Just wondering how it's pronounced where you live. I used to work in a hospital and we said n-i-c-u, each letter, but I've heard others say it like a word, nicku. Don't want to be a dork and say it wrong in school.

Thanks, Tofutti

We say N-I-C-U. But then we don't have a NICU at our small rural hospital and send babies that need more care down the hill to another hospital that does.

I'll bet it is different all over the country.

steph

Nick-u

We say nick-u, along with mick-u, sick-u, etc. We've got lots of intensive care, lol.

Where I work, I hear both. By the way, I have found the some people will think you mean Neuro ICU, especially if you work in an area with big stroke centers. For that reason, I often say Neonatal ICU.

Where I work it is common to hear nick u when referring to the neuro ICU and I-C-N for intensive care nursery.

Like a poster above, I usually say Neonatal ICU, esp since we have a Neuro ICU. We get calls all the time from people looking for a "big person" in NeuroICU. Otherwise the rest of the staff each says something different, like Nick-u, N-I-C-U, Intensive Care Nursery

I-C-N (for intensive care nursery). Differentiates us from the NeuroICU.

I say Nick-u.

Around here, there are more Neo ICUs than Neuro ICUs, so maybe that's why.

But we do have Neuro ICU where I work, so if I'm calling blood bank or pharmacy about something, I'll say that I'm calling from "Neonatal" so they don't get confused.

Nick-U most of the time. When I answer the phones on the unit though, I answer n i c u, because too often we get calls that were supposed to go to the PICU. N and P as letters sound much more different than just nicu/picu. Some people also call it the N I (or P I or C I) It's more a personal preference than anything here it seems.