jpeters84

As a RN in a San Francisco Level IV NICU I will tell you the only way to get a new grad job in the NICU is to leave the state. That is what all of our CNA's and nurse aides have to do. That is what I did and I was able to come back after three year...

I've been a NICU RN for almost four years and in this last year I've been in a very high aquity level IIIc NICU so having a baby die is nothing new to me. My unit seems to lose about one a week sometimes multiple babies in a day. Sad as it may be I...

About a year ago I moved from a large level IIIb NICU where developmental care/NIDCAP was a huge priority to a medium sized NICU level IIIC in a large academic hospital where developmental care has not been implemented. I was never one of the huge de...

What does your NICU do to build a good developmental nest with the phototherapy blankets? We have found that the blankets are so stiff, particularly at the bottom with the cord coming out that it has been hard to find a satisfying way to securely ne...

Sucrose and the thing that works for practically every kid is something I call gentle bouncing. Swaddle, put them up on your shoulder and gently move up and down and around. Talk to them in a quiet, soothing voice. Sometimes though there are just ...

We got blank baby t-shirts and decorated them with Christmas puffy paints and silling sayings related to Christmas and had parents decorate them with puffy paints.

We just don't see it anymore. Only in a few of our ex-micros who had a really rough respiratory course. If you're seeing a lot of it you guys might want to look at your numbers as far as the average # of days your kiddos are on ventilators. After ...

There's no easy answer here. Different managers and different units are going to have different philosophies. Some will take you right away, some will want you to get more acute care experience than a couple of months, some will have training prog...

Sometimes swap for a larger tube, sometimes put them on the Jet because some Neo's believe this helps, sometimes just except it and work hard on positioning. Depends on how big a leak, how well we're able to ventilate the kid despite the leak, and h...

I hear great things about UCSD and you can't beat UC benefits! If you're so concerned about the reputation of one hospital why not look elsewhere? UCSD has opennings quite frequently thoughout the year it seems. I also hear good things about Sharp...

You ask a very loaded question. Before going into what you could know about the NICU I think it is important for you to first make sure that they have taken new grads before in this particular NICU and that it is a very supportive new grad training ...

ABO Incompatability is one keep searching on allnurses. An old post literally lists like all the possibilities. But the only thing that I could think missing from your list is ABO incompatibility.

Honestly sometime between 1.5-2 years. You stop having weird dreams 7-12 months in, the major anxiety goes away by one year but I didn't really hit my stride and become confident until 1.5-2 years. It does go very fast though. Don't be in too much...

We've had a couple parents threaten and our charge RN let me know that the police would arrest the parents the minute they left the hospital and the child would be brought back immediately to the NICU. The arrest is for child endangerment/neglect an...

A couple of things...It's always good to look to the future and think about long-term goals. But at times it can be, let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Becoming a neonatal nurse practitioner is not as simple as going to nursing school, getting ...

I moved out of state to get a job as a new grad in a specialty that I love. For the most part, I really like the hospital that I currently work at and I am so grateful for the experience and all the training. I am coming up on my two year mark and ...

Med-surg/tele is a really hard way to start your career, no doubt. Almost everyone that starts on a med/surg floor wants to go to a specialty floor as soon as possible. But two months? You need a little more sticktoitness than that. The first year...

It's interesting that new grads go into orientation thinking they can't be fired. I knew during my orientation that the easiest (in legal terms) time for a hospital to get rid of you is during orientation. The first three months of employment in mo...

Kayla- I'm from the bay area but moved out of state for the same exact reason. I am now in Idaho finishing up my two years and getting ready to head back to the Bay Area as an NICU RN with level III experience. Much easier to get a job with those t...

As a NICU RN and a foster mom to a Bilateral Grade IV and PVL baby let me tell you that sometimes they surprise you. I was told I was taking this baby home where she would most likely die and five months later she is a crawling, cooing, smiling ball...

It really comes down to personal preference. I much prefer the Core Curriculum for Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing. It's expensive but it's likely what you'll use for review for you're certification (when you're ready) and I found it much more user...

I have been one of the lucky new nurses who got my dream job soon after I graduated nursing school. I absolutely love where I work and what I do. I love the people that I work with. I work in an incredibly supportive environment and have some co-w...

I have been looking to see if there is anything proactive that can be done to help prevent NEC. I recently completed the NICU University presentation on probiotics and felt really compelled by the research results. I have also found some compelling...

Home health not for new grad nurses? Since when??? I did it for my first couple of months and was surprised by how much I liked it. Some hospitals even said that I was no longer considered a new grad because I had RN experience. Most hospitals re...

Seriously a little concerned you couldn't just google this information for yourself. But for the state of IL you need 20 CEU credits for every TWO years of licensing. The first renewal this is waived. So you're fine. Chill out and work on your go...