NICUgirl77

I know it is hard to hear but really ever baby is different. Especially when they are that small they can be doing great one day and then get sick really fast. They are really prone to infection and just very fragile! Things can change fast so we are always keeping a really close eye on these little guys. I have seen both ends of the spectrum where babies that small dont make it or have multiple chronic problems- then there are others than turn out perfectly fine and a few years later you would never know they came out 3 months early! I hope your nephew is one of the lucky ones!

We have a music therapy team that comes to the bedsides of appropriate infant. they attach ipods to their bedsides with lullabys etc. they also have a guitar and occasionally sing to the babies. Some of the older chronic kids love it!

Congrats! You will do great- it will take a while to get comfertable but orientation is very extensive and people are always willing to answer questions and help out once you are off. good luck!

I agree with you and think that having 2 orientee's is not good for you or the new nurses! The new hires won't get as much of a chance at hands on experience and you wil probably get burned out. Our unit staggers when they start all the new grads so there are enough preceptors. Another concern is when they all get off orientation at the same time your unit will be filled with brand new unexperienced nurses! good luck at getting this changed.

I ordered my steth from allheart.com and didnt have any issues with shipping- think I got it within a few weeks, but it wasnt personalized. I think if you give yourself enough time I wouldnt worry about it.

Applied once for a BSN program and got in...thank God:) GPA was 3.5 Applied once for MSN and got it...GPA 3.6 It also helps a lot to have some sort of experience and volunteer work in the health care field.

We have great ratios in the NICU i work in. I have never had more than 3 babies and will often have only 1 if they are really critical. We also always have a "resource" nurse who doens't have a patient assignment and just helps out around unit. If we get too busy he/she will take on an assignment.

Does depend on the age of the baby...for ELBW babies we do not use any alcohol- use betadine for any invasive procedures followed by sterile water. but for term babies we just use alcohol for PIV's and chlorhexidine/betadine for PICC's/midlines.

You will need a good stethescope for clinicals but as for all the other stuff (scissors etc.) it is usually supplied on the unit you will be on. Pocket references are also nice for common diseases/drugs etc. I also found it helpful to carry notecards with me to wirte down stuff I didn't want to forget!

You probably dont need to apply this early, but I would try to get your application in and hopefully get an interview before another new batch of nurses graduates. Also, we have a handful of nurses in our NICU who worked in adults prior to coming to the NICU- it shouldn't hurt your chances. and since you did your preceptorship in the NICU the managers will know that you have an idea of what you are getting into. good luck!

I am a day shifter now but worked nights for about a year...night specific duties were getting weights, giving baths, changing beds, getting AM labs and chest x-rays. If a baby is going to surgery in the morning the night nurse will get everything ready. As far as admissions and charting they are about the same as on days- people don't stop having babies at night so there are probably just about as many admissions on night shift as on days! The major differences of nights is that you almost never have tests/procedures/surgery done. There are exceptions to that in an emergency situation but for the most part those things are done during the day. Hope this helps a little.

hmm there are too many to count...I think my all time favorite was Aloveli Myracle:wink2:

I agree...you did nothing wrong. Babies lose their IV's all the time, it was well worth it to give that mother time with her baby, especially since he has already been there so long!

I do not even bring my own stethoscope to work as our NICU provides one for each bedside. Plus you would need to clean your's off between listening to each patient every time to prevent transfer of bacteria.

You're welcome. Good luck with your nursing career!