NICU Travelers

malenurse122879, MSN, RN · Nov 2, 2010

Trying to find a contract right now myself... I'd love to hear from anyone else too?

vagabonder1 · Nov 14, 2010

I'm a NICU nurse... I guess the best way to ensure you will get a job is to be experienced in the level 3/4 setting. I think one of the biggest problems with NICU is all the levels... I primarily travel in the NE and have no 'bad' experiences with any hospital, but there are different ways hospitals do things and it's frusturating. I came from a NICU that had VERY low NEC rates - my 1st assignment was to a hospital with VERY high NEC rates (but within the national average)... I almost didn't stay! The Dr's at this facility were not open to new opinions and did things their way no matter what. It's annoying and disheartening knowing it was avoidable!

Some places you'll travel to won't let you have the 'tough' cases or sickest babies... the mentality is you were brought in to help - which may be in grower feeders. Other hospitals may just throw you into the sickest assignments to give their own staff a break... that's hit or miss. On a 13wk assignment I can say after the staff gets to know me and my skill level I've always had the sick assignments - which is what I prefer.

The biggest hurdle for me (since I came from a top notch medical facility with awesome NICU medicine) was getting over the way hospitals opinions differ and having not much of a say. One NICU I was in the head Dr. would walk around and just do things because he wanted to... and I mean weird things... nothing evidence based. Stuff like taking a 26weeker OFF the vent, sitting them up, and doing chest/back PT.... just because he thinks it's going to help. (doing this almost every other hour).

To capitalize I think your talking $. I travel and take the housing allowance then find my own housing. I always can find something cheaper than the allowance... or I travel close enough to home. I'll work my days in a row and just stay in a hotel overnight.

Hope I answered some questions... I can PM you some agencies that seem to have NICU all the time.

NICU-RN · Nov 14, 2010

I appreciate your responses. Vagabonder1, thanks for all the detailed info. Please feel free to PM those agencies. I am still debating on if I want to start in January. I bet working with those doctors was very difficult. I have done local traveling so I am used to some of the "treatment" they give travelers. I actually don't mind having feeders and growers all the time but it can get old, lol. Let me know some of the facilities you worked at and if you liked it or not.

Was it hard to find your own housing in areas you aren't familiar with? I would need housing but I wanted to know how to capitalize in all areas. Thanks.