NICUlact8r

Amy, Does your ER have a pediatric specific area? If it does, try to get in on that. The more exp. you can get in pediatrics wll help. I think the most important thing overall is what kind of name you make for yourself. Be actively involved in some improvement project. Be nice to everyone, learn EVERYONE'S name, from the people who stock your unit to floor crews, maint. Ask people who they know that work in NICU. Get introduced if you can. Be the best nurse you can be where you are...and You can go ANYWHERE you want. Good Luck in your education and your efforts to be a NICU Nurse.

In our 60 bed, level III unit, Breast milk is treated like a med. Parents are given the labels, they date & time. Parents are instructed in protecting the barcode. If the milk is from a mom who has twins or more, the labels are stacked, with each bar code sticker flagged so you can scan. Scan pt to open the MAR. Then scan milk to match to pt. If you are fortifying: you also scan a "label for bottle" and every bottle of milk to mix, with acomment as to what the scan is for. The QI on Breastmilk scanning checks to make sure that the milk was scanned BEFORE the feeding time shown in the EMR. Because you should not be feeding before scanning/verification. Hope that helps.

As a "Former New Nurse" I will give you all my hindsight view... I desperately wanted to buy my first "new" car...After thoroughly thinking over my options, I decided it would be better to wait until after we got a house, then buy a really good used car. For the first 8 months after graduation, we lived like we still had only one income. No take out, clipping mad amounts of coupons, buying reduced anything we could find, and putting all but $40 of my check in a separate acct. We were approved for a house and moved in much sooner that I could have ever thought possible. Our dream house has 4 bdrms, 3 full baths, an office, a florida room, and an inground pool. We are in an excellent school district, and a short commute from both of our jobs. We were fortunate enough to not have debt(with 3 kids) when I graduated. We laughed we walked around our new neighborhood that we were the only family that had two "beat up" cars in the driveway. We were also able to obtain a 15 year mortgage, so after 5 years, we are more than 1/3 paid off :) I got a Toyota Avalon, with leather(heated:)) seats, about 6 months after moving into our new home. I think our decision to continue to live frugal, was one of the smartest choices we ever made. We continue to live within our means, despite the economy. While I think it is great to reward your hard work with something fun, I challenge you prioritize the things you want most, and how soon you want them. Good luck to you all as you transition into your new lives as Nurses!

Cuddlebuns makes two sizes, much better than wee pees.

NRP, STABLE would be safe bets. Also think self based education. Get a good neonatolgy book: Merestein or Kenner. I would definately, look at Well born nursery or Mother/Baby to get some related exp. Or even L&D, especially if they have high risk deliveries. Hope that helps.

"Z" I've seen several of your posts about looking for a NICU job as a new grad. I also saw were someone mentioned Roanoke, VA. I happen to work in that NICU and was hired in as a new grad. New grads are able come in at any time of the year. In fact we hire about 15 new grads per year. We are a level III, 60 bed - mixed acuity unit. Carilion offers relocation assistance, NCLEX reimbursement, and a great tuition assistance program, if you are interested in furthering your education. We offer a 12+ week orientation, plus we have a mentoring program for the first 2 years to help you as you transition to your new life as a professional. If you have any questions about Roanoke, or working for Carilion please do not hesitate to contact me. Best of luck to you in your search for the NICU thats right for you. Sondra

It's always important to know what your coworkers worst body fluid is...Hopefully as a team there is NOTHING you can't handle. :icon_hug: