Is it a crazy idea to be a NICU nurse as a new grad?

Not crazy at all. Start in your specialty. Don’t let these old school nurses tell you that you HAVE to start out in med-surg to gain “foundational skills”
Strive for what you want. You earned your degree. You have an idea of what you want. Do it. This career has it’s challenges as is. You’re going to go through your own trials and tribulations as a new graduate. You’ll need your “why” to come back to and if NICU is something you think you’ll have a strong “why” to help pull you out of those low spots as a new nurse, I 100% support your decision.
Additionally, nursing is such a versatile field. That’s one of the most beautiful parts of it. If NICU isn’t for you, then fine!!! Transition to something else :)

A lot of people will say follow your heart and if NICU is what you want then go for it. While I can see some wisdom in that because who doesn't like to do what they think they'd love to do, I think it's much more important to invest in the foundation of your career as a whole for the first 1-2 years. Given the instability in the profession right now, and the practice of floating nurses because of staffing issues, I think you would be much smarter to start say in either pediatrics or Labor and Delivery. Get a strong foundation in practice, understand the protocols, and gain some context for what you were taught in school (as reality and school don't always mesh well). Investing time like this can help you learn things that you can use for the rest of your career that you have not even thought of. Priority setting is just one thing that will be super valuable. Also, gaining hands-on experience with how kids deal with illness physically, emotionally, and mentally is invaluable experience from a pediatrics point of view. Having experience in L&D can give you insight into the types of births that would require a NICU stay and also be invaluable. It's much easier to go from a patient load of say 4-5 to 1-2, then be forced to develop skills that will help you adapt to a much larger assignment should you ever have to float.

The purpose of investing in the foundation is to help you become the strongest clinician possible and keep your experience more marketable for the future too. I was fortunate to have gone to a nursing program with a Co-operative education program, and then with the Army which had us start on another unit and then orient to our home units. Getting a broader view that allows you to gain hands-on experience to be able to put context to what you've learned is in my opinion, the best investment in your career you could make. What if you go to the NICU and a year later you decide it's just not for you? Having this other experience helps you to have more options. The other thing to consider too is, that you are a novice only once. You can be new to another place, but you will not likely ever again be seen as a total novice again. This will change the way you are oriented to another area, and you will not likely be able to have as much time as a brand new nurse would.

I have been a nurse for 31 years. I have been an Educator, Manager, and Clinician. I have looked at any job I've ever gotten with the idea of "What can I learn? What can I contribute?" Not every job has been as well-paying as the last. I have sought to build my toolbox over time, and it has served me well throughout my career. It has also helped me to pivot when needed too. I encourage you to do the same. There really is so much opportunity in this profession, don't pigeonhole yourself.

I went straight into NICU. They had a fellowship for new grads. Loved it! The only reason I left was because I became an NP. Definitely recommend for a new grad. You learn from the start how to be meticulous. There is no room for error or neglect. Starting in the NiCU made me the nurse that I am today!

It’s easier to go straight to NICU. It’s a hard unit to get into after. They will train you and they have great programs for new grads. I went right into NICU and have been there for 10 years

Precepting new grads in the NICU for 20 years and watching the journey from novice nurse to expert neonatal critical nurse is amazing. I was a new grad and went straight to NICU 30 years ago as a male nurse. First off there is the fact of getting an interview and being accepted. Neonatal nursing leadership throughout the years has vacillated from loving new grads and avoiding them for a season. The upside in hiring new grads is that they are moldable and can easily be indoctrinated into the organizational culture, policies, and practices. The success rate for longevity is quite high. The likelihood of new grads staying as NEO nurse and making it as a career is around 70%. The downside of hiring a new grad and training them which takes 8 months in the facility I work at is that usually after 2-3 years nurses move on and can easily be hired in another facility’s NICU. The downside, however, is not the nurse's problem it's the organization's implied risk and that's the trend.

I always advice student nurses who rotate through the NICU and find it as their preferred field in nursing to look for and apply for new grad programs which a lot of NICUs in the southern California provide.

No it’s not! Friends I’ve graduated with went right into NICU or L&D because they knew that’s absolutely what they wanted to do and they loved it! You’ll be taught everything and be on orientation for a few months, you will learn so much.

The idea that you have to start out on med surg to gain experience as a nurse before specializing is inaccurate and incredibly outdated. Having gone from a neurosurgery ICU to NICU, you have to completely retrain your brain. The experience I had with adult patients was not entirely helpful. Most NICUs like to hire new grads so they can train you before you develop bad habits. If NICU is your passion, I say go for it and don’t look back. The NICU is one of the hardest, most rewarding places to work.

