If I want to become a neonatal nurse, would I have to work with adults first to gain experience or can jump right to NICU?

So I’m not a NICU nurse, but I am an adult critical care nurse. I always tell people that the old adage that you need to be a floor nurse (or anything) before getting into speciality isn’t necessarily true. Some people want to go that way, but I firmly believe you can learn how to be a nurse on any unit, not just an adult medical floor. The nursing process is the same no matter where you work; if you have an orientation program you’ll learn it in the NICU too.

What the adult medical floor DOESN’T have is the specialized equipment, processes, and exposures that you need to be a good NICU (or ICU or ED or whatever) nurse. If your goal is NICU, then get right in there and learn it. I don’t think you’ll have much trouble getting hired into it, especially at medical centers with a nurse residency/fellowship program.

Get it!

I have been a NICU nurse for 28 years, NICU educator for approx 12 years. Used to be a new grad was never even considered for ANY ICU. These days, new grads can get into a level III NICU based on what I believe are two important criteria. 1) Does the unit have an internship program 2) How well you interview. In the interview, relay your enthusiasm for being a NICU nurse, saying 'It's true, I don't have experience, but I also do not have any poor habits or pre set attitudes about being a NICU nurse. I am a clean slate, ready and so excited to learn. And so wanting to be a part of a team that gives excellent care to babies and their families'. A positive attitude, a willingness to learn and work well with others, goes a long way in nursing. Good luck!

I am a new grad and my first job was in NICU! It mainly depends on the hospital system and their needs. Mine was in need of nurses and hired on lots of new grads and people with minimal baby experience. They were open to teaching us and helping us succeed! I would say apply to the job!!

From my experience, I have seen where larger medical centers will hire a new grad nurse and take them into a specialty such as NICU and ED. Personally, I believe it is best for a new grad to begin in med surg. This gives the new nurse a good base knowledge skills on assessments and the overall skills for just about any specialty. Many of my fellow nurses I have worked with over the last couple decades have also verbalized similar beliefs.

I’m currently a new grad, with my very first job being in the NICU! I oriented with several other nurses, some without experience like myself and others who transferred from medsurg and ED. We were all oriented in the same manner, and the nurses with adult experience said that they felt like they were brand new nurses all over again. So yes, you can definitely jump right into NICU!

You might want to make sure to start in a very busy NICU with a good long orientation. You need to see a very wide variety and volume of babies and equipment and therapies to gain solid experience. Rule of thumb in any unit: one year to feel competent, more to feel proficient, 10 years til you're an expert. I have seen seasoned RNs and ICU RNs quit NICUs for feeling out of their element. Find a good mentor to trust and talk with often.

I have worked in a level 3 NICU for 27 years. I did begin my career on a med/surg unit. I soon realized that was not my passion. After a year I worked in a newborn nursery for 6 months and then transferred to the NICU. To answer your question…we have had many new grads start in our unit over the years. The orientation process prepares you for the NICU. As with all units it is up to the person to ask questions and immerse yourself into learning all you can. NICU units are not for everyone but if it is your passion it is very rewarding!!

No. Don’t do adults. It’s a waste of time. NICU is so specific and absolutely not related to adults. I’ve been a NICU nurse for 5 years. I started as a new grad at a Level 4 surgical unit and gained so much experience. It gave me the confidence to travel. I’ve been doing that for about a year and a half.

It is better to jump right into the NICU. I started my career in the NICU right out of nursing school. There is very little that will translate into the adult world. The NICU is a world unto itself.

Absolutely not, I went straight into the NICU after graduation. Honestly they love new grads because they aren't set in their ways yet and are pretty moldable.

There are many hospitals that have NICU Internships that will hires new grades. Personally I’d recommend working in Nursery for a bit first. It’s much easier to recognize the abnormal when you what “normal” is.

You can absolutely get hired into nicu. Ive been a nicu nurse for seven years now and did a nurse residency program with my first hospital that provided amazing training and classes. So, it was my first job out of school. There is zero reason to work with adults or med surg. Everything in NICU is entirely different than almost any other field and very little is covered in nursing school. So, I encourage you to pursue a job at a good hospital with a good training program and at least a level 3 NICU.

