Hi guys! I just want to start by telling you a little bit about me and why I am even here, making this blog.

I am a 23 year old momma to two little girls, a wife to my amazing husband, and I have been a Registered Nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a little over a year. My education background is from a community college, and we didn’t live near a NICU, so I had no mentors to look up to or NICUs in my clinical rotations. I was going into this completely blind! But I knew the NICU was where I wanted to be.

I started as a CNA in nursing homes when I was 17 years old. I had graduated high school early and was working on my Associate’s Degree in Biology. I had plans to go to medical school. My husband (boyfriend at the time) and I packed up and moved 4 hours from my hometown after I graduated with my Associate’s Degree. I would work toward my Bachelor’s Degree in Biology, then move on to med school. I wasn’t completely sure of a specialty, but I thought high risk obstetrics would be interesting. About a year into working on my Bachelor’s and shadowing a few doctors, I realized, “Wow, this is not right for me.” I was terrified and had no idea what I was going to do. I ended up having a little bit of a crisis and decided I was going to redirect my Bachelor’s Degree from biology to accounting (LOL what????). Anyway, come to find out, accounting wasn’t for me (anyone and everyone who knows me knew this well before I did, but they really just had to let the crisis play out). I decided to go back home to my old community college and get my RN. This was easily one of the very best decisions I have ever made.

While I worked on my ADN-RN, I worked at the hospital in my hometown. I fell in love. The hospital is SO different than long-term care. I had so much fun assisting the nurses on my unit, med-surg. I had such a desire to learn. I got as close as I could to my charge nurses, all the RNs on the unit, my house supervisors. I wanted as many people to teach me as possible. Any time I had ANY extra time, I went to the ER, Labor and Delivery, or if ANY procedures at all were happening on my unit, I was there. Eventually, I was able to cross train in the ER as the unit clerk. I got to see so much. I realized I loved floating to Labor and Delivery and working with the pediatric patients in the ER, so I told all of the house supervisors – “FLOAT ME any chance you get!” I was able to get experience and see everything in all 3 units, and for that I am so grateful.

As I moved through clinicals, I was realizing, “Wow, I love working with babies, and in the ICUs.” I was told by instructors that they think I would thrive in an intensive care unit and that I had a lot to bring to the table. By the time I started my second year, I knew I was going to be a NICU RN. I was worried because I didn’t have a BSN, but I got an interview for Valentine’s Day. My husband and oldest daughter waited for me in the car, and I know I came out with the biggest grin on my face. I had been told during the interview that the job was mine. By the end of February, the contract was signed and I had a start date.

My NICU had a program that new grads went through since most nursing programs don’t have a lot of NICU education, so we spent another 8 weeks in the classroom following the NCLEX. It was tough to have to sit through more school when I thought I was done, but the information was so much more interesting. I wanted to know things about the NICU. I wanted to learn the material, and as I learned it, I realized that I am good at this stuff. This information is so easy to remember because I WANT to know it.

I finished the coursework, went onto the floor with a preceptor, finished my preceptorship, and hit the floor on my own! It was so exciting, so fun, I was learning so much. I was on my own for about a month, then I had my second baby and went on maternity leave. When I came back from maternity leave, it was like I was relearning everything. I hadn’t been working on my own for long prior to going on maternity leave so coming back was so scary. But I did it, came back part time instead of full time so I could be with my babies and to let my husband pursue his dream career (he is so amazing and let me go first). Now, it has been a little over a year and not only have I learned so much, but I also have so many ideas and desires to better my unit. I currently have a meeting in the near future with my director to chat about an idea I have to improve breastfeeding rates.

I am so excited to continue learning, to help improve my unit, teach others, and hopefully, through this blog, help others find the happiness in their career that I have!