ilstu99

Interview around. Take tours of the units. Meet some staff members. Get to know the managers a little. They'll be loving you, so you need to decide if you love them. Then go with your gut.

Medium. There are multiple providers on the floor during the day, and usually a couple on nights and weekends. They do all dressing and equipment changes PRN. It seems to work for us. If I need a culture or there's an issue, I just ask if they have a...

Either an NNP or an MD.

We don't use soap until they're > 1500g. Under 1500g, we use the soft gauze, and warm water (also the Enfamil stuff, left in the isolette). When they move to soap baths, we use an Aveeno baby bath.

We were pretty slow at the end of August to the middle of September, but we've picked right back up. I swear, there must have been an IVF party somewhere about 6 months ago. We're packed to the gills with multiples.

It sounds like it's going well! That's awesome. Those itty bitties don't seem to know they're so tiny. They have a lot of 'tude! Let me tell you...the first time someone asked ME for an opinion, or for a hand...I was like..."ummmm.....pardon?" I prob...

So far - 26. My favorite resource RN had a transfer admit who was at 34. I don't want to even imagine!

We change at the bedside. Clean technique, plus mask. TPN/clear IVF tubing Q72. IL/insulin/aminosyn tubing Q24. RN's don't change anything other than the tubing on any central line. Any other changes - especially claves and hubs....are done by prov...

Are there less-popular, alternate locations for the NCLEX in your area? I drove a little farther, but it was worth it. Less traffic, cheaper hotel rooms, and less people to take the "good spots." If no....do you have your orientation schedule? Is it...

We don't use heparin in our unit. All lines not in use are flushed Q6. I think there's a thread very similar to this one a little farther down the page.

We use the Vigilon, too. I :redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe it. It reminds me of a burn dressing. Super easy to work with, can be cut to size quickly, and holds with just a little webril. The BEST part, is that when it's time for a change, it just sli...

"Normal" is relative. A normal term baby doesn't look anything like a "normal" 28-weeker. Some of the skills you will use will cross over, but much of it is exceptionally different: the terminology, the procedures, the population, the assessments, th...

No...no covering. The stump dries, and the access spots kind of shrivel around the lines. Nature's little Tegaderm. We don't even bridge, or tape the lines down. We put tape around the line, and suture that.

Ours is a closed unit with an open floor plan. No windows for "viewing." Parents are allowed 24/7, except during shift change. Parents can designate 2 "support persons," if they wish, who also can have access 24/7. All other visitors must be accompan...

No. Our volunteers don't do any patient care. The only babies that our techs are allowed to hold are in cribs, so generally the grower/feeder population. Even then, we still practice developmental care and cluster our hands-on interventions. The only...

That's how urban legends stay alive. Everyone knows someone who knew someone who saw someone that...fill in the blank. Usually, they sound like very reliable sources, and plausible stories. If you, personally, had known someone with that name, I'd c...

EW. :spam:

I think it's a pretty common practice. I've never heard of a hospital that doesn't utilize it by some title or another...."canceled"..."cost-contained"..."unpaid time off/unpaid leave"...whatever. My department rotates through the staff list, and al...

Always be on time! Show up well put-together (not looking like you just climbed out of bed). Don't participate in their gossip or politics (it can be tough sometimes, but it's not your place as a student). Two words: Breath mints. Don't sit....especi...

I found some of the same issues....being older, not working with other students, not "hanging out" with the cliques, etc. Over time, I found that if I put myself in a "visible spot," and just left myself open to conversation, people who were feeling ...

Gotcha. Are you allowed to ask for direction afterward? An assessment of some kind? Did your classmates have the same actor?

I don't know if this constitutes as "medical advice" and if it's allowed.... Air. Nothing but air. No lotions or more rubbing. Rinse him off with warm water and let him air dry on some towels on the floor, crib, whatever. If you want to put something...

The reason why I asked is that the "boards" I'm familiar with over here on the opposite coast are a written test, and that's all. Is this something in your school? Is there any type of critique offered to improve your performance? Any instructor you...

I agree with everyone else. Most people have their "thing," and they either learn to cope with it or avoid it. I hate the smell of an ileostomy, and I dislike mucus. I mean....even the word mucus grosses me out. :barf01:I work with a nurse who's be...

As part of your boards? Where do you live? Your best bet is always going to be to contact your professional nurses governing body and seek their direction.