Hey ! Not necessarily. I graduated from nursing school in December 2023 , got my license February 2024. Applied for a residency program in the NICU got hired and I’m about to graduated this month from the program. Look for something that trains you in the area because NICU is so different from the adult world

M

My former hospital has an internship for Nursery, L&D. for new RN’s. Nurses are given a Preceptor and class time with group Research projects. Weekly review of their progress with their unit educator and preceptors. Try and search for hospitals that offer these programs. Good luck

You can jump right into NICU that’s what I did. You just have to find a teaching hospital that’s willing to train you as a new grad like I did. I lived in FL at the time but couldn’t find a job. I put my sister’s address in NY and applied for my first job in Nicu at Bellevue Hospital Center and they called me for interview. I moved there for the job, make sure you have family or friends. Go there and get at least 2 years of experience under your belt then move back to wherever you want afterwards but with Nicu experience then hospitals in your state will want to hire you. I ended up staying there for 8 years I just loved the ppl I worked with. But you don’t have to stay that long if you don’t want, you just need about 2 years.

Go right to the nicu…..don’t listen to what nursing school tells you, if you want to work with babies, work with babies. I thought I wanted to do nicu, went to the nicu after working with adults for 7 years and I hated it. It wasn’t what I thought it would be at all.

I went straight from school to PEDS then PICU. After a year I went to NICU and spent the rest of my career there. Never worked with adults.

My experience: as a new grad I applied to NICU I was told they werent hiring new grads but they would give my resume out to other floors hiring new grads. Fast forward I took a job I didnt want just to get my foot in the door, at orientation there was a new grad hired for NICU in my cohort… ouch that hurt. My friend works in that NICU so fast forward 6 months and theres an opening I go thru interview then shadow then she emails me to come in so she can tell me her decision. To my face she tells me stay on your unit keep getting adult experience then reapply 6 months later. I did that. I reapplied. They call me asking me if I can stay be it I resigned from that position to take a pedi job cause I felt adult experience is not prepaing me for NICU she calls me for interview I tell recruiter I won’t stay on my floor and so the NICU manager calls me an hour before my interview telling me shes canceling it. Don’t do what I did and take a position you don’t like in hopes with your foot in the door you’ll have a better chance. Even tho I knew 2 staff NICU nurses vouching for me and I worked an entire year on a floor I hated, it never paid off. Get a NICU or at very least L&D position right out of nursing school.

Jump right on in! I did - 20 years ago right out of college! You will be oriented and as with any area- be patient with yourself! You will always be learning!

I would suggest spending your first year in a teaching hospital NICU. They usually hire a lot of new grads and you can gain valuable experience that will get you a NICU job pretty much anywhere. No adult experience needed and I honestly advise against it. The nurses I have trained that came from the adult world don’t usually make the best NICU nurses. Hope this helps! Best wishes!

NICU nurse here. If that is your end goal I would suggest going straight into NICU. Nursing school doesn't prepare you specifically and either does working in the big people world. You will learn tasking and policies and procedures but when you go to NICU you will then have to forget more than half of everything you learned. Pick a hospital that has a great new grad program and go all in. Preceptorship or internship while in school is also a blessing.

I came in the NICU as a graduate nurse. My head nurse said she would rather hire new grads than nurses with other patient experience. That way they learn the NICU from day one. I stayed for 30 years, but I do wish I had changed NICUs for a more rounded NICU nurse.

If you start at a Pediatric Hospital you may be more likely to be able to start as a NICU nurse If you work in a community based hospital they may have different requirements Of course it will depend on staffing needs. Just be upfront with the HR person you speak with regarding your interests

You can jump right in, no need to work with adults first.

I had no prior experience in a nicu or any hospital setting for that matter. I graduated my ABSN and applied to one nicu and got it! I’ve been working for about 3 years. It is a level 3, which I would recommend starting out at. You learn so much from micro preemies, sterile lines, feeder growers. The more serious conditions go to the children’s hospital next door to my hospital and I always say it’s the perfect amount of chaos. I’m never too overwhelmed, I am always learning something new and more often than not the babies go home healthy. I would look for hospitals that have residency programs for new grads which is what I did. Just keep applying and show interest and you will find the perfect fit for yourself! Good luck!!

It is important to have knowledge from the prenatal stage to understand the changes and complications that the newborn may present.
Totally different, what can help you is to identify pathologies in adults but not in newborns.
The newborn is a world of learning and critical care that requires knowledge and skill.

