Neonatal ICU Nurse???

[Cody1MD]

Can a nurse work in a neonatal intensive care unit with a degree from a two year community college nursing school. Or does one need to have further traning or get a higher degree level???

Any input would greatly help!
Thanks.

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[smd303]

That depends on the hospital. I've known a lot of nurses with an ADN working in ICU's. It's also highly recommended for a new graduate ADN/BSN to get a couple of years of experience before going into critical care nursing. I do know that the emergency depart. in my town only hires nurses with a bachelors degree. You can also call your local hospitals and see what they require. Hope this helps.

 

[tedsadoc2002]

Nurses in NY can work in neonatal ICU with an associate's degree, however smd 303 has a point, call the particular hospital you are interested in to find out more specifics.

Usually, the department directors want someone with a bit of nursing experience (it varies as to number of years in the profession as well as the department you worked in, i.e., peds, newborn nursery) and you will be required to take a critical care course prior to your orientation to the unit. Sometimes the hospital provides the course, others send their nurses to places that may be offering the course. Hope this was helpful.

 

[ErilizaG]

I was thinking about specializing myself into neonatal care..would that require a fellowship or straight out pediatric specialty?? thank you for your response!!

 

[RAMPA]

I was thinking about specializing myself into neonatal care..would that require a fellowship or straight out pediatric specialty?? thank you for your response!!

ive seen many hospitals offer in-house internships, usually around 3-6months, for new grads that want to go into NICU, PICU, adult ICUs, ER, OR, etc. these internships are didactic and clinical and most have you work with a dedicated preceptor.

otoh, i think many seasoned RNs would tell you to gain experience on the general wards for at least 1yr before jumping into the ICUs.

what do i know... just a RT student

 

[Jawbone]

Neonatal ICU RN here....most units will hire ADN prepared RN's, but of course prefer BSNs. While outside experience does prepare you in the area of critical thinking and time management, 99% of what you need to know you learn on the job in NICU. Just be sure to find a unit that offers an extensive classroom + clinical orientation.

JB

 

[fab4fan]

Make sure the hospital has a thorough orientation and preceptor program. If you're in an urban area where there are several NICUs to choose from, do some "comparative shopping," so to speak. Ask to shadow someone for a few hours to see if you can get a feel for the unit. If there are openings, ask why they have openings. Increased volume of patients? Watch the ads in the paper--if a hospital is constantly advertising for NICU positions, that can be a bad sign (poor mgmt., staff issues, etc.) Ask questions.

Most places just care that you graduated from an accredited RN program and are eligible to sit for NCLEX-RN. A few of the more competitive hospitals will say "BSN only/BSN preferred."