I have 6 months experience as an RN. I was unable to do my clinical rotations due to the COVID pandemic. How can I get into NICU?

Look for hospitals that have NICUs in your area or in the area you want to live in. Contact and establish a relationship with the nurse managers in the NICUs to apply for their NICU residency program. Do it NOW before you have one year experience. Your present experience has probably helped you with organizational skills, communication, using resources, etc. But NICU is a whole other ball game.....highly specialized and no margin for error many times. I wouldn't think of it without a residency!

I agree with Traci. Getting into NICU won’t be easy, but it can be done. A lot of the older NICU nurses are retiring now and will need to be replaced. This is good news for you, because teaching hospital are in need of replacements. Start off researching different hospitals in your area. Check their career sites to see just what they’re hiring for.

Not sure where you're located, but there are hospitals that hire new grads to NICU thorough their new grad residency programs. I'm in Houston (specifically TCH). If you have less than 1 year experience as an RN, you have to go through the RN residency programs. That's an excellent way to get into NICU. There's a ton of education & preceptorship to get you ready to practice independently. If at the time you apply you have >1 year RN experience, you'd need to apply for an open NICU position. You'd still get an orientation but just not as long as a new grad. Apply, everywhere. Someone will respond.

I would suggest seeing if you can get into a hospital that offers that. Seeing if they offer nicu residencies. I see that you’re in Texas, HCA and Methodist are hiring, heck almost all the hospitals in Texas are hiring. If you’re willing to relocate, start looking on their website. Some hospitals offer nicu as a residency. You can even try an icu or pcu residency and then work your way from there. I don’t believe in the…”med surg first” route. I started in a pcu. I am now on an icu/pcu everything unit. Lol. You could even try the mother/baby route, some hospitals float their nurses to nicu etc. Good luck.

Ok I am sorry but I need clarification? Are you saying you graduated as an RN without clinicals as in your school just pushed graduation and excused that portion of the program? Next you are currently working as an RN and have gained 6months? If so then if the current location has a NICU and has residencies make it known to your manager that this is you interest and keep watch out for residences being advertised. Get to know the staff on those units.