I've been in health care 25 years. The BEST nurses I've worked with over the years are the ones with experience doing other things in healthcare besides nursing. This includes phlebotomy, Aide, Tech, etc. I think it's IMPERATIVE to get a MINIMUM of 6 months to 1 year med-surg experience before you go into a specialty. While nurses who have done only their one specialty (NICU for example), they know their specialty. Unfortunately, if anything weird happens outside their wheelhouse, they're unsure, insecure, and not as helpful. At least this has been experience at 4 different institutions. Get the time organization and critical thinking under your belt first. Then transfer to NICU.

I can tell you right now - if it's what you WANT . DO IT 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 People who are not in the NICU will tell you it's the best option to do adults med Surg or ICU. No. As a seasoned NICU nurse and who started as a new grad and precepted others from adult units - the other units will do NOTHING. NICU is so insanely specialized and you will learn time management and skills on the job no matter what. If you can find a NICU that will hire a new grad - apply apply apply! I am SO glad I followed my dreams and went right for the job I wanted. I can't imagine doing anything else and we will retrain you to the NICU way no matter what so might as well not waste time where you don't want to be and become burned out and miserable in the process. Come to baby land - we're happy here and will welcome you with open arms and plenty of arts and crafts to keep you busy! ❤️

I always suggest going straight to NICU but at a high acuity busy unit (teaching hospital). Teaching hospitals hire and train lots of new grads. If you spend a year there, you can work pretty much anywhere and have a strong background.

There is no

I’ve been a NICU RN for 17 years and went into the NICU immediately after graduation and I would say no. The adult world is so completely different than the neonate world! It’s the start of life and babies are so resilient! I say go for it! Jump right in you won’t regret it! It’s very very rewarding!

So I graduated in 1997 and did geriatric nursing for 4 years then went into med surg adult peds for a year before going into LD/ nursery. I am great full for the fact I learned time management and also learned what a healthy newborn was like before going into NICU. I love the fact that I’m a NICU nurse but am happy that my past experiences prepared me for this.

Personally I say no! Go for it and find a NICU with a great mentorship program for a new grad. Is another thing I recommend or if your not sure see if the hospital offers PICU/NICU float positions. Especially if it is something you are passionate about don't do what I did I was miserable in adults.

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its best to get your foot in the door with working in food doing pediatric nutrition in case management but it doesnt have to be always in computers

I did a residency program in NICU straight away as a new grad. It's entirely different than the adult world, so I highly encourage you to just start there rather than waste your time with adult med surg or icu if that's not where you want to be. Getting a residency in any specific area of care can be challenging, but if you interview well, you'll find a nicu that'll take you on. There are different levels of care up to level IV NICUs, so keep that in mind when applying based on what you want to do. You can always apply and move up after you have some experience in a lower level nicu if you cant get your foot in the door at a higher one. Good luck!

I am a NICU nurse and started right after I graduated. Now I was a PCA all through school so I knew quite a bit, but was hired as an RN right after I graduated. I know the units I have worked on hire RN’s from other areas you will just have a longer on boarding time. Good luck and it is the best nursing job out there!! ❤️👣💙

No. Babies change very quickly. You will be a better adult icu nirse if you get good with nicu babies.

I would say that it would be great to have at least nursery experience so you can get an idea of what a NORMAL infant like like before diving into shock/ premature babies. I did L&D for 12 years and then have been in NICU for 16 years! And I'm now in school to become a Women's Health NP! Good luck on your nursing path!!

No need to have adult experience first. Neonates are their own specialty. So different from everything else.

No. My entire career as an RN has been in NICU. I did have Extern experience on a pediatric floor, but working adults prior to NICU is not a requirement. Jumping straight into NICU might make learning the in’s & out’s a bit easier because NICU world is very specific & our normals and practices can be unique to our unit specifically!

It depends on the hospital. The hospital I work at allows new grads to become NICU nurses and you complete a new nurse residency program and have to stay for 18 months as part of the contract. Other hospitals require you have a year under your belt and some require that you have been a NICU nurse for 1-2 years depending on the position they are hiring for.

Hi! I’ve been a NICU nurse for three years and I started as a new grad! No adult experience. I did a new grad residency program.

Nknot

Get experience first! The best nurses have some with adults!