose their route beforehand. I even have a close friend who is a pre-med major and they are writing research papers about their route.
I am willing to do everything in my power to have placement in a Level III nicu even if that means I have to relocate or even get placement in a nursing residency program for NICU to gain experience.
Just so you know, this is actually what you should be aspiring to do, not lowering yourself to, because that's what the bolded statement sounds like. I work at the top children's hospital in my state and I only got there because I got into their Versant RN Residency Program. That's the only path for a new grad to take, especially for those in my cohort who got hired into the NICU. They don't even hire experienced RNs without putting them through their Transition Residency Program.
Look, no NICU rotation in any nursing school anywhere is going to give to you the experience to get you a job at a top-tier NICU facility (and school alone is not even remotely enough - that resume has to be on fire). So, if you want to specialize, you aren't going to be hired in as a new grad unless you find some brand spanking new hospital that needs staff (but, I bet you would be trained under a new grad type of program and not the standard adult med-surg 10-week Orientation of Doom).
And please don't compare the pre-med path to the nursing student path. Nursing students already know they're going to be nurses. Pre-med students don't even know if they're getting into med school. In nursing theory, we had to write about the type of nurse we aspired to be, the type of nursing we planned to go into and the nursing theories that could be used to enhance that nursing practice. By that point, many in my class already knew where they would be working. While I knew by the point that I wanted peds hemonc, based on the paper I previously wrote, what I am doing now bears little resemblance to that paper. Likewise, the papers pre-med students are writing bears little resemblance to what happens leading up to Match Day.
Was your experience in the residency program considered "experience" for job placement?
What do you think a residency is, exactly? You get paid and you work under your own license for however long the residency is and then you step up to an RN I (with a raise -- woohoo!). It's a job. It's the hardest part of the job, IMO, but you're still just like any other employee. I think this is why people are telling you to keep an open mind and be willing to broaden your horizons about things. Calling a residency experience in quotation marks is borderline offensive for those of us working our butts off in residencies. You have so much to learn about just being an RN before thinking you're going to be an NNP ASAP.
Of course I meant newborns. They are in the category of "infant".
Technically, they are not. Neonates medically-speaking aren't infants until 1 month (if they're full term). My hospital's NICU is called the NICCU, the Neonatal and Infant Critical Care Unit. So, there is definitely a distinction if you want to work strictly with neonates.
Wow! You're amazing! Vanderbilt is where I want to study for NNP. They are awesome! Was your experience in the residency program considered "experience" for job placement?
My Capstone/Externship was a required class during my final semester. It was worth 135 clinical hours. It is not considered RN experience for job applications, but it gives a slight advantage over other new grads without an externship on their resume. There are paid summer externships that allow you to get exposure to the NICU before graduation. All of our externs that perform well are offered RN positions upon graduation.
Nursing schools (and some on this forum) are full of the following silly attitude: you couldn't possibly know what you want until after you are experienced, and you can't be experienced without a year of med-surg, so shut up about your desires and go work med-surg for a year minimum. (As if med surg wasn't its own specialty, it is)
And I think that attitude is bludgeoned into some NS. A better message students is: "keep an open mind and be willing to switch tracks."
One can learn a little about a poster in a single thread, but OP is clear and I like OP's determination. I'd want that determination in a NNP.
I wouldn't say the attitude is "silly", but...every so often, many nursing students, whether NP or under graduate, truly do know exactly what they want for their career paths including the specialty. However, if I had a dime for every time I heard a nursing student change their mind depending on the clinical rotation they were on...including myself, I would be rich. In fact, the one specialty I said I would NEVER DO, Pediatrics, ended up being my passion and specialty for more than 25 yrs. Some never waiver, and some change with the wind.
I do agree that Med-Surg is its own specialty. However, it has all the aspects of generic nursing skills that are useful in most other specialties. And most of the time, it is the one specialty we are prepared to do right out of school.
Specializes in Psychiatric RN & Retired Psychiatric CNA.
Nursing schools (and some on this forum) are full of the following silly attitude: you couldn't possibly know what you want until after you are experienced, and you can't be experienced without a year of med-surg, so shut up about your desires and go work med-surg for a year minimum. (As if med surg wasn't its own specialty, it is)
And I think that attitude is bludgeoned into some NS. A better message students is: "keep an open mind and be willing to switch tracks."
One can learn a little about a poster in a single thread, but OP is clear and I like OP's determination. I'd want that determination in a NNP.
Specializes in Psychiatric RN & Retired Psychiatric CNA.