Why is that crazy? There are NICU internships for new grads. The idea that going into med-surg floor nursing after graduation to do your time, will somehow help you, your patients or your career is an outdated idea. I went straight into surgery, the ICU, and never spent a day on a med-surg floor. I've an NP now, and can tell you without a doubt that med surg floor nursing is for a"type" juat like surgical nursing, and every other specialty. Never listen to old nurses who tell you what you have to do. YOU decide who you are, what you want, and how you want it. Network, be willing to learn, be willing to take an internship, and get to know the physicians and nurses in the NICU. Get a mentor, and never listen to anyone who says you can't do something.

No, I went straight to a level 3 NICU out of school as a graduate nurse. I retired from the very same unit 39 1/2 years later. As with any unit (job) you will experience the ups and downs. You will learn so much and yours will soar. Go for where your passions leads you!

I went to the NICU as a graduate nurse before I even passed the Nclex. Great experience. They mentor you and train you before you get bad habits. If you have the opportunity, go for it!!! You will learn so much!!!

Please please don't listen to these people telling you not to pursue a NICU career. I will make 20 years as a NICU nurse next year. I have never worked in a med-surg or adult care setting and it's the best decision I made! It's old-school thinking to suggest to a new grad that they should start off their career in med-surg for a better foundation - especially if that new grad knows they don't want to care for the adult population. Nurses are always going to be in demand so if you decide the NICU isn't for you - guess what? - no harm no foul. If you decided to make a pivot you'd still be a fairly fresh graduate that still has retained information from your med-surg courses and clinicals. You'd still be marketable because the employer knows you came from an ICU setting and that tells them that you're a critical thinker. It's not difficult to obtain a med-surg position, especially if you're in or near a big city. If NICU is what you desire, go for it!

I was a brand new grad hired in the NICU, 20 years later ….. I am still there. It’s not a crazy idea. You can do it- go for it!

I don't think it's a crazy idea at all! I worked for 1.5 months on an adult floor because our NICU in the area wasn't hiring, but when they were I interviewed and left my other job. The NICU is so specialized that the percentage of nursing school that applies is very small. NICUs train their new hires for roughly the same amount of time, a few months, regardless of whether you're a new grad or not because of this (at least my NICU does). So if you want to jump right in I say 200% go for it! No point in wasting time somewhere you hate 🤷🏼‍♀️

Nope! If they will let you, knowing you are a new grad they will mold you and grow you to be an amazing. NICU nurse. Go for it!!

No, I started in the NICU as a new grad. It made me the nurse I am today. I only recently left because I’m in school and needed better work life balance. Go for it! I loved it!

I did just that 33 years ago and don’t regret it for a second. I’ve learned so much and continue learning. Follow your passion and don’t let nobody stop you

Don’t rush your life or career. The more experience you have the more you will be noticed when applying for positions. NICU nursing is a highly skilled area. Get some basic nursing first- med surg is a great place to start. Then perhaps move on to a more specialized area such as an ICU. Then you will be sought after for your dream of being a NICU nurse.

Absolutely not! NICU is so different than anything else so spending a year in adult med surg isn’t going to give you the base you need to know how to care for these little ones. My mom went there straight out of nursing school and retired 35 years later. She always said that when she was orienting nurses who started in adult land it was harder to get them to be as paranoid about infections. I started in Peds ER and I don’t regret that one bit.

Not crazy. You will learn a lot, but it's a niche that will not necessarily carry over to other areas of nursing. I enjoyed NICU. TRY TO GET ON AT A CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL. or one associated with a nursing school. A teaching hospital.

I’ve been a nicu nurse for 1.5 years and I started as a new grad. I have absolutely no regrets. I started out at a large level IV NICU so I saw everything from the start. Nicu is so different from adult nursing and people I know who came to nicu after a year or 2 in other specialties said they felt like a new grad anyway. Nicu is a tough specialty. There’s little room for error and it’s definitely challenging for a new grad BUT if you know you want to do nicu and you can find a hospital who will train you, GO FOR IT!

I started in nicu as a new grad in SATX and I’m 1.5 years in and I love it. They’re going to prepare you and just be sure to learn at your pace, when you get launched on your own be an advocate for yourself on what kind of assignments you need if you’re trying to learn, get a routine or just try out some high acuity babies. The only downside IMO is that you’re highly specialized so it’s hard to just trade to any other unit other than a picu/imc
If you love it, do it!!

