elizabells BSN, RN

NICU

Member

  • Content

    2,094

  • Visitors

    20,157

  • Followers

    0

  • Likes

    29

All Content by elizabells

  1. elizabells

    Question about your unit

    elizabells replied to EarlyAdditionRN's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Level 3 like... vents? Oscillators? Nitric? Surgical patients? Holy hell,
  2. elizabells

    Question about your unit

    elizabells replied to EarlyAdditionRN's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Our kids are divided into two teams - the cardiacs go to the NNP/PA/HD team, the residents get half of the remainder, and then the balance rounds out the NNP team. NNPs, residents, and fellows in...
  3. elizabells

    Things you'd LOVE to be able to tell patients, and get away with it.

    elizabells replied to AngelfireRN's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    I just had a dad who was grilling me on why we'd put an OGT instead of an NGT into his child. Not a terrible question, really, except I'd been told in report that he'd asked the three previous nurses...
  4. elizabells

    IV rates

    elizabells replied to lvnurs9's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    I've used insulin in a micro when the K+ was off the charts and albuterol and Kayexelate didn't work. But it's so very rare that the pharmacy always pitches a fit and demands that we call the...
  5. elizabells

    Organ donation process? My Mom was the donor.

    elizabells replied to DaisyChains's topic in General Nursing

    {{{DaisyChains}}} I can tell you that I often see valves and parts of vessels grafted into infants months, sometimes years after the date on the donor forms. Don't know why, but it's fairly
  6. elizabells

    Things that make an ER nurse go hmmm...

    elizabells replied to AnnieOaklyRN's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    If you have trouble getting info, try having one of the docs call. I get calls all the time from physicians at referral hospitals asking for
  7. elizabells

    tiniest micropreemie

    elizabells replied to mweaverrn's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Oh! We also had a 480g twin, whose brother was 1400g. They were born together, with her basically tucked behind his knee. She obviously stayed longer than he did, with a touch of BPD, but as far as I...
  8. elizabells

    Newborn Hypoglycemia Protocols?

    elizabells replied to nurseinnh's topic in Ob/Gyn

    Heeeheeehee. Sorry. It's just that in my hospital, if the initial stick is low, the baby gets fed. If the pc stick is below 50, we (in the NICU) have to admit the
  9. elizabells

    tiniest micropreemie

    elizabells replied to mweaverrn's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Our smallest (that I've seen) was 270g. He lived for a couple of weeks. Right now we have a 360g baby with
  10. elizabells

    Abdominoplasty, Anorexia and Ethics

    elizabells replied to Halinja's topic in General Nursing

    While the DSM-IV does specify a weight criteria, an eating disordered person may not meet that. It is entirely possible for a person to have a severe eating disorder (ED-NOS, for example) without...
  11. elizabells

    Things that make an ER nurse go hmmm...

    elizabells replied to AnnieOaklyRN's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Neuro occurred to me as well - maybe some kind of seizure thing happening? Also - was the baby initially only kept in the hospital for phototherapy? Or was there some other factor, like sepsis? And...
  12. elizabells

    Things that make an ER nurse go hmmm...

    elizabells replied to AnnieOaklyRN's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Sounds like a Tet spell to me. Tetralogy of Fallot - large VSD, overriding aorta, right ventricular hypertrophy, and pulmonary stenosis. Did she mention if the apneic spells were more common when the...
  13. elizabells

    Medical Marijuana for RN's

    elizabells replied to Graciegirlienurse's topic in Nursing Professionalism

    Word, leslie. My dad works in an inpt hospice in CA that allows residents to smoke marijuana. He finds it hilarious that part of his job is occasionally rolling and lighting joints for people. In...
  14. elizabells

    What kind of bottle nipples do you use?

    elizabells replied to preemie69's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We never have parents bring in their own. Sometimes the feeding specialist will bring out a Dr Brown's, and we wash and reuse that bottle/nipple. Also if she gives us any of her special nipples, we'll...
  15. elizabells

    What kind of bottle nipples do you use?

    elizabells replied to preemie69's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Depending on whether it's Enfamil or Similac time, we use their standard and slow-flow nipples. Generally preemies and cardiacs get a slow-flow until they can handle the standard. We also always have...
  16. elizabells

    I'm sitting here...

    elizabells replied to prmenrs's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    That always cracks me up - I had a little feeder one time who had never, ever breastfed or even had EBM - his mom was on some meds she couldn't pump with. I took him around on "social rounds" one...
  17. elizabells

    NICU Pet Peeves

    elizabells replied to heartwort's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Ugh, my own Very Favorite SuperNurse goes on, like, ROUNDS to do this every shift. And if you disagree with her on anything (personal or work-related) she then starts every other sentence with "What...
  18. elizabells

    My two least favorite words

    elizabells replied to elizabells's topic in General Nursing

    Ahh, but only if you have management that will back you up if a family member/MD/ancillary staff/stranger off the street doesn't like whatever you did. Which... is not the case where I work, at all....
  19. elizabells

    Funny Names

    elizabells replied to nurserynurse55's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    I cannot live in a world where this is true. If anyone ever finds Poopylickles, let me know, because I'm moving to the South Pole. Or possibly
  20. elizabells

    NICU Pet Peeves

    elizabells replied to heartwort's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    ... I wonder if our old, janked syringe pumps would even let you run 3cc over 4 hours. TG we're getting new ones
  21. elizabells

    Things you'd LOVE to be able to tell patients, and get away with it.

    elizabells replied to AngelfireRN's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Gagh, I know, right? Rounds end at around noon. They said they'd come by after rounds. The fact that they're not at your baby's bedside at 12.15, or even 1p, probably means that somewhere in this...
  22. elizabells

    on site counseling

    elizabells replied to spacey's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    I'm at a regional level... IIIc? IV? Whatever numerical system we're using these days. Census generally around 70, although technically we're a 58 bed unit. And yeah, a teaching hospital. I have had...
  23. elizabells

    What Would You Like to Chart if You Can Get Away With It?

    elizabells replied to pagandeva2000's topic in General Nursing

    "MOB at bedside, extensively updated by this RN and MD. MOB requires repeated reinforcement of basic information, and is clearly a person who should not be permitted to take care of a houseplant, let...
  24. elizabells

    Gastric decompression in respiratory distress

    elizabells replied to busyrn62's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Ahh, gotcha. We don't use hoods, so I didn't even think of
  25. elizabells

    Gastric decompression in respiratory distress

    elizabells replied to busyrn62's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    ... does not compute. Our kids go straight on CPAP at the first grunt, flare, or