The good: My 22 year old daughter graduated with a BSN in nursing a few weeks ago and just passed her test for RN. The hospital’s NICU is the only level 4 NICU hospital in the Utah/Idaho/Wyoming/Montana region so she should get some really good experience.

The hospital has a comprehensive one year training program for NICU nurses and they also concurrently work with a mentor nurse (which makes sense). So she is getting some excellent experience and training while getting RN wages plus full benefits. That is the good news.

The bad: Housing is around $1,600 a month for anything decent that is close to the hospital. For now, she lives at home and commutes. I don’t mind having her at home but she would like to be independent. She also needs a more reliable car so she is saving up for that. Fortunately, she graduated from college debt free so she doesn’t have any student loans to worry about.

The ugly: None. Mrs. BB61 and I are proud of her and the rest of my kids who are doing well too.

Thanks for letting me brag a bit. I have another daughter that will complete her student teaching next Fall and hopefully find a job in the local district shortly thereafter. My kids are growing up.

Congratulations. NICU is pretty stressful. Having her live at home will give you a chance to monitor that. They are a dedicated bunch.

quote:

...she graduated from college debt free so she doesn’t have any student loans to worry about

Now that, I would put in the "Good" section.

Congratulations!

-Congratulations are in order to all around this family...Sounds like you and the wife raised a responsible child to young adult status that we all can be proud of.................................. drill sgt.

Congratulations to her and to you on raising her right. Pediatric nursing is a great field.

Our first daughter was born very premature (26 weeks gestation) and with a number of developmental and medical problems so the doctors didn’t give her much chance to survive. She spent nine weeks in the NICU (to pull through) and we saw how dedicated the nurses were. My wife decided to change fields and went back to school for a second degree to go into pediatric nursing. She works the floor most of the time but is cross-trained for NICU and PICU so she gets pulled or called in to those units when they have a staff shortage. It’s stressful but the money is very good so if she saves for a bit while living at home (where you can monitor her adjustment as suggested), she should be on her feet financially in relatively short order. Best wishes to her!

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The bad: Housing is around $1,600 a month for anything decent that is close to the hospital.

Please define decent and close?

My youngest spent her first nine days of life in Yale New Haven’s NICU. Her assigned nurse saved my daughter’s life after she went into anaphylactic shock from morphine following her first surgery. Her preparation, cool headed-ness and professionalism was beyond admirable. Nothing prepares you for seeing your baby the color of a blueberry. My daughter just graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in dietetics and nutrition and is set to start her Masters in August. As of now, she is leaning toward going toward pediatric nutrition with a desire to work in and around NICUs.

Congratulations on a your daughter’s chosen path and to her success. It takes a special person to do that job and as others have said it comes with some real stress. We currently have both adult kids living home again as they save a little money before venturing out in the world again on their own. My oldest is ready, but one bedroom rents around here are more than my mortgage payment used to be and he says he’s done having roommates. Enjoy the extra time you get to spend with your daughter.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

...she graduated from college debt free so she doesn’t have any student loans to worry about

Now that, I would put in the "Good" section.

Congratulations!

I’d like to tell Biden to put that in his pipe and smoke it! Great job! Debt free!

There’s two career I wouldn’t recommend, Police and Healthcare, but Lord knows we need them both!

Congrats on your daughter’s accomplishments, and drive for independence! We don’t see that anymore! Rumor has it that traveling nurses make huge money!

Congratulations to your Family and Daughters fine work. There's plenty to brag about.

You did good, be proud. It gives me hope to hear of the good being done by the younger generation.

My daughter's first 8 days of her life were spent in a NICU. Those people are the best. Be proud.

Congrats! Once overtime is available, she will really have openings to get ahead financially but even starting wages would let her live comfortably even with those high rent prices.

Not to take anything away from her as she obviously had to put in the work at school but you and Mrs. BB61 done good raising her. It all starts at home from an early age, the expectations and support you set for her gave her the drive and determination to become a successful adult.

Now is the time for her to pile up money and don’t go into a bunch of debt. I know she wants to get out on her own which is great but this will be the only opportunity in her life to have very low expenses and a big income.

She can set it up so it makes the rest of her life much easier. Get a reasonable car and don’t rent an expensive apartment. If she can pile up enough money to be able to buy her own place with 20% down she will have put herself in a better position than 90% of the people out there.

quote:

Originally posted by TBH:
I’d like to tell Biden to put that in his pipe and smoke it! Great job! Debt free!

There’s two career I wouldn’t recommend, Police and Healthcare, but Lord knows we need them both!

Congrats on your daughter’s accomplishments, and drive for independence! We don’t see that anymore! Rumor has it that traveling nurses make huge money!

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by TBH:
I’d like to tell Biden to put that in his pipe and smoke it! Great job! Debt free!

There’s two career I wouldn’t recommend, Police and Healthcare, but Lord knows we need them both!

Congrats on your daughter’s accomplishments, and drive for independence! We don’t see that anymore! Rumor has it that traveling nurses make huge money!

A friend of ours is a traveling NICU nurse. She is making great money and she and her husband are seeing the country. She uses a placement service, the contracts are 13 weeks. She gets a housing stipend with each contract that she’s used to pay off their truck and 5th wheel.

Congratulations. I suppose the halcyon days of living in the parking lot Trapper John style are long gone.

Hearty congratulations! I’m 56 now and my oldest, 14, is just starting down the road. She wanted to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. We’ll be happy if she at least gets her RN. She made 4.0 grades throughout her freshman high school year this past year and was distinguished health sciences student. Hoping the grades will help us pay for that college so that she also comes away debt free. Housing prices have gone out of sight even here in rural Tennessee. Rental prices are insane. Best wishes for your daughter and her parents.

Good for her and you. A nurse is a great career and rewarding at many levels. As she gets some experience, there are many avenues that will be open for her. I have had a few friends that went on to become "travelers" and they go to many places in the U.S. and some of the hospitals foot the bill for travel expenses and sign on bonuses.

To answer some questions, her current commute is just under an hour WITH good traffic. If it's bad, 90 minutes. We are looking for low crime and a well maintained unit within about 30 minutes. Finding good roommates first too.

She is currently planning on working for 2-3 years and then she wants to apply to a DNP program.

Congratulations to you daughter sir! That is no small feat being debt free upon graduation. My step son just graduated a half semester early with the same, also debt free, im as proud of him for that as I am for getting his degree, your daughter will do very well for herself, again congratulations!