It depends on what your looking for in terms of what long term goals are, what type of nursing you like and the quality of the NICU. If you have always wanted to work in a NICU, have shadowed in a NICU and it feels right, and you have a strange fascination with babies you should be just fine in a NICU as a new grad. If you are looking for an ICU setting to prepare you for application to CRNA school you probably shouldn’t go NICU. NICU is an area that has a narrow scope that runs deep as opposed to a more shallow (not shallow but more shallow) but broader ranging knowledge base in other areas. It is a less beneficial environment for someone who wants to go on to FNP or PNP but those goals are still achievable via the NICU. If your goal is to be a bedside RN for a sustained period of time, which is true for many of us, then to is easier to start in NICU if that is where you want to be. Joining a level III or IV will give you more options within the MICU nursing world long term. Univ of Iowa is hiring if you are interested!

I started my career in the ICU. I also started in a whole nee state, from Virginia to New York City!! I was ready for a new beginning. No matter where you start as a new graduate you are learning. No matter the day, as a great nurse, you seek to learn. Never stop listening, asking questions, admitting mistakes, and remember that everyone makes mistakes. Its so normal and honorable to admit fault so you can learn, keep our patients safe, and avoid the same mistake from occurring again. As a new nurse you feel nervous about everything. Every nurse has been there. Find the kind people because there will be people who don’t want to help, want to watch you fail, and are simply jerks. Kill them with kindness. If you are going to do something, do it the right way the FIRST TIME. DONT cut corners.

It is not crazy. Being on another floor may make you feel secure. I worked in a level 4 NICU for 17 years, almost nothing from adult/pediatric is ever useful, NICU is a different skill set. Some NICU’s may prefer having a new grad, they do not need to unlearn pediatric/adult medicine.

If that is where your passions are, jump in with both feet.

I believe a new nurse should start off on a med/surg tele unit for at least 6 months. You can build a foundational skill set that you can take anywhere, making you more marketable.
You will be an asset to the organization that hires you.

Yes it is!! Also just remember these old nurses have a lot more experience then you could ever imagine!! No one gets enough training or experience from clinicals in college. You get that by experience . A lot of the hospitals now a days are NOT giving you a good time period with a side by side trained nurse. Because of the shortages, I have known a few new Nurses with 1-2 years experience that were pulled to ICU'S to fill the shortage & one of them was told they would be in charge. That is a NO NO!!! Remember you need to be trained appropriately by a seasoned nurse side by side. You are the PATIENTS ADVOCATE!! Their life is in your hands. Yes, I have seen less than a handful of new nurses in ICU make it. It is the training & the will to learn correctly. God Bless, An OLD NURSE

It’s fine. Just make sure you find a good residency program.

No, it's not crazy. Every department is going to be new to a new grad. They want safe care for patients, so they're no. Its not crazy. Every department will be new to a new graduate. The hospitals want to give good safe patient care comma so they're motivated to train you well.motivated to train you well.

Absolutely not! I went right into NICU out of school. Life is too short to not do what you love! I know there are people who feel you should go the med surg route etc.... but I'm not one of them. You still learn to hone your assessment skills etc (especially since they can't verbally in words tell you what's wrong). Do what makes you happy!

Absolutely not, if it's your true dream to be a NICU nurse as a new grad it's totally fine. What is important is making sure there is an opportunity to get trained and oriented to the unit. A 12 week + residency /orientation should help you get adjusted for this specialty. Asking appropriate questions to your preceptor being patient with yourself, and keeping and open mind to learning about neonatal disease process goes a long way. All the best on your endeavors 😊

That was my first job after I graduated: It's less scary because you are fresh out of school. Go for it!

If you have the passion, and motivation and you love babies that would be sufficient. You will learn skills as you go along. You have all the resources you need , your colleagues, managers, and Doctors.

No. As long as you have a good orientation stint and have the initiative to help others, you will be a great asset to a greatly needed position to save the lives of others. Go and work hard. God speed.

No, but as someone who did it the wrong way (followed shortly thereafter by the right way) please learn from me. NICU is a specialty area and it isn’t really taught in nursing school. There is a steep learning curve. If you want to be a NICU nurse as a new grad it is important to go somewhere with a solid history of training new grads. I first went to a unit that only took occasional new grads and it was a tough few months until I was able to transfer to a different site within the same hospital system. My current unit runs multiple large new grad cohorts every year. It was great training and really made me love the job! So please look for those RN residency programs :)

I did exactly that almost 10 years ago now. I don’t regret it for a second. I LOVE my job and could never imagine being a nurse anywhere else.

Even if you did decide down the road you weren’t happy in the NICU, you’ll be able to adapt to a new floor. Becoming a good nurse with good foundational skills can happen on both a med/surg floor and a specialty floor. Follow your heart 🥰

Listen to elders. We have been around when nursing was actually fun and learned from the best. It is a good idea to have a good base however pediatrics are very different but if you have what it takes to be what sick neonates and families need then go ahead but if you cannot relate to them and be understanding you will cause harm. It is a very emotional field I hve been on both sides and around for 35 years in this career

I did and I love it!!

