SleeplessInNJ

I am moving to North Carolina and I was checking out the websites of some hospitals with NICUs to see if there are any full time RN positions open. On the UNC site, there are 21 full time positions in the New Born Critical Care Center. Twenty one !!! Does anybody who works there know why there are so many openings?

I am moving to North Carolina and I was checking out the websites of some hospitals with NICUs to see if there are any full time RN positions open. On the UNC site, there are 21 full time positions in the New Born Critical Care Center. Twenty one !!! Does anybody who works there know why there are so many openings?

I wonder why Hollywood doesn't do a show with nurses as the main characters? They could make a really great dramatic series with touching, sad and some hysterically funny plot lines. If you get a group of nurses together and start telling work stories, it's always interesting! It would be nice if the public understood (and respected) what we really do. Anybody have any Hollywood connections?

Thank you Amy! This is a lot of really great information! I hadn't considered travel nursing because it seems too scary. My impression is that you don't get as thorough an orientation as a permanent employee, and may not be welcomed as much by the staff. It's funny, but I don't find it intimidating to apply for a job and find an apartment online, rather than in-person, but I am afraid of trying travel nursing! The hospitals you mentioned all have their own websites, and it looks like all of them have openings for fulltime NICU RNs. I applied for a North Carolina license by endorsement, so I'm waiting for the paperwork to be completed. Once that is done, I'll apply for the FT openings and see what happens! Wake Med will definitely be my first choice, if possible. I've also been looking at apartments online, and many of them have central air conditioning, so I guess that will help during the hot, humid summertime! Thank you again for your help! Maryanne

I work in a neonatal ICU and phlebotomists do not come to our unit, nor do respiratory therapists draw blood gases. The nurses draw all bloodwork. If the baby doesn't have an umbilical line for blood draws, we obtain blood specimens from a heelstick if possible, but if a relatively large amount of blood is needed or if the baby doesn't bleed much from a heelstick, we will do a venipuncture to get the specimen. If a lot of tests are ordered and a really large amount of blood is needed, we will obtain blood from an arterial stick. When starting a peripheral IV, we will get the blood specimen prior to connecting the line to save the baby from an extra stick. I was not taught how to draw blood in school-I learned on the job while working in the NICU. Don't worry if you aren't taught this in school. Depending on where you get a job, you will either learn on the job (and you will become "good" at it through experience) or there will be phlebotomists who will draw the blood. As far as your other question, being a nurse won't qualify you to get a second job as a phlebotomist or MA. But there are so many specialties you can do as a nurse that you will have no problem finding a second job within the nursing field!

Here's another nurse considering moving to beautiful North Carolina! I've been doing some research on the internet about hospitals in "the Triangle" region, but I can't seem to find specific information about which hospitals have level III neonatal ICUs. Are there any NICU nurses from that area who can give me some info? And, what are the different hospitals like, as far as being good employers? One more question-just how hot does it get in the summer? Thanks for any information you can give!