How do I get a job in the NICU?

How Do You Get a Job in the NICU Once You Become a Nurse?

• Answer:

  The NICU, or neonatal intensive care unit, is an area of the hospital reserved for new babies who are premature or ill. Nurses in the NICU typically only have two or three babies in their care at any one time, so they can be monitored properly. They help parents learn how to care for their ill or premature children, as well. To get a job in the NICU, start by gaining experience in as a nursing student, and learn all you can about it as you gain clinical experience in other nursing fields. NICU Nurses Approximately 40,000 low-birth weight babies are born in the United States each year, according to AllNursingSchools.com, and many of these babies end up in the NICU. NICUs are populated with babies with different types of medical problems, and working as a nurse in this area requires a special desire to work with ill newborns and their families. You may have to meet experience and education requirements before you are hired as a NICU nurse. Bachelor's Degree Earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, or a BSN, may make you more eligible for NICU jobs. Many employers prefer hiring BSN nurses instead of nurses who only have associate's degrees. Experience Some employers may require you to have significant experience working in a clinical setting before you can work in the NICU. This experience prepares you to deal with the daily realities of life as a nurse. It can be difficult to cope with the illness or death of a patient, especially when you work exclusively with newborns. However, you may not have to gain general clinical experience before you work in the NICU. Individual employers may choose to hire a qualified candidate to work in the NICU straight out of nursing school. Read employers' required qualifications before you apply for a NICU job to see what kind of experience or certifications are required. Certifications As a NICU nurse, you must have certification in neonatal resuscitation and/or neonatal intensive care nursing. Individual employers decide which certifications you need. If you are hired as a new graduate, you may be trained in neonatal resuscitation as part of your orientation to the NICU. The National Certification Corporation offers certification in neonatal intensive care nursing. To qualify to take the exam, you must have 2,000 hours of experience working as a registered nurse in education, research, administration or direct patient care, and you must have worked as a nurse within the last two years. Obtaining this certification will help you progress within the NICU. Nurse Practitioner You might also consider pursuing your master's degree in advanced practice neonatal nursing to become a nurse practitioner that works with newborns. This makes you more marketable as an NICU nurse practitioner, and may help you advance.