efuchs1

Is there anyone out there that has taken the NICU PBDS that can tell me how easy or difficult it is? The fact that I have to medically diagnose intimidates me a little. I'm assuming the test will have things such as hyperbili, PDA, hyperglycemia, etc... Anyone know?

I can't answer your first question but can kind of answer the second. I'm not sure which field you work in but I have 4 different friends that all worked in the NICU at that hospital. (They each worked there at different times). They all say fairly the same thing. It's a BUSY unit!! The pay is great but you leave the unit feeling exhausted and that made it hard to work extra shifts. They had a lot of 3:1 and 4:1 assignments but the babies would be on NCPAP or were high maintenance in other ways. They also all insist that the travelers had the crappy assignments, not surprising. I guess the nurse manager wasn't nice either. They all loved DC though!

I almost took a travel position in the Virgin Islands. Sounded great at first but there were a few drawbacks. 1. The licensure process was a pain. It was only $75 but required 2 Letters of Recommendation (on letterhead), fingerprinting, 2 passport photos, the $75 money order, and many other forms, ALL of which needed to be submitted together otherwise they would send it back. It also took 2 months to get. 2.The hospital sounded fine but in my specialty (NICU) they required floating to the newborn nursery, PEDS, PICU, and Labor and Delivery. I don't know the first thing about L&D! It sounds like a very small hospital and the nurses float almost everywhere. 3. The HR person I talked to was horrible to me on the phone. Very rude. VERY rude. 4. The hospital (not the agency) finds your housing thru a realty company and they can't guarantee that you'll be close to the hospital. When I asked about transportation, they said I could rent a car if I didn't want to buy one. When I was in the VI last time, my car rental cost $550/week. There's no way I could afford to rent a car for 13 weeks! Needless to say, I didn't take the job. I still wonder what it would have been like and kind of wish that despite all it's shortcomings, that I would have taken it.

Help Me! I'm an NICU travel nurse and am taking a position that requires taking the PBDS test on the first day. Is there anyone out there that has taken the NICU version that could give me an idea of what it's like? I'm assuming that Hyperbili, PDA, and things like that will be on it but I have NO IDEA what to expect! I'm confident in my nursing skills but I'd hate to move myself all the way to the new job and then fail the test. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!