palesarah

palesarah

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All Content by palesarah

  1. Maine NICU jobs?

    a little late to the party, but... MMC's is a 51-bed, single room model with the exception of the "transitional nursery." The NICU consists of 3 pods- 2 with 10 private rooms each, one with 8 private...
  2. Tips for a neat bed?

    double post,
  3. Tips for a neat bed?

    Funny how something so simple has so many solutions. What we typically do: one blanket to completely cover the isolette mattress like a sheet, edges folded under. Second blanket, slightly smaller,...
  4. Thanks for asking because I couldn't figure it out, either, but figured I must just be tired and brain dead too and didn't want to
  5. Halloween in the NICU

    The Build-a-Bear outfits are perfect for those 3-5 pounders! Last year one of the babies' parents bought a Superman outfit, complete with built-in muscles, it was adorable. Another baby got all...
  6. My Poor Hands have been Washed Raw

    I don't know about lotions that are compatible with latex gloves (or even why your hospital still has latex gloves at all!) But I've gotten half the nurses on mu unit hooked on Goldbond Ultimate...
  7. Strengths and weaknesses

    I work in a 24-bed Level 3 with a separate 11-bed Level 2. We do pretty much everything short of organ transplants and ECMO, but cardiac surgeries (besides PDA ligations) go elsewhere in the hospital...
  8. Family visits

    I've been working on nipping the "family rumor" mill in the bud. If a family primarily makes contact on night shift, I tell the dayshift so as part of report: mom and dad live an hour away, both are...
  9. I don't know what the job situation is in your area. In some places, staright day shift positions are available in all units- in others, they're not. If it comes down to it, you may have to take a...
  10. Getting sick when your a NICU nurse?

    When it's a case of "maybe I have a cold, maybe it's allergies, my nose is a little stuffy but not runny if I take Dayquil" kind of thing, most people on my unit will just work through it. Mask on at...
  11. Communication with Parents

    :yeahthat: We expect parents to call or visit daily. If there are extenuating circumstances- parents live far away or don't have a phone- special arrangements are made. But we see or hear from the...
  12. Need some ideas RE: external NICU appearance

    the entrance to our NICU isn't anything special. Only decorations I'm aware of are the green, pink and blue baby footprints (painted with some kind of stamp) that lead to NICU, L&D and...
  13. Is an LNA the same as an LPN???

    I'm not the OP but we have LNAs in NH. They have license numbers, continuing education and active practice
  14. shift question

    Maybe, just maybe, if I stick it out another 25 years, I might get to permanent day shift. There are nurses in my NICU who have been there 20+ years and still have to pick up occasional night shifts....
  15. I was under the impression after my last communication with my DON that I will at least have a designated resource nurse for awhile, and they specifically want me to start back on days (I'm a rotator)...
  16. I've been out on medical LOA due to my seizure disorder since late January. I had only been working in my NICU for about 10 months when I had to take this almost 6-month-long LOA. I've probably...
  17. Is anyone familiar with Subutex?

    Subutex was just starting to be used instead of methadone in the area my NICU serves when I had to go out on medical leave, so I'm not super familiar. Despite what the doctors seemed to be promising...
  18. Is X-Ray Exposure ok?

    eek. The X-ray techs MAKE us wear the apron if we're assisting, and either set up a shield or place themselves between the machine and the next incubator. They also make sure everyone else- parents,...
  19. I didn't call out once and I should have. The story: I work 50/50 days & nights. We self-schedule and I was scheduling myself all over the place, to get long stretches of days off. I had worked...
  20. Problem getting a job in hospital as a new grad?

    If moving is not an option, what about commuting? Not sure where in Maine she lives but if commuting to NH or Mass is an option, she should check it
  21. Problem getting a job in hospital as a new grad?

    I live in NH/work in Maine and have heard from several of my coworkers who graduated in the past few years, how tight the job market is for new grad RNs in Maine. Too many new grads and not enough...
  22. Would you stand up for a Doctor?

    I'd get up and give my seat to anyone who needed it more than me, whether that's a fellow nurse, a tech, an NP or an MD. If I need to be sitting wherever I'm sitting though, I'm not going to give up...
  23. Babies overnighting in moms room

    Why don't you get involved with this committee? You obviously have a lot to offer them. It IS in the best interest of both mom & baby (and the hospital!) for the babies to room in. You could...
  24. I'm in a pickle. A big, frustrating pickle. I've had a seizure disorder since I was a teenager and have been stable on medication for over a decade, although when I had a horrible spell of migraines...
  25. Art Sticks

    Nope, we don't do them either. None of our RNs do PICCs either. I'd like to learn both. Actually, I'll be happy when I can just go back to work- I've been on medical LOA for nearly 2 months now and...