essT

essT

NICU

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All Content by essT

  1. NNP Outlook

    essT replied to guest769224's topic in Nurse Practitioners, NP

    What a great topic! I currently work in a level III (30-50 babies, 23 weeks and up, gut surgery only, no cooling, no ECMO) that grows its own” NNPs. They have been urging me to pursue NNP since...

  2. extubating

    essT replied to MNNICU, RN's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We also have a form to fill out after an unplanned extubation (and other events). The reaction depends on the practitioner, but it's usually an "it happens sometimes" response. Once the kid is...

  3. Spanish for NICU nurses

    essT replied to Becca.B.'s topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Premature Babies: MedlinePlus That link has many basic info sheets available in both English and Spanish. I don't know what your level of fluency is, but if you're able to read some, they might be a...

  4. Giving PO Medications

    essT replied to Soliloquy's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    As with anything, check your policy. As for me... If they're little and just bottle feeding for practice and fun, I put meds down their tube so they don't have to taste them. When they're a bit...

  5. Help finding my dream job

    essT replied to dreamingofnicu's topic in General Nursing

    A lot of level III and level IV units will hire new grads. A common belief is that it's easier to teach someone from scratch than re-train someone used to adults. I'd suggest looking into some of...

  6. Sedation choices for vented babies

    essT replied to wensday's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Simply being on the vent isn't an indication for sedation in our unit. If a baby is showing signs of pain not controlled by boundaries/positioning/non-pharma measures, or if the gases are really bad,...

  7. RNC NICU CERT

    essT replied to MNNICU, RN's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Hey there! I have not taken the test (though I plan to when I get my two years in November), so I can't answer your questions directly. However, there are a ton of threads about this topic already....

  8. Residual Checks/Abd Girth

    essT replied to ScammRNC's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Our policy is to check girths q8hr until the babies go to bolus feedings (at 1200-ish grams). Residuals are checked after every gavage feed and are reported to the team if it is over 50% of the...

  9. How long is your commute?

    essT replied to the nurse who lived's topic in General Nursing

    10-15 minutes depending on if schools are in session. BUT, I did relocate about 3,000 miles for the job, if that

  10. ELBW Supine+Midline for ____ days

    essT replied to Justin-RN's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Thank you! I'm still new to NICU, and work on a unit where no one practices keeping midline and many haven't heard of it. ("Just put him prone" is the answer to any problem.) Relying on you all for...

  11. ELBW Supine+Midline for ____ days

    essT replied to Justin-RN's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    So do parents not hold their babies until they are past the cutoff for midline

  12. ELBW Supine+Midline for ____ days

    essT replied to Justin-RN's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    I'm starting some work on IVH prevention protocols in my unit. Something I haven't seen addressed yet is how (or if) to do skin-to-skin with these babies and maintain midline positioning. Does...

  13. Death bed visions

    essT replied to legend0710's topic in General Nursing

    Premies walk the line between life and death more delicately than any adult patient I've cared for. They can have a "spell" (i.e. a severe desat, bradycardia or even code) and then be back with...

  14. So...What Kind of Nursing Task Do You LIKE?

    essT replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in General Nursing

    Giving a baby a swaddle bath and putting them in fresh jammies. Drawing labs off umbilical lines. Skin to skin care, especially if the parent has waited days or weeks to hold their baby. To watch a...

  15. NICU TRAVELER

    essT replied to nicurn2012's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    My level III doesn't routinely use travelers. When we do, they mostly stay in our intermediate nursery rather than the NICU side. They basically get feeder/growers, with maybe an occasional IV or...

  16. ETT Tube feedback- Looking for input!

    essT replied to jonathonm's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We use tape (over a layer of Duoderm for protection). We see quite a bit of skin breakdown on the tiny ones but have no other options available at this

  17. Medication barcode scanning

    essT replied to E_slick74's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We also use something similar to the posey band. For med administration we scan a duplicate of the patient armband that is taped to the foot of the isolette in order to minimize stimulation to baby....

  18. types of patients

    essT replied to kelseykelsey4's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    SteveNNP I'm jealous! I look forward to being somewhere with a little more variety and acuity someday. I'm in a level III with up to 50 babies. We're the largest NICU in the area and accept babies...

  19. New nicu nurse in need of advice!

    essT replied to Kcv19's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Welcome to the dark side of night shift nursing. :) I've worked in a couple units and nights has always seemed more laid back and willing to work with newer nurses. That said, of course there will...

  20. how long did it take you to end up in the NICU?

    essT replied to tinybbynurse's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    I worked for two years in adult critical care before making the transition by applying for an intrahospital transfer. Keep up that networking! I wouldn't hesitate even if it's a more distant...

  21. Anyone attended Samuel Merritt and not get a job right away

    essT replied to Kellijoseph's topic in General Nursing

    I graduated in November 2012 and was working in NC by mid-February. Many of my classmates looked for a long time and some are still seeking their first hospital positions. I don't have statistics,...

  22. Changing Nappy- How often?

    essT replied to tinkerbell419's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Excellent question. Every now and then you just don't. It sucks. If you have four babies who all take half an hour to eat and eat every three hours -- that's eight hours of a 12 hour shift just...

  23. Calling NICU nurses!!

    essT replied to jamisaurus's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    I was an experienced adult ICU nurse before coming to a level III NICU. Being used to a critical care environment was helpful in making my transition, as was having my head around time management and...

  24. Weekly NICU MRSA swabs

    essT replied to countyERNICU's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We only do MRSA swabs in a couple situations -- babies born to mothers with a history of MRSA and babies coming to our unit from other hospitals (we send out for certain procedures and also accept...

  25. Interesting cases anyone?

    essT replied to Humbled_Nurse's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    It's a scary day when a nurse decides it's time to stop learning. We're on the front lines every day but can't possibly see everything. This is why collaboration is essential and why AN is such a...