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Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
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Posted almost 6 years ago Hello nurses! I wanted to ask about what it's like to be a nurse. I was thinking of becoming a nurse because I want to help premature babies stay alive and healthy. I was born 3 months premature and the doctors thought I was going to come out retarded because I had brain bleeding, a heart murmur, jaundis and all kinds of other ailments, but I'm 18 now and I'm going to UC Davis in the fall. I wanted to know what the whole nursing experience is like, especially with premature babies. Also, I wanted to know if there are nurses in the field of sports. If nursing isn't for me, I want to be an Athletic Trainer. I'd like to know more about these things! Any input from your personal experiences would be great! |
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| Posted almost 6 years ago Hi Nabora!
I've been a nurse for 23 years, and I love it. I've done a lot of things in nursing that have been exciting and rewarding. I've never worked NICU, tho I have some Newborn Nursery experience. I teach OB currently in an ADN program, and I love working in the Nursery best of all. Taking care of sick babies has its price, but if I ever quit being an ER nurse (my primary background) I'd go for being in a NICU or Newborn Nursery setting.
The great thing about nursing is if one area is not for you, there are all sorts of other areas you can try until you find one you like. I don't know of any nurses in Sports Medicine, tho there are plenty of doctors who specialize in that. You might need a second degree . . . or not. If you know any trainers or a doc who works in Sports Medicine, ask if nurses are in the field, and what kinds of things they do. It does sound really interesting tho.
UC Davis is a great school of nursing. You will get a good education there. I used to live in Chico, and worked with UC Davis grads; I thot they were good nurses. Nursing school is very difficult, and can be emotionally draining. But when you are done and start working you will realize how much you have learned and know how much you have yet to learn. When I bridged from LPN to RN I thought I knew enuf to be an RN right then, and finishing an ADN program was just a formality. Boy, was I wrong! Yet I didn't understand just what and how much I had learned until after I passed the NCLEX RN and started working as an RN.
Good luck! |
