Private Rooms for NICU?

helicoptergal, BSN, RN · Apr 24, 2009

Hello I am to a new grad and just finished orientation. I work in a level 3-b NICU. We have 6 rooms with 6 pts in them that are our ICU pts, than we have 2 rooms with 8 pts that is an intermediate care area, and 10 private "rooming in rooms" for the feeders and growers. An area where the parents can participate in all the care and learn discharge teaching. I get assigned to either the IMC or feeder and grower area a lot. It can be insane with time management, as it seems as soon as I get involved in 1 room the other baby in the other room will have an apnea bradycardia spell, IV pump will alarm, etc. We are lucky to have a lot of help with 2 charge rn, 2 crisis rn who assist in breaks and IV starts, and always seem to be right there when something is needed. I have invested in some really supportive shoes and yes wear supportive stockings(my husband makes fun of me.) LOL. Good Luck!!

BoonersmomRN · Apr 24, 2009

We have semi private rooms. 2 patients to a room but there are often occasions when there is only 1 baby in a room. The rooms are all layed out in a big semi circle. If I am in the room alone and something happens to my baby all I have to do is take action and yell out for help...we can all hear one another. The rooms do not have doors - only curtains. We can monitor our other babies if we are assigned multiple rooms via monitor and we ALL answer one another's alarms.

mac23 · Apr 24, 2009

I'm a big fan of all private rooms. If your unit is staffed correctly there should be a free floating charge nurse and a delivery nurse that can float around to help. We also have central monitoring plus our secretary has a monitor at her desk. We also have a locator system and we use the vocera system. We also have it to where if any baby is alarming it will show up on each monitor so that everyone can see that alarm until it is answered.

If a baby is extremely sick or has alot of apnea, brady spells our nurses are good at telling each ohter so we can all listen out. An extremely sick baby is usually a 1:1 and also everyone is aware that the baby is really sick.

Private rooms have some drawbacks but overall I love them. Esp. for the ones that are very sensitive to overstimulation.

ittybabyRN, RN · Apr 27, 2009

I was doing a little research on them and it definitely seems like the way to go as far as the baby's health...I guess like everything else it's going to seem extremely overwhelming at first, at least as an advantage i'm starting out this way and not having to transition into it,

Thanks for the input!

ittybabyRN, RN · May 7, 2009

I have another quick question for those who do have private rooms...do you ever feel really isolated from your co-workers? Or just get lonely? I mentioned private rooms to one of my preceptors today (last day of clinical ever! yay!) and she said she thought she would get really lonely and isolated in that type of environment(she floats frequently to the NICU so knows what the "open" nicu is like)

helicoptergal, BSN, RN · May 7, 2009

I honestly don't ever feel lonely in the private rooms. Usually the parents room in and usually time is spent with gaining a rapport, teaching, and bathing, etc. And if there is no parents rooming in I usually just talk and spend time with the baby. In the NICU I work in the infants that are assigned to private rooms are close to discharge. Also the staff is friendly and we all try to help eachother with tasks. Take care!

mac23 · May 7, 2009

You still have contact with your coworkers at the area where the nurses station is so no I never felt isolated.