Am I cut out to be a neonatal nurse?

[RinMyBell]

Currently studying nursing. Have always been drawn to neonatal. I find it fascinating, it's fast paced, challenging and unpredictable.
To become a neonatal nurse, I will have to do another year on top of the degree, which isn't a problem.
I've been watching an American programme about NICU recently, and I've realised that I'm finding the episodes seriously heartwrenching. I remember all the babies names, conditions and the sad stories. I am constantly thinking about the ones who survived and the parents of both the angels and survivors.
Can I do this?
I am drawn to this because I want to be there for the babies, but also the parents, obviously emotional support is so important in this role.
If TV is affecting me this much, do you think I'll struggle? I'd hate to be unhelpful to the patients and parents.

I have been a Neonatal nurse for 27 years and I think you would be fine.
Neonatal units come in 3 levels. Level 1 care for babies who need help with feeding, low level support. Level 2, which cover most District General hospitals, look after babies born after about 27 weeks who need help with breathing and nutrition. Level 3 deal with very preterm babies, those needing surgery or very sick babies. There are lots of Level 2 units, with a smaller number of specialist Level 3 units.
Due to the sickness of the patients, Level 3 will have higher levels of deaths, but will be pretty rare in Level 2 units.
The TV programmes compress several days of care and incident into one hour, often editing them to "up" the emotional effect. When you are caring for the patient and parents, whilst death is always upsetting, you are focussing on the best possible care, including the best possible death.
With regard to training, if you are in the UK, you get a job on a Neonatal unit, get some experience and then your unit will send you on the Neonatal course.
It is a wonderful place to work, with great teamwork and of course, very special patients.
I hope you will come and join us, we need more Neonatal nurses.

My next placement is Neonates starting in December. I'm really looking forward to it.

I had no idea you had to do an extra year? What's the year course called?

My placement is at a hospital with all 3 levels.
This worries me a bit!

After you do the extra year do you become band 6?

You can't just become a band 6, you have to interview, if there's a job available.

You can if you're a midwife. So i was band 6 automatic after a year as a neonatal nurse because Id done midwifery training not nurse training.

being in a NICU nurse is an amazing, important job. if you care.. go for it! the NHS needs those of us who care!

Surely you can't be any band within the NHS unless job is available?

Midwives are band 5 for the first year and automatically go up to band 6 after a year in some trusts or after they've learnt to suture/cannulate in others. There doesn't need to be a band 6 job available, their band 5 job becomes a band 6 job.

So hospital where I work on labour ward, out of all the midwives there's a handful of band 7s, about 100 band 6, and a handful of band 5s who are NQ.

You can work in a neonatal unit without doing a further year. The years course that I think you're referring to is to do the intensive care top up which a lot of units will require, however they also may fund you to do this.
Try and get a placement on a unit, as potential employers will look for this experience. It's a very different world of nursing, very few cuddles and a huge amount of the minutest observations and calculations. However the things being achieved now are incredible and there is a lot of job satisfaction.

@RinMyBell my daughter was born at 28 weeks and was in NICU for 8 weeks, the nurses role was bloody hard graft and constantly having to communicate with parents about what's happening. There were also times that they needed to cannulate my 3lb baby who was screaming in agony, they had to completely detach to be able to concentrate on the task at hand, while I went to pieces. There was one day where 3 babies died in the same day, and their poor parents had to be physically supported by the staff.
There are also a lot of babies with drug dependency and FAS, and these babies can't be held, comforted or made to feel any better without heavy medicating. I have a strong disposition and was there for 8-10 hours everyday, and I have no idea how they did the job, especially those with children themselves. I don't wish to be so negative but a true reflection of my experience. A lot of the caring for the babies is done by the parents wherever possible and it's mainly obs, consultant rounds, meds and supporting parents.

I can’t offer any direct advice, but remember TV shows are deliberately filmed and edited to manipulate your emotions. The real life experience would probably be less of a rollercoaster and more matter of fact with just very emotional moments.

Hope you find a placement.