24gaDalek

Hi there, I have been mulling this over for quite some time now. I started NICU nursing at a Level IV NICU that was very well regarded clinically and considered the best in the area. When we had infants on HFOV, HFJV, and sometimes just vented we al...

BabyNP, Thank you for your detailed and thoughtful response. I feel somehow like I have to defend my question based on some of your answers as it feels like from your answer you think maybe I don't understand the implications of having premature infa...

I have been night shifting for 4 years. I do not sleep well during the day without medication. My problem is that if I wake up to use the restroom or for any reason (noises outside, etc.) after having 4 or more hours of sleep my body thinks I was tak...

Omnomnom makes me want to kick kittens Not a fan of pannus or lochia either

Our policy is to use a gel pillow for just the head when on HFOV. I have heard from a snarky nurse that I gave report to that gel pillows should be avoided all together because it impedes the action of the HFOV. I always figured if you see good wiggl...

Agreed. This is the crux of the issue. There is a disconnect somewhere and the end result can be poor outcomes for infants. The sweet little infants are the ones that suffer the decisions of others.

Just got out of the shower and had to get a few more points in, lol We NICU personnel are the end of the line for the birth trauma/bad baby scenario. When the questioning begins from the parents it is typically, "Why can't you save my baby?" instead ...

I am a NICU nurse and as part of my job I also work up in L&D as an NRP rapid response personnel. I attend all deliveries typically, but mainly the high risk ones, so I have seen a lot of births and resuscitated my share of infants. At my facilit...

Did you go to a public or private university? Private University If you chose a private university what advantages did you expect over a public university? Well, the city and state I live in having community college programs that are so impacted that...

We typically don't give travellers sick kiddos as a courtesy at first. After one week of hospital orientation that goes over EMR and general hospital policies, our travelers get only two shifts of orientation. You are expected to hit the ground runni...

Did you find it was hard to adapt to a completely different career or was it a seamless transition? Starting out as the bottom of the totem pole was the worst part for me, because it can be an ego blow. The learning curve for nursing is very steep ...

We usually put a restriction on siblings by age during flu season but wait until the county health department tell us to do that based on an uptick in flu cases. Flu season so far this year has been mild so we are still allowing siblings of a certain...

I had a similar situation with a preceptor. I didn't curse at her, but after she embarrassed me by berating me multiple times in front of our colleagues for weeks I had had enough and I made a very snarky remark to her face. After what I said left my...

Good for you. Obviously, you are a paragon of virtue. I'm sure the NICU nurses you worked with were totally different than me and my coworkers. We are trollish people who only come up from the underground on night shift to care for innocent babies ...

You don't know me. I am not jaded with my job. I am simply telling you that nurses are nurses, regardless of where they work. Just because I work with babies doesn't mean I am unaffected by rude and irritating people. On the surface I am the perfect ...

Thank you. You are picking up what I am putting down.

Of course it is offensive to you, that is the point of this thread. It always makes me lol when I hear about the parent experiences in regards to NICU. We have a unit assistant that just started who had a preemie in the NICU a few years ago which "i...

I have had quite a few nutty coworkers in the NICU. I work NOCS, so there is a lot of "anything goes" type of stuff going on because parents aren't typically there and neither are any of the bigwigs. One particular nurse uses the foulest language whe...

Yes, agreed. I even had a protective surgical jacket and shoe covers on and I am just there for the baby. All it took was one improperly clamped cord slithering across my arm x1 and I now try to wear the jacket to every delivery.

This is not the grossest thing I have ever seen, but it certainly left an impression on me. Part of an NRP RRT in L&D. Mom of infant is HBSag + and actively pushing. OB resident sitting on a stool between the patient's legs with sterile gloves on...

Ugh. Just when I think I have heard of every hole someone will stick something. I guess having plenty of interesting holes myself I just don't have the imagination to dream up new ones in which to poke things. Why bother with the condom, though? ETA:...

I looked at the website for this product. It looks like a hat with a semi-circle of foam on it to keep the baby from moving its head. We have other things in the NICU that can produce this same effect.

I have worked at two different NICUs, neither of them had a no holding policy for UAC or UVC. It really was up to nursing judgment. Me in particular, I would not be comfortable with skin to skin with either unless there was a lot of management of lin...

Let me preface my answer by giving some history. Nursing is a second life career for me (I am approaching 40) so I have been around the block a few times. I am also a veteran, having worked in a field that allowed allowed women to participate 6 month...