Thanks

[Bortaz]

For your fellowship, kind words, and support.

Tomorrow will be my last day in the NICU (unless they cancel me...which would be great). I will miss it greatly, but it's time to move on. I have developed some lifelong friendships through that job, and will always cherish them. Will keep my brainsheet in case others want/need it in the future.

Good luck to you all in the future, and snuggle a gerbil for me occasionally.

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

Congrats on the pleasent first day! What field did you move too?

I am working as a Clinical Documentation and Integrated Care Specialist. Basically, auditing charts to ensure docs are accurately charting the complete clinical picture of a patient to ensure proper Medicare/Medicaid length of stay allowances and reimbursement. Also responsible for educating MDs on proper charting.

Several days have passed, and things are still running very smoothly. Everyone is very collegial and professional. We had a staff meeting, and the VP in charge of our department brought in chocolate meringue pie and German chocolate cake. Yup. Cake and pie.

The thrill of going to work without a ton of stress bearing down on my neck is awesome, and something I've missed terribly.

[SC_RNDude]

Congrats on your new job! Although, I will miss your posts. I have always been curious about the NICU and think it would be interesting and gratifying. As a 40 something dude, more then a few times I have decided I wouldn't fit in. And then after awhile I start thinking about it again, and refer back to some of your posts.

Now, I am in a peds hospital, and recently found out people on my floor float now and then to the NICU and take care of a feeder and grower or two. So, I guess I may end up there yet. You will be partly respnsible if so!

Good luck!

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

Congrats on your new job! Although, I will miss your posts. I have always been curious about the NICU and think it would be interesting and gratifying. As a 40 something dude, more then a few times I have decided I wouldn't fit in. And then after awhile I start thinking about it again, and refer back to some of your posts.

Now, I am in a peds hospital, and recently found out people on my floor float now and then to the NICU and take care of a feeder and grower or two. So, I guess I may end up there yet. You will be partly respnsible if so!

Good luck!

Thanks, I appreciate that. I think the NICU is an entirely appropriate unit for a 40-something dude. It was the best job I ever had, and I was damned good at it. The parents and the babies loved me. I couldn't care less about the opinions of my former coworkers, generally speaking. People will resent you, but if you take excellent care of the babies...it won't be the parents doing the resenting.

The gratitude of the parents, and the life-long relationships I've developed with many of them and their babies are my greatest reward. I just received a message on Facebook last week (for Nurses week) from a mother that selected ME as the best thing that ever happened in the lives of them and their baby, from amongst all the nurses who cared for them for over a YEAR. (Baby was with us for 9 months, then moved to San Antonio for a higher level of care). I hadn't seen or heard from them for over a year, and to have her pop up, and express her appreciation for ME, by name, specifically, as having that kind of impact on them...it was very humbling.

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

My new boss has shown symptoms of awesome. Today, she walks in at 1500 and says "The weather is really getting ugly. I don't want to risk losing any of you. I want you all to go home right now."

We're salaried employees, so this doesn't cost us a cent. She did it because she's concerned. I couldn't have imagined it at the last place.

[spacey]

Sad to lose you from NICU world -- I have read your posts here "forever" -- haha -- and have enjoyed the humor and empathy and wisdom. I hope you continue to enjoy your new position! Nothing better than a great boss! :)

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

Sad to lose you from NICU world -- I have read your posts here "forever" -- haha -- and have enjoyed the humor and empathy and wisdom. I hope you continue to enjoy your new position! Nothing better than a great boss! :)

Thanks, I appreciate it.

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

Hey man -

I'm way behind, much less active here these days, but I always enjoyed your perspectives on the forum. I'm sorry that you ended up in such a rough situation, but I'm glad that things are much better in your new environment.

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

Was discussing the fact that I participated in an exit interview phone call from the home office of my now previous job in the NICU, and how I was quite sure it was a waste of time. One of the parents of a baby I had for months in the nicu said this:

Hopefully, it was not a waste of time, and your concerns will be heard. The only negative thing about you leaving that job was that those babies no longer have you to take care of them, and hopefully the next "Bortaz, RN", with your heart, soul, love, and compassion doesn't have to be put through what you went through and be pushed out the door. You were more than a rock for the babies, you were a place moms and dads could put their faith and trust, and, no matter how many times I say it, you will never know how much it meant to us.

He will never know how much that meant to me, either.