The start of my new career

January 2009 After being a nurse for 2 years in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit for those outside of the medical world), I decided to officially go back to school to obtain my masters degree and become a neonatal nurse practitioner. This had been my plan all along, but new regulations required me to be a NICU RN for 2 years before becoming an NNP. The thought of going back to school is terrifying but, at least to me, necessary. After exploring my options, I decided on the University of Alabama at Birmingham. All in all, it would take me 2 1/2 years to finish while working full time. The difference in obtaining a higher degree in the nursing field versus other fields is clinical time. In addition to work and school and studying, I would have to get 720 hours of unpaid clinical time in the hospital during the course of theses 2 1/2 years. I couldn't comprehend how much time that really was until I was actually doing it. And crazily enough, I did most of those hours pregnant!