ATTN: To those whose census is down: Free babies!!!

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

To those who are getting called off due to low census, please send me your address so I can ship you a few babies :D I worked in our Transitional Nursery for 3 nights this week..(admission/stabilization unit attached to L&D) and admitted 12 babies in addition to the ones that came in on day shift over a 72 hour period. Twins, cardiacs, TTNs, IDMs, chorios, preemies, you name it, I got it.

I've never worked so hard, or done so many admit assessments/histories in my entire career.

I think our census was up around 78 when I left. We "hold" 58.

Free babies?........anyone?

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Specializes in NICU.

Us too! Not as many as you, but I swear all the Mom's are getting stressed out and going into labor or something.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Ok, glad to know we are not the only ones that have had the bottom drop out, quite literally.

I posted in the Ob/Gyn forum - all our long-term inpt antepartums seem to be breaking too, so our NICU really hates us. Sowwy. :(

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Hmmm...depends...what kind of parents do they come with?

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Specializes in NICU.

We have some extra too...our census has consistantly been 20 higher than normal since July, with no end in sight. :banghead:

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Our census is way down, which isn't bothering me too much. We have the same number of nurses, so I have been kind of enjoying myself with a normal assignment instead of a double assignment.

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Specializes in Level III NICU.

Sorry Steve, you can keep all your babies! We've been hanging out at or just below our "max" capacity. There goes any hope of getting called off for Christmas!

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Specializes in NICU.

My unit will totally take some of those babies! Our census is still about half of what it should be - and has been about that way since the summer!

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Specializes in acute care.

If anyone needs help feeding and changing your babies, here's a current nursing student and wannabe "NICU nurse" ready for hire.

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Our census is WAY low for us too...yesterday we only had 4 babies...2 1:1s on the vent and 2 grower feeders.....they are doing some crazy stuff with staffing too....instead of allowing people to request cancel...they are making everyone come in and forcing them to orient to post partum (no offense pp nurses.....I absolutely LOATHE going to PP)....out of curiosity, what do they do to you all when your NICU census is low? Float? cx?

So...send us your babies everyone :) hehe

Oh...and Merry Christmas everyone!

:)Christine

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).
..out of curiosity, what do they do to you all when your NICU census is low? Float? cx?

Never happens. :D

Ok, it does happen occasionally, but with an average of 28-32 RNs on a shift, there's bound to be a few per-diems who float to WBN, peds or PICU before the rest of us.

PP is not within our contract-approved "care-cluster" so we don't have to float there. Ew.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

A bit too far away to help you, Steve! Wish I could...

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