What should I know?

[krenee]

I am starting a preceptorship in the NICU in 2 days . . . I am going to graduate in 9 weeks, and I am hoping to work in the NICU, in this hospital, so I want to make a good impression! I was wondering what would be good to know going in, so that I don't appear completely ignorant! I plan to brush up on my newborn vital signs because my OB rotation was almost a year ago now, but anything else that would be good for me to know?

Thanks for any help!

[NeoNurseTX, RN]

vitals can differ greatly from kid to kid BP wise. RR should be around 30-60, HR 100-180. preemies tend to have "a's and b's" .. apnea and bradycardia. lots of resp issues.. it takes a while to get the hang of how things are done and the diagnoses the kids have because they're so different from adult/pedi.

[300g]

A lot of what you need to know in the NICU, you don't learn in nursing school... so go easy on yourself. Ask a lot of questions and listen to the answers. You'll do great.

Just a good rule of thumb on BPs... the MAP (mean arterial pressure) should be close to the age of the neonates gestational age. If they're 35 weeks gestation, their MAP should be around 35 mmHg. If it's much higher than that, make sure the baby is calm or try a larger cuff. It's not very common to see hypertension in our population.

Good luck!