Business is BOOMIN'

scb7620 · Dec 7, 2012

We have been slow in recent months but are seeing a boom too! Especially with high acuity kiddos.

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Dec 8, 2012

We finally slowed down after months of being crazy! Hopefully it lasts for the holidays.

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Dec 8, 2012

We got down to 4 or 5 babies (and that righteously sucked) for a month or so, then had a couple months where we were near or over max census. Now we're down to 10-12 babies with a large percentage of those soon to depart. 30 bed Level 3B.

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Dec 8, 2012

We still have 30 some, but that better than the 50 we were running with for months!

umcRN, BSN, RN · Dec 9, 2012

My NICU/PICU/CICU has all been booming for about 3 or 4 months now. NICU has been running 48-56 (max 56), picu 30-40 (max 40) and cicu 20-26 (max 26). Typically the three ICU's float between eachother but it has been so out of hand and acuity so high! I previously worked in the nicu where I was used to vented pairs, or an oscillator and a feeder but in the CI where I am now they are used to 1:1's all the time and are completely stressed over the high census and many pairs. Almost everyone I talk to from the three units is picking up at minimum one extra a week and most are doing more than that. It's absurd. We were wondering if it were just us or a national trend

Calabria, BSN, RN · Dec 9, 2012

We've been maxing out at about 45 for NICU and stepdown. Well-baby has been boarding babies and moms in L&D because postpartum has run out of beds. This has been happening to our hospital since March or April.

champagnesupeRNova · Dec 9, 2012

We've been really busy for a year now. Before that, people were getting cancelled everyday because of low census.

imaginations · Dec 10, 2012

I work in a Level 6 PICU in a stand alone Children's Hospital. However we are also qualified as a NICU, though really take NICU patients are the Women's Hospital next door runs a tertiary NICU. In the PICU we are staffed for 17 patients and have had 7-9 the last few weeks whilst the NICU next door has been so full they've bumped us patients in the middle of the night, or sent deliveries straight to us because they've been bursting at the seams for weeks. It's a lovely change to see a brand new baby wheeled through our doors.

aerorunner80, ADN, BSN, MSN, APRN · Dec 22, 2012

We are the same way! I was on maternity leave this time last year but worked through the begining of December and last year from about May to when I left, our census was low as was our acuity. We were even up to the point of everyone having their turn of mandatory CM!!!!

I came back in April and we have been full ever since! I can't count the number of times we have closed the units to new admits (except for our one crash bed). We have also had a lot of ECMO babies too! At one point we had three in a row which is unheard of for us!

Of course with this comes a huge turnover in staff. We have probably had a least 30 new nurses since I came back in April and they just keep coming and coming. Most of our night staff is all new which puts stress on those of us who have been here longer because the new people aren't up to speed yet. We have had so many experienced nurses leave this year its just crazy!

umcRN, BSN, RN · Dec 23, 2012

"Closed the unit"

What is that??? haha, as the only large children's hospital in our region we NEVER close our doors, but we do worry about where to put kids. NICU gets creative using the parent rooms and procedure rooms for babies but other ICUs have to push kids out that they wouldn't usually in order to take critical patients. We have overflow rooms and in one area where the PICU and acute care floor are divided by a door that door opens up and we spread kids into the acute care floor but are still ICU pts and staffed by ICU nurses