Taking my first steps towards neonatal nursing.
Just as it is stereotypically common for Filipinos to be nurses, it is stereotypical for Malayalee women in the United States to be nurses, as well. My mom fits this mold. As a young’n my exposure to nursing consisted of hugging my mom in her scrubs and occasionally picking her up from the intensive care unit (ICU) where she worked. At that age, the ICU looked like a bunch of old people sleeping in one huge room. When high school came around, I volunteered at my mom’s hospital in the prenatal and neonatal clinic. It was the first time I saw the difference between the work of a doctor, nurse practitioner, midwife, and nurse. I was so enthralled by the beauty of childbirth and the concept of bringing in new life that I set out on a path towards nurse midwifery. With this in mind (and the fact that my mom could not bare to have me move back to NY), I applied to the top nursing schools on the West Coast. I was admitted to one of the top research universities in the state in their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program as a freshman.
The first two years of my educational experience were mostly prerequisites, such as Biology and Chemistry. One of the thirty-five or so nursing students in my year, I was lost amongst the hundreds of biology majors at my school. These years were filled with participation in the Indian cultural club, dancing on a nationally competitive Indian garba-raas team, forming new relationships, and the normal college festivities. The next two years were another story…
Junior year began the real nursing intensive courses. We learned the foundations of nursing and started to develop critical thinking skills. There were nights of eleven page care plans and memorizing a million drugs. Spring 2012 brought our first clinical rotations and the first time we were able to perform patient care in a hospital setting. It was the most amazing experience. I felt like I was playing nurse instead of doctor; I had to assume this new role in my life that I had never performed before. I sacrificed my participation in the Indian cultural club to commit to our professional nursing fraternity, and to really focus on developing my role as a professional nurse. I volunteered with organizations that served underprivileged communities, babysat part-time, and worked as a home health aide.
During senior year, I continued these activities, but was exposed to even more roles of a professional nurse. I had clinical rotations in critical care units, labor and delivery, and a pediatric hospital. The most diverse roles I learned about were in community and public health. I loved seeing the involvement of nurses in schools, prisons, foreign countries and our own community. It really broadened my view on how much good our profession does in the world. Most people focus on nurses in the hospital setting, but our caring hands extend to the craziest of reaches (i.e. pest control).
My clinical rotation in the pediatric hospital really opened up my heart to neonatal nursing. I have loved children my entire life. My dad comes from a family of eight and my mom from a family of ten. There has never been a shortage of little ones and babysitting has been my favorite source of income. My first pediatric rotation was in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). I knew immediately it wasn’t the place for me. The atmosphere was too gloomy and the patients were guarded by their loving parents. My second rotation was in the NICU. Upon entering the unit, I immediately loved the environment. There was a bustle of nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, consult teams, etc. walking throughout the unit. It reminded me of being in NYC. I was paired with a sweet, young nurse. She gave me a tour of the units and taught me the basics of caring for a stable baby in the NICU. Three hours into the shift, I stood over an isolette (incubator for newborn infants) and had that sensation of overwhelming rightness. I had fallen in love with the patients, the families, the staff, ALL OF IT! I had to be reminded to take my meal breaks because I didn’t want to leave the unit. It felt like home–like hugging my mom, dad, sister, or boyfriend. There was just this inexplicable joy of knowing where I wanted to be in the years to come. I expressed this emotion to my pediatric professor and she helped me receive a position in that same hospital unit for my senior internship.
During my senior internship, I focused on familiarizing myself with common conditions, clinical tasks, and management of care of a neonate. I had a wonderful preceptor who allowed greater independence as the weeks went on and always challenged me. Her willingness to teach me, as well as the welcoming nature of her co-workers, made me fall in love with this hospital more and more each day. By the end of my 120 hours on the unit, I was ready to cry because I didn’t want it to end. There was no telling if I’d get hired and be back as a registered nurse (RN).
Amidst the last quarter of nursing school, the next step for me was applying to new graduate or RN residency programs. Our professors advised us to focus on graduating and not to get stressed about finding a job, but I didn’t want to chance it in this job market. I began researching positions and calendaring when to apply during winter break. I knew I wasn’t going to settle for anything but my dream, so I only applied to residency programs offering positions in the NICU. My first choice was the hospital I had my internship. I loved that I could see evidence-based practice in every task they performed, the environment, the family-centered care, and the culture of the staff. I knew that every health professional within their walls were whole-heartedly working to advance the lives of each and every one of their patients.
After a few weeks of spitting out applications, I received a call to interview for my 1st choice hospital, as well as an out-of-state top children’s hospital. I interviewed with the out-of-state children’s hospital over the phone on May 3rd and the manager told me she was very interested, but that I may not know her final decision until June. I interviewed with my first choice hospital on May 6th at 1:30 PM. It was my first in-person professional interview. Luckily, I had met four out of the five panel interviewers during my internship, so I wasn’t as nervous (but that didn’t stop me from choking on my dry throat three times). The interview consisted of eight behavioral nursing questions and the usual “why do you want to work for us?” I gushed about my love for the hospital and the unit and all the staff members that I had met throughout my internship. Three days later, on May 9th, my first choice called and offered me the position. All I wanted to do was cry, but I was at my public health clinical. I couldn’t believe that my dream of becoming a neonatal nurse was coming true, and in my number one hospital! I just feel so blessed to have had amazing support systems throughout these past four years and to have amazing “wing-women” (my preceptor and my pediatric instructor). I would never have reached this point without the beautiful people I have met in life and the ones that have always stuck by my side.
Now that I know where I will be working, I am a little less stressed (hence the beginning of this blog) and will be focusing on graduating and passing the NCLEX.
Take-aways:
- Study hard and don’t slack off. C’s get degrees, but would you want to be the critically ill patient with the doctor or nurse who barely passed!? You most probably got into this career to help and heal, so keep that goal in mind.
- Network, but don’t be fake. You’ll hear and see a lot of people “networking,” but make sure you’re genuinely interested in who they are and what they have to say. They know we all want jobs, and they have sifted through thousands of applications to find the ones that really have their heart in it.
- Take every opportunity you get. Never do anything you are uncomfortable with, but take it as an opportunity to learn. Even after you have your license, there’s always new advances in nursing practice to catch up on. Stay up to date!
Preemie Donna 