Low Census

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Was just wondering how widespread low census is in the NICU. Here in Tallahassee, Fl, we have been slow for the last year, and really slow the last 6 months. Upper management has figured out that we have called off 6,000 hours in the last 6 months with no end in sight. Is this just a regional thing, or is it an ecomomy thing? We have noticed that we aren't getting the micros like we used to.. 34-35 wks is now what we are seeing. How's your unit?

Kathy

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Specializes in Level III NICU.

Not us! Busy, busy, busy for the past few months. Lots of high-order multiples, a few micros, quite a few MAS/PPHN kids. We also recently started admitting any baby born under 36 weeks. We used to send babies that were over 35+1 (and otherwise healthy) to the NBN.

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Specializes in NICU.

We're up and down up and down but in general this year we are down.

Lot's of late pre-term babies. Darn elective c-sections.

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Specializes in L/D 4 yrs & Level 3 NICU 22 yrs.

We have been waaaay down the past 3 mos. We are at 50-60% capacity and the "oldtimers" haven't seen it this low in 15-20 years! We do expect it to turn around soon, though!

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Our 22 bed unit has been filled to capacity off & on for the past few months-having to close at times (which management hates to do), so it looks like everyone's having their babies in San Francisco

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We were extra slow from Feb-June. We have been busier lately, but not the type of busy we used to be a couple of years ago. We used to be at full capacity much of the time, our new 'busy' is about 3/4 full.

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Specializes in Cardiac, NICU, ED.

Our NICU is usually staffed for 8 babies. We have been having anywhere from 14 to 21 for the last two months at least. The overtime has been getting excessive. Where we used to have a few methadone babies a year, we have been having 5 at a time. So definitely no low census in my neck of the woods.

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Specializes in NICU.

We have been generally bursting at the seams for awhile now, with slow being 3/4 full in all of our neonatal units. Can we send you some babies?

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Specializes in NICU - 112 bed NICU.

We are kind of slow right now with 105, this time last year we had 138, way too many!! But in reality 105 or so is just perfect. I think the economy is not affecting our population, there are lots of folks still having babies; however, what the economy is affecting is there is more NPC even though there are clinics.

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Specializes in NICU.

At my new unit we are up and down. At my old unit i am told that they are super slow.

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Specializes in NICU.

we've had some unusual back and forths with our census too...usually we are just low in the late summer (we have a capacity of 82...in the summer, we are in the low 50s sometimes)...but when h1n1 hit, we seemed to be low while the rest of the children's hospital was busting at the seams...we've kinda stayed on the low end for a little while...hoping it'll pick up soon!!!

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Specializes in NICU.

So where do you live? We are in central California. Our census has been down since about last September. Staff are called off way too much, it's hard when you lose a day or two every paycheck. We have 8-10 staff available for every shift, and are using 5-6, sometimes less.

We have been told that this is a national trend. Mothers are getting prenatal care and the babies are healthier, so less babies are being admitted to the NICU. Reading this thread, it seems that some places are still busy, so where are you located?

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