I was a new grad Nicu nurse and I am glad I did it that way. NICU is so specialized I liked how much training I got as a new grad while I was in the “learning” mode from school. After a few years I decided I wanted to leave NICU and went PICU/PEDS/ PEDS Onc. The transition was smooth and I don’t regret starting in NICU at all. If anything it gave me an experience in nursing that i didn’t get in school and wouldn’t have otherwise.

No it’s not crazy at all. I met plenty of nurses that told me that they were hired straight out of school into ICU and NICU. I was offered a job in the ICU when I was in clinicals and some of my classmates got jobs in the ICU’s before they graduated. I think it’s a good idea now, at first I was against it. However, I remember what a manager told me when I got my first job at 16. He said it’s easy to train a blank canvas than a person who is set in their ways. I’m a person that is not good with change, but I have learned to embrace change and grow with it. I encourage anyone in nursing to go after the job you want don’t settle for something you don’t want. Remember you are the catch and they are trying to catch you. You are not trying to catch them.

Absolutely not!!!! I started out in the NICU as a brand new grad!!! I can tell you that a lot of times they only hire but a few brand new grads a year but other than that you absolutely can. If that doesn’t work I would get a position in the General Nursery g gf or a year to get done time under your belt and then reapply to NICU IF they turn you down!! I started as a new grad and be prepared for a LONG orientation being that your a new grad. You’re going to want as much experience as possible anyway!! And if you feel like you need more experience in an area….. ASK FOR IT!!!!

Absolutely not. If you think you want to do NICU and can find one that will take new grads, I would recommend it. I was a PICU nurse before becoming a PNP and the nurses that transferred from the step down units struggled more than the new grads. It’s a different way of thinking and organizing your day in a PICU or NICU that you just don’t learn on step down.

Normally I would recommend Med Surg or PCU to perfect organizational skills. However NICU is so specialized that training comes with the territory.
I graduated in 1969 worked in MedSurg and transitioned to NICU which was totally an area all inclusive.
Those tiny ones are fragile yet resilient so good luck in your career.

No. It's not crazy. You're a new grad regardless of where you choose to begin. Go to work with eyes and ears wide open. Go to work. Learn, take notes, ask questions. Treat it like school. The hospital wants safe patient care, so, They're motivated to give you good orientation and to help you succeed.

Some of us old school nurses do the hiring. Keep that in mind

As someone who was lucky enough to graduate during an extreme nursing shortage, I was accepted into a NICU training program as a new grad. The training was rigorous and the other established nurses were mean to me. There is no sugar coating, they seemed determined to see me fail and complained to the charge nurse about miniscule "infractions" that they themselves and other nurses did on an ongoing basis. An example would be they always took 15 to 20 minute morning breaks together (we were allowed 10 min). But if I inadvertently was away for 11 min, it was made into a big deal. I wanted to quit but I had signed a contract agreeing that the value of the training was $8k and I had to pay it back if I did not remain for 2 years. There was no penalty if they fired me, but I guess I wasn't lucky enough to be fired, lol. I swore to myself that I would quit after my two years, but around that time, things got easier and I was better accepted and felt like I had some friends there. I say this not to discourage you, as I later felt blessed to end up as a NICU nurse. I only want to share my experience so you can consider it. I should mention that there are times I regret not having other experience as I can only work NICU. I feel unqualified for any other work, having only done NICU for twenty years. Best of luck to you!

I say all this not to discourage you. As it turned out to be a great decision

I went to the NICU after about a year being in a step-down ICU for adults. Honestly, I followed the “do med-surg” route first and I regretted it. Only thing it helped me with was time management skills and communication skills-which in any new job you will learn. Neonates are a whole different skill set when it comes to care and assessment. Just go straight for it.

I definitely say you do you but I believe you learn so much on a med surg unit
First like how to prioritize,organizational skills, lab values, medications ect. I was an LPN on med surg/oncology first and believe that made me a better nurse (RN) working med surg (me only and just my opinion). Went to surgery and spent 33 years there but feel now like I could not go back unless I did that first. Nursing now is so specialized that if you don’t have that background and go into a speciality it is hard to do any other speciality. As I said to each their own just my opinion 🤷🏻‍♀️

no as long as you have a great preceptor to teach
you and be patient with you. you will have to learn all drug conventions

no because babies do need caregiving and mediation remedy

Need to experience nurse

I would suggest you start out as a medical surgical nursing. medical surgical nursing is the same as an anatomy and Physiology to to MICU