I was talking with a friend of mine the other day (she's a nurse as well) and she mentioned the idea that neonatal nurses tend to have an elitist attitude more so than floor nurses. What do you think about this?
Considering I just began working as a NICU nurse I was not aware of this so called attitude or sense of betterment among NICU nurses. Do you think this is an accurate statement? If so why?
I have always gotten the sense that most non NICU nurses do not envy our chosen field. More often than not I find myself defending my choice to take care of little babies but I don't mind because its what I want to do.
I'm interested to hear what you all think about this statement...
I think that sometimes hearing "Oh, I could never do what you do" over and over again inflates the ego just a little (at least mine sometimes!). I always respond that the feeling is mutual though! I do think that working is NICU is special, and not everyone can do it, but I know that I could never work in an area like the ortho (where one of my best friends from NS works). I am thankful for those who can.
I was talking with a friend of mine the other day (she's a nurse as well) and she mentioned the idea that neonatal nurses tend to have an elitist attitude more so than floor nurses. What do you think about this?
Considering I just began working as a NICU nurse I was not aware of this so called attitude or sense of betterment among NICU nurses. Do you think this is an accurate statement? If so why?
I have always gotten the sense that most non NICU nurses do not envy our chosen field. More often than not I find myself defending my choice to take care of little babies but I don't mind because its what I want to do.
I'm interested to hear what you all think about this statement...
I've heard this before. I think what the floor nurses really mean is that we appear "elitist" because we have to be so particular in how we do things. We have special protocols, rules, smaller numbers to deal with, etc. so we tend to look at small details and appear "anal".
I have been very guilty of being overprotective. I see these kids as mine until they are discharged. Whenever somebody else comes in the unit and starts asking questions about this baby, or that baby, I try to say as nicely as possible, that the status of the baby is none of your business. I have been called out as being too harsh or aggresive, so the elitist persona can definately be out there.
That's fine to tell non-parents (I'm assuming) that they don't have the right to know about the babies...that's really the law now.
We get a lot of housekeepers looking very closely at the babies and making comments, usually good, but this makes me uncomfortable. I usually don't say anything...but they are probably just curious, but they appear nosey.
That's fine to tell non-parents (I'm assuming) that they don't have the right to know about the babies...that's really the law now.
We get a lot of housekeepers looking very closely at the babies and making comments, usually good, but this makes me uncomfortable. I usually don't say anything...but they are probably just curious, but they appear nosey.
I just smile and say as discretely as possible that I'm sorry, but I can't talk about the other babies to them (the inquirers).
It's a little harder w/the new fathers/grandmothers who come in from L&D w/the babies coming over for transition--it's just one room, so they tend to look curiously @ the incubators, etc. Then I usually ask them to please just look @ their own baby. I can do it in Spanish, too.
@ my old job, we would go to a delivery, dry the baby off, lift the baby and throw the wet linen on the floor--not cuz we were slobs, just to get rid of it fast, and proceed w/the resus.
Turns out, that used to just bug the heck out of the L&D nurses! oops, sorry
Us too!.... the L&D nurses just stood there, sighing, waiting to catch the vernix-smeared drapes as we threw them on the floor....can't blame 'em. There's nothing we care about less than making a mess when a kid's getting crash intubated in the warmer as Grandma's trying to get a few pictures in...
Us too!.... the L&D nurses just stood there, sighing, waiting to catch the vernix-smeared drapes as we threw them on the floor....can't blame 'em. There's nothing we care about less than making a mess when a kid's getting crash intubated in the warmer as Grandma's trying to get a few pictures in...
Oh yeah that's always great! Kid is white and dead and grandma is snapping pictures talking about how cute he is! He'd be cuter if he was breathin'
I get aggravated at that comment also after a while. I don't think we really think we are above floor nurses, but we are very picky and black and white about things. I know we do get aggravated with the floor nurses when we get a kid that obviously doesn't need to be with us ( we joke that the air in the hall way cures many things LOL) or we get a kid because frankly they don't want to deal with it (ie withdrawing kids on methadone) but our floors work well togther for the most part.
The other day we were getting a kid that was satting 50, according to the floor....I got the kid and guess what....his pulseox probe was stuck to the mattress, not him....I was a bit snarky when I told the nurses and the resident that maybe they should give the mattress blowby and learn to use their equipment. It was that kind of night! Junior was slunk back down the hall to Mommy.
preemieRNkate, RN
385 Posts
I think that sometimes hearing "Oh, I could never do what you do" over and over again inflates the ego just a little (at least mine sometimes!). I always respond that the feeling is mutual though! I do think that working is NICU is special, and not everyone can do it, but I know that I could never work in an area like the ortho (where one of my best friends from NS works). I am thankful for those who can.