LaNICUnurse

Giraffe beds are wonderful. Our unit is supposed to buy 8 more. We love them. I agree with all the other NICU nurses. I would never do anything else. I love my job.

Hello Everyone, I know that this has been a thread before, but we haven't had a program for it. I want to get a volunteer program started in our NICU. Any input from NICU's that are already using volunteers would be appreciated. What criteria do you have to use them? What are they allowed to do? How do you train them? Any problems you have run into? Please contact me.

How many do you have trained to work in the units? How many work at one time? Or, do you have any limits?

Hey Everybody, I'm trying to find out how many NICU's are using volunteers. What are they allowed to do? What kinds of rules, and regs do you have? What kind of background checks do you do? Thanks in Advance for you help.

OUCH!!!

I'm sure it was very difficult for the family. I am glad they were able to look past their loss, and do what was right for their child.

I already e-mailed the link to 2 other nurses, and intend to talk to our surgeons about it the next time I see them. LOL, they won't hear the end of it from me till we're doing it and putting our babies on the registry for tracking.

Thank you Gompers, I watched this and it explains, and shows the operation very well. I was glued till it finished. It gives me hope that it will work and sounds like it has been working for the ones who have already received the procedure. It is AMAZING!!!

Yep, larger teaching hospital to learn then smaller to stay. Also, staffing is usually more of a problem at a larger hospital. So, you can choose your hours, and work more as you feel able. I went from a teaching hospital to a community hosp, the units are about the same size, but the staff attitudes and atmosphere is better at the community hospital. Also, being able to follow babies from beginning to end is rewarding.

In our unit, 40 bed, most of the staff has been there for more than 10 years, alot of them for 20-30. We just had an RT who retired after 47 years. They go from relief, to full time, to part time according to what is going on in their lives. They also change roles in the hospital, we have some who have been staff, directors, and charge nurses, they change from one to the other and there are some adjustment on everyones parts, but we live through it. They are always welcomed back and it is like a family, not everyone gets along perfectly all the time, but like I said its like a family. Changing to days is probably the best action. I did it after ten years and it changed my thinking on NICU. Taking a break gives you a different perspective. And, you can always go back to it, and even not totally leave it.

Thanks for the info.

You are right, however, I meet a lot of adult nurses that wouldn't step foot in my unit to work. Just like I won't step foot on an adult floor. I went to school so that I could do what I am doing, it was my goal, not the money. And, you consider yourself adequately compensated? I am single, support myself and my finances are an issue also. But, I think you should love what you do, if I didn't I wouldn't be in NICU. There are plenty of nurses that come through who don't like NICU either. Also, there are plenty of jobs that pay much more.

I never said we were. Sheesh.

And where she is allowed to work, and the money in her wallet....sheesh. Yes, it is less than an RN when you can not work in the same places I do, and when you can not do the same things I do. You can not automatically come out of your program and do IVs, work in ICUs, those are the things I wanted to do when I came out of school. You do get more grunt work. Yes, most of your chores are the same. But, the RN license is responsible for the LPN, or LVN. That is law. Yes, you also have the responsibility, but when it comes down to my license, your action can affect mine. If you are not good at what you do, and I don't catch that, I can loose mine, because I am supposed to delegate to you. You do not delegate to RNs and if you do, that RN is not doing her job.

I don't know much about it. Our surgeons are putting it out as a hope for our parents. I think it relates to the pull through method for Hirschprungs. We do a lot of those, and they work. If the lengthening works half as well, I can't wait till we see it as a real option.

Like I said, there is no amount of compensation for all that we do miss out on. You have to have a love for it.

Licensed Vocational Nurse, or Licensed Practical Nurse. It is a vocational certificate that allows for less than one year of practical experience to work as a nurse. You have less responsibility, and more work.

That is because everyone has their own beliefs about these subjects, and they are DEEPLY personal. They should be respected. And, noone should be made to fee they are hypocritical because they don't feel they should share this information.

I graduated and was making $12.15 an hour. I never asked while I was in school how much I was going to make. It wasn't my goal for graduating. My goal was to take care of my babies. Yes it was in 1991, but it still wasn't good pay. I make more than double now. I was totally happy with my income. I still am. I would do my job if I was still making that. THIS IS THE POINT!!!! I don't believe that those looking for the income are totally heartless, but the reality is that nothing pays us for what we do, it has to be in your heart. If it is not you will eventually decide that nursing is a ridiculous way to earn a living. YOU will not be out here 10-20-30 years later telling your funny stories about your nursing career. The ones who have it in their heart are the ones who should be taking the spots in nursing school. Instead it is getting clogged with people who think we make easy money. And, making it difficult to impossible for those with a calling to get in, and to graduate. Off my soap box.

Always listen to the veterans. Don't act like you know, especially if you don't. Everyday you'll learn something new, even after years in NICU. I have also found that the NICU forum is pretty acurate, and a good source for people to learn from. If you stop learning, get out, you should always learn something new. Don't give up, give it at least two years before you go somewhere else. And, it takes years to feel like you know what you're doing, and then sometimes you feel like you don't.

I think that is why so many of us don't want to say how much we make. I personally feel that you are called to this work. Money is important, but not why you should want to do this work. If you're in it for the money, you'll burn out.

Dorsiflexion, definitely. After going to see a doctor. I found that stretching before trying to walk in the morning, and a good pair of shoes did the trick. I would replace my shoes every 3 months, too. Its been gone for years now.

I appreciate the long windedness. You state my feelings exactly. If I, also, saw just one live long enough to recieve the transplant, I might feel differently. But all of the one's I have ever seen in my 14 years of nursing in NICU, have died horrible, long deaths. Never able to stay out of the hospital, and ending up getting pneumonia, or some other infection. I feel like we do these parents an injustice by not telling them exactly how long and hard their baby's life is going to end up being. I feel that if they knew, they would allow us to let them go when they are so sick that it would be a relief to their small bodies. We do have surgeons that are trying the lengthening. But, until I see some outcomes, I'll reserve judgement.

That's me also. I think they need to go home to have their last days be as normal as possible.

These are some amazing stories, I think the most I've seen is 3. And, 2 true knots. What is a bandolier?