Why are you comparing medicine to nursing, they are completely separate things. Concentrate on your own business and don't worry about what other disciplines are doing.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with comparing the two. If I have a question then it is MY business if I would like it to be discussed.
Specializes in Psychiatric RN & Retired Psychiatric CNA.
I always chuckle when someone tells me they're a pre-med major. I chuckle even more when they tell me what specialty they're going to go into. No one-nursing or medical- knows what their path will be.
There are many nurses on here who knew their path even before starting pre-reqs. There is even a thread about it. They knew their path and stuck to it.
There are many nurses on here who knew their path even before starting pre-reqs. There is even a thread about it. They knew their path and stuck to it.
The only people in my class who knew exactly what they were going to do and were able to stick to it were because they had a family member who was available to show them the ropes and get their foot in the door at their hospital. In other words, they knew what they needed to do to actually stick to their path and they had the real world experience of someone who could tell them what to expect.
That makes a huge difference compared to someone who just has vague ideas about things but no actual plan on how to achieve it. I didn't have an actual plan myself until I came into contact with a peds hemonc nurse and was able to shadow her and get fantastic real world insight and advice on pursuing it as a career. If I hadn't met her and hadn't taken advantage of the opportunities she offered me, I wouldn't definitely not be anywhere near where I am now.
What I'm saying is, pursuing a career in nursing and progressing to NP is not something achieved alone and without help. When people tell nursing (or pre-nursing students, ahem) students that they should keep an open mind is because for the vast majority of them, they have no true idea what any of this is really like. Nursing school only does a little bit of preparation in getting students ready for careers. You have to do a lot to get where you think you want to be. Out of curiosity, what is it about neonate nursing that you're so passionate about?
I would say the same exact thing to a pre med student. The fact of the matter is you go into school and really have no idea what these specialties are truly like. It's not bad that people are telling you to wait before you make any decisions.
For example i thought i knew i wanted to be an ER nurse, have you seen those TV shows??? I wanted all this adrenaline and i thought the ER was going to be a perfect fit for me. Little did i know until entered nursing school and did clinical rotations i HATED ER. It was not fit for my personality at all and i wasn't getting all these seriously sick patients that i wanted.Little to find out i excelled in different specialties. In fact almost all of my classmates had a specialty that they wanted to enter at the beginning and almost all of them changed their minds.
It is OK to be zealous and enthusiastic about a goal you have, but i think what many people are trying to say is just take nursing school as it comes. Invest yourself in you clinical rotations and try to enjoy them for what it's worth; even though it's not in areas you want.
Not only enjoy, but learn as much as possible. Many, many components of a specialty, apply to others. All knowledge and experience is valuable.
One more thing...as a B or C plan, what about Pediatrics? You do work with newborns, and a lot of ex-preemies, and sometimes float to NICU. You also work with children and adolescents of all ages, and it gives you a broader perspective. It may be an easier transition to NICU than from an adult specialty, and generally, easier to find a position than in NICU. Also, L& D. Since you work with the babies as well as the Moms, you will have exposure and experience there that would be transferable to your ultimate goal.
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
If you've never worked or had experience in a NICU, how will you truly know you like it? Also, how will you know you won't like another speciality just as much. You are closing yourself off to soo much. There is also no guarantee that you will land a NICU or ICU position.
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la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN
1,260 Posts
Just so you know, this is actually what you should be aspiring to do, not lowering yourself to, because that's what the bolded statement sounds like. I work at the top children's hospital in my state and I only got there because I got into their Versant RN Residency Program. That's the only path for a new grad to take, especially for those in my cohort who got hired into the NICU. They don't even hire experienced RNs without putting them through their Transition Residency Program.
Look, no NICU rotation in any nursing school anywhere is going to give to you the experience to get you a job at a top-tier NICU facility (and school alone is not even remotely enough - that resume has to be on fire). So, if you want to specialize, you aren't going to be hired in as a new grad unless you find some brand spanking new hospital that needs staff (but, I bet you would be trained under a new grad type of program and not the standard adult med-surg 10-week Orientation of Doom).
And please don't compare the pre-med path to the nursing student path. Nursing students already know they're going to be nurses. Pre-med students don't even know if they're getting into med school. In nursing theory, we had to write about the type of nurse we aspired to be, the type of nursing we planned to go into and the nursing theories that could be used to enhance that nursing practice. By that point, many in my class already knew where they would be working. While I knew by the point that I wanted peds hemonc, based on the paper I previously wrote, what I am doing now bears little resemblance to that paper. Likewise, the papers pre-med students are writing bears little resemblance to what happens leading up to Match Day.