rainbows4me

We had to take it twice last semester (once in the beginning, once at the end). It was a humbling and informative experience, since it was computer adaptive and said to mimic the NCLEX. First time I ever took a test where I had missed almost half t...

Congratulations on passing the boards! It takes a long time to become comfortable in NICU. Some people are more natural with organization and time management than others, and as a new grad, you're likely to have a few kinks to work out. Don't let...

Looking for some help here... Our unit uses bubble cpap. We have been struggling with ideas for chin straps on our babies who continually have their mouths gaping open, and thus stop bubbling and lose their pressure. We used to tie stockinette (the...

Great book! I have read this book, along with many other midwife/doula/homebirth books. And yes, I am a NICU nurse, and yes, I've had a midwife birth with a free standing birthing center, and yes, I totally support homebirth with low risk mothers a...

Now let's be fair. You honestly think that bad things don't happen in hospitals? That a bad birth at home would have been a great birth in the hospital?? I hate it when people assume that a failed/bad homebirth would have been a better outcome in ...

To be honest - I'm glad I'm done having babies! As a NICU nurse, the blissful ignorance is gone - I have seen the bad outcomes of birth. Bad outcomes of hospital births and bad outcomes of home births. And if you look at the research, you have a h...

Which is an easier moral to follow if you aren't risking losing your job for calling out. Not as simple as worrying about your paycheck, it's worrying about your career, your evaluations, not to mention being able to care for your own family (don't ...

Our unit has had a string of sad babes lately who have had huge in-utero assaults with complete neuro hits. I'm curious how other units deal this these kiddos - the ones who have flat eegs, blown pupils, documented extensive PVL/ liquification of bra...

We do "5 channel studies" which along with the regular HR/RR/sat also monitor esophageal pH. Never saw so many kids diagnosed with reflux as those on our unit... wonder how many kids off the street would test positive for reflux if you gave them al...

Seems like it's usually a 2-3 or a 8-10... Not usually in middle! And our whole unit seems to be that way as well - either we go a whole shift with no admission or we're getting 3 admissions, crashing kids, and calls for immediate transport! I actua...

A year and a half. Love the work I do, don't always love the politics of such a seasoned unit. Like yours, ours has many 25+ year veterans, many of whom started in our unit as new grads!

I have to agree, that while it's not my first choice, i've done it many times. Last night, in fact, I was forced to as well! When your hands are dirty and you see a brady to the 50s, sat in the 60s and flat line in the resp monitor, you do what you...

Our unit uses "technical associates", which are often CNAs. They do heelstick blood draws, Algos, car seat tests, and help with feedings, baths, weights, vitals, stocking, etc. We are a 50+ bed level 3 and utilize 2-4 per shift.

seven days here as well...

We use 23 weeks and 400 grams as a cut off. Our outcomes with 23 weekers (23 and change) have not all been bad, but certainly the majority of them do not survive without major problems along the way, if they survive at all. We did recently have a ...

EXACTLY! Sure, you can say dilute it, but when you're dealing with a micropremie - doesn't take much for the c/k/d to through the roof! I find it happening all of the time with Fentanyl - I'm giving 0.13cc - you want me to put that in a 5cc syringe...

Our dopa/dobuta is mixed together (same syringe) in a dosage based on the kilos of the baby in either single or double strength. I think it's similar to what Gomper's described. We then have a chart that has to be posted at the bedside with the mic...

We don't use any pre-fab wrap pieces - we just use Coban - and a fresh piece whenever it get's old looking.

We rotate our pulse ox probes Q3 or Q4 and I have never noticed any smell associated with our sites or probes. Perhaps it's the eight hours?? Rainbows

You express my own feelings/thoughts/sadness/upset of this week. I hope you find some peace and comfort. Big hug for you.... Rainbows

But my internal belief says that euthenasia involves "acting on" in order to provide death... Is stopping futile medical care euthenasia? Or is it allowing death to occur? We act on and on and on to lengthen the death process - in many many times to ...

We use 1/2NS - and never any heparine - at 1cc/hour unless it's a wee bitty micro and then sometimes 1/2cc/hour. Now any of our UV lines always have heparine, but never the UA. Rainbows

All of our blood products come prefiltered - we use the regular sized (not micro) extension tubing and never use a separate filter. Interesting... Rainbows

We change our NG/OG tubes Q48, but I have heard from some of the other level IV units we transport to (we're a large level III) that they actually insert only for the feed and then remove. They are doing this based on a reported correlation with lon...