RN4BABES

I dream that as well. It actually happened about 25 years ago where I used to work- the baby was overlooked on the assignment and not until 4 hours into the shift when the baby was crying did anyone realize it was not assigned to anyone. Luckily it was a near term baby that had stable sugars .... but still. Yikes.

In Canada, there are courses you can take to learn about the NICU....called Perinatal Intensive Care....post RN certificate program. In the unit I work in, we actually hire new grads with a fairly extensive orientation process (certificate is a plus but not necessary) The orientation program is 3 months for a new grad (fast tracked for those RN's with experience) I have worked in the NICU for 21 years and love it totally. It's my "calling". I'm glad to hear it fascination/interested you and I hope you get a chance to work there! Having only experience with adults, taking a course in NICU -related stuff might help your application! Best wishes, Cheryl

yes, we always use filter needles when drawing meds from a glass ampule/vial then replace the needle.

what manufacturer? Who makes your incubators?

I went to the link about previous discussion on changing isolettes. We are not "allowed" to use those beloved Giraffes due to infection control reasons. Something to do with the humidity...of course we love those but the management is getting rid of them one by one. We have the new Drager "Caleo's" so they might/must be different in some regard! I am looking for any literature on infection control...if your unit's policies are based on studies...where are they? A colleague of mine searched the net for hours and came up with nothing! Would appreciate any links to published studies.... Does anyone else out there find the Caleo's difficult to maneuvre? (when changing them)

I would like to know who might have a policy for changing incubators. Where I work, we do it every 7 days but am always wondering if this is really necessary?? Has there ever been a study/investigation about this in your unit? Thanks for your input in advance!

I am in my 18th year of NICU nursing (same unit) The memories of that first year are still pretty clear. I was petrified when I started....scared I would miss something, I hated answering the phone, I would shy away from the admission area in case I was asked to do something.... I would do silly things when I was off work such as dream crazy stuff at night, smack my husband and say "You were not allowed to bottle-feed that baby!" or jump up when my alarm clock rang and say "It's mine, I got it...everything's okay here...baby's fine..." Needless to say my husband thought I'd lost my mind. Same thing when the microwave beeped. I'd call the beep as if it was my baby's heart monitor. My husband would say "I know it's the microwave, it's okay". Eventually these dreams of missing a baby's feed or forgetting to come to work went away. For the first year of shift work, I was either constipated or extremely gassy. Now I have worked for so long, my body knows what to do when. Every day in the NICU is a learning experience. If I were you, I'd write all these feelings down and surely in a few years, you'll be able to laugh at them and share them with other new new grads. I really liked reading what the other people had to say about getting control of your life. I thought the advice was great. I never thought I would make it through that first year but I did and there's no other job I would do other than this! Give yourself a chance...

This medical abbreviations game has made me howl with laughter. Good idea whoever started it. I have one for you all... DBOV (hint: I work in the NICU)

Oh, we don't buy that "nipple confusion" nonsense either but that's what we hear from the parents. I believe they hear it in their prenatal classes? Parents can be selfish at times. You would think that whatever gives their offspring comfort...they would allow it! I have used that same line on a parent actually..."IF you 'd like to be available 24/7 to breastfeed or hold or comfort your infant in some way, we will abide by your wishes, no problem." The parent soon saw the light and allowed the pacifier. I was just wondering if there was an article out there somewhere anyone has posted in their unit for parents to see/read?

The odd time, we get parents who refuse to allow their prem to suck on a soother. Generally, the nurses in our unit feel that our babies are stressed enough in here and we believe the comfort they receive from sucking on a soother far outweighs any possible "outcomes" of possible "nipple confusion" down the road. How to deal with the parent? What policies/guidelines/tips, if any, does anyone have?

Yes, I have heard that before. I respond: "I do it because I love it. It's not all sad. It is mostly very rewarding! Everyone has a calling and this is mine". People who don't know what we do or haven't been in an NICU, have no idea what we do...Surely, they appreciate us for what we do but don't know how to respond when they first hear our job description. You could respond the same way to someone who works as a garbage collector..."Oh, how can you do that?" I'm not at all implying that these two occupations are comparables but at 0200h, it's the first thing that popped into my head!

We use the BD Insytes. We have used them for so many years now...I have no idea what we used before but I remember when we switched there were some people who didn't like it but now we all do. Patience I guess.

Amazing how different things are everywhere. We use sucrose 25%, 0.5 ml to a max of BID for painful procedures. We certainly use it on intubated babies unless the particular baby is already on a drip of Fentanyl or the like. We follow the administarion with a soother as well. The baby has to be feeding at least 1cc Q2h, not okay for induction feeders. Contraindicated in hyperglycemic babes and query NEC's. We do need a doctor's order although it is a "stamped" order that's pretty much standard once the baby is feeding. Toronto, CAN

Pat on the back to you on a job well done. Situations like these and the fact that you handled it without quitting might be telling you that you are in the area you were meant to be! To hear from a doctor "congrats" is always encouraging!

Where/what is UHN? I have a couple of friends who were affected by that lay-off a few years back by HSC...it seemed more like they got rid of the "higher-paid" (top of the pay scale) nurses...the ones with experience vs. ones without degrees. Realistically, if it's degree nurses they were after, they only had to request the nurses obtain their degrees/work towards it to continue to be employed there. I agree...dumb.