nursing assistants mixing breastmilk

Specialties NICU

Published

Specializes in NBN, NICU.

Just wondering if any other nicus are having thir uacs mix the breastmilk? If so in your unit, have there been any problems with this practice??

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

Heck no. We have to scan it 3 times per policy. When placed in the freezer, thawed and administered. NO WAY would we ever let a UA do that.

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Specializes in NICU Level III.

the first unit i worked in, the techs mixed all formula, ebm and all.

where i am now, no one mixes anything on the unit...we have an enteral center.

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We don't have techs in our unit since it's normally 1:1-3 patients in our level 3 nursery. What kinds of tasks do they normally perform?

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Specializes in NICU.

No that is strictly an RN's role for our unit. Even when I was a nursing student-tech I didn't work with bm.

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Specializes in NBN, NICU.

UA's usually stock the unit, set up beds for admissions, may do VS and /or feed a stable level 2 baby. We also have to check all of our milk with another RN so I'm just curious what everyone else does in their unit and what they think of this practice.

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Specializes in ICN.

We don't have patient techs in our unit and only nurses can mix the breast milk. Bottles of breast milk have to be double checked by another nurse, and when the feeding is recorded, the other nurse has to double sign on the nursing notes.

We mix in all the human milk fortifier, similac powder, and electrolytes ourselves at the milk counter.

Dawn

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Specializes in Neonatal nursing (paediatric trained).

We only have one healthcare assistant on our unit. EBM must always be checked with another nurse (our HCA or student nurses/midwives can also check) or the parent of that baby. When it's two nurses, we both must sign where the feed is recorded. For the most part, fortifier is all we put in EBM; and that is written up on the drug chart and signed by two nurses (the HCA can also do this but not students).

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Specializes in NICU - 112 bed NICU.

we have milk techs in our unit who mix the breast milk. That is all they do.

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Specializes in Neonatal nursing (paediatric trained).
we have milk techs in our unit who mix the breast milk. That is all they do.

Wow. An entire job just for doing EBM? Do you have your own EBM bank or something?

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Specializes in NICU - 112 bed NICU.
Wow. An entire job just for doing EBM? Do you have your own EBM bank or something?

No milk bank, just a 112 bed unit that runs anywhere from 95 - 138. We have 2 milk techs on every day just for EBM. And it usually takes them all day to do the unit.

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Specializes in Neonatal nursing (paediatric trained).

A lot bigger than my little ol' unit then. Makes more sense now. :wink2:

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