ACLS requirement for NICU nurses

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Hello all!

I am returning to NICU nursing and I see now that hospitals are starting to require ACLS for NICU nurses. Can someone explain to me why they are doing this? My thoughts are that it may be a Magnet thing or they expect NICU nurses to float to the ED/ICU.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thank You!

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

Our NICU and the ones in my area only requires BLS and NRP. Unless they plan on floating you to adult units. ACLS is kind of useless in our world.

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Yes, I agree. Thank you for responding!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.

Because their mothers can have complications in the middle of visiting their neonates?

Im only guessing.

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Yes, I thought about the fact that there may be an expectation for us to respond to a crashing mom at birth. But L&D nurses, I believe, don't have to have ACLS and they would be responsible for mom first.

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This sounds crazy to me.

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Yup! My thoughts exactly!

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Specializes in High-risk OB.

L&D nurses aren't required to have ACLS? Wow. Our L&D and antepartum nurses are required to have it, along with NRP. Our postpartum nurses aren't required to have ACLS though....which is strange to me.

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Specializes in NICU.
Because their mothers can have complications in the middle of visiting their neonates?

Im only guessing.

I don't think so. There's an overhead code _____ for a Mom that goes down. NICU nurses would typically only do basic, BLS type stuff until a team gets there. A non-inpatient or family member that goes down is a 911 call. That is strange to me.

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Specializes in NICU.

It sounds rather expensive to educate NICU staff (assuming reimbursement) on ACLS unless they are going to float to an adult unit. Really, would a NICU nurse be the best person to participate in an adult code? We freak and recoil in horror if a mom feels faint.

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For the handful of postings I have seen in Wisconsin and Florida for L&D, ACLS was not required.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

Our L/D nurses are but we have some pretty sick moms transported to us, so it makes sense. We don't even have an adult crash cart on our unit, an ambu bag yes, but nothing else.

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