NicuGal MSN, RN

NICU, PICU, PACU

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All Content by NicuGal

  1. NicuGal

    Bilirubin levels? 36week baby

    NicuGal replied to samiam4's topic in Ob/Gyn

    We also go by weight for light levels, if the baby weighs 2400gm then 12 is the light level. There is a curve they use for the rate of rise at 24 hours on kids 35 weeks and older. Was the baby a...
  2. NicuGal

    Bedside Reporting starting Monday :(((

    NicuGal replied to 2bTraumaRN2008's topic in Nursing Professionalism

    I just have to respond to the comment about checking drips, etc that have already been checked by 2 other RN's....you should be doing that anyways! I can't tell you how many times we have found...
  3. NicuGal

    I can't stop dreaming about the NICU!~

    NicuGal replied to babyCNP's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Gotta decompress after work! I think it happens to all new grads...the noises get to you after a while. Especially if you work an off shift. Make sure you use black out curtains, try melatonin...
  4. NicuGal

    Families that talk about my coworkers

    NicuGal replied to SunshineAnytime's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Stay neutral...how do you know they don't talk about you too? We have a lot of families like this and we tell them that any complaints about our co-workers should go to the manager and then we walk...
  5. NicuGal

    Bedside Reporting starting Monday :(((

    NicuGal replied to 2bTraumaRN2008's topic in Nursing Professionalism

    We have always done this, and while we only have 3-4 patients, we have done it on peds also where we have 4-6 depending on the census. You get used to it and you will find things aren't getting...
  6. NicuGal

    infection and normal WBC

    NicuGal replied to clearblue3's topic in General Nursing

    Agree with Jolie....you have to look at the whole picture...what did the diff show? We see this a lot with preemies...the WBC may be ok but the platelets and diff are totally out of
  7. NicuGal

    Charge nurse doing staffing, supervisor overriding orders?

    NicuGal replied to Simply Complicated's topic in General Nursing

    As charge nurses we do staffing all the time. It is our responsibility to try to get shifts covered. I only have to call the nursing supervisor for her to override NASH so that I can use overtime,...
  8. NicuGal

    Need advice! Jeopardizing my license? Violation of hospital policy.

    NicuGal replied to talrico's topic in Patient Safety Issues

    They do need to take it to the standards committee at your hospital. If this is what they want and it is within the state boundaries, then they need to add it to the policy/procedure so that all...
  9. NicuGal

    Shafted on Thanksgiving

    NicuGal replied to DeeAngel's topic in General Nursing

    That is the way it is unfortunately. We tell everyone to make sure you check your messages, esp if our census is low. If you come in and we didn't need you, then you get sent home and we don't owe...
  10. NicuGal

    How sad is the NICU? Is there a personality type best suited to it?

    NicuGal replied to chunkiesundae's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    If you get sad/depressed easily, a level 3 NICU may not be for you. We see some pretty devastating things Some things happen quickly, others last for months and months. Also, their body functions...
  11. NicuGal

    Deleting nurses notes

    NicuGal replied to Rugford5LPN's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    All great in theory, but I highly doubt that there is an administrator at the building that is going to do that. People are just stupid when it comes to computers...like I said nothing is ever really...
  12. NicuGal

    Closed Units

    NicuGal replied to rnkitka's topic in General Nursing

    We were closed for a time, but went back to floating when we had trouble covering shifts. We were required to take on call, which stunk, but when we got hit hard we had a hard time getting people to...
  13. NicuGal

    Deleting nurses notes

    NicuGal replied to Rugford5LPN's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    There is always an audit trail, even if you delete something, it really isn't totally gone from the electronic
  14. NicuGal

    Mock Trial Info

    NicuGal replied to shawanna's topic in General Nursing

    We had our legal department help us in this. We set people in the "hot seat" with a past chart and they got grilled, first like it was a deposition and then like they were on the stand. I was just...
  15. NicuGal

    Thoughts on warming milk in the NICU

    NicuGal replied to jayhawkfan's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Our purchase was prompted by an outbreak of Legionairre's in our hot water tanks. We use the warmers to warm sterile water for our micronates too. It is great for refridged formulas and no more...
  16. NicuGal

    compliance with hand hygien

    NicuGal replied to zahraa ali's topic in General Nursing

    Our hospital had a huge inititative for handwashing. We were mandated to go to an inservice..it was offered every 2 hours for 3 days, day and night. Then we had to demonstrate to our handwashing...
  17. NicuGal

    Thoughts on warming milk in the NICU

    NicuGal replied to jayhawkfan's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We will be putting in our revised protocol for breastmilk feedings. Once it is a standard of care for our institution and is in a protocol then we are able to make it a charge item. We have done...
  18. NicuGal

    Forced canceling/calling off question!

    NicuGal replied to ICU_RN2's topic in General Nursing

    Each hospital is different, depends on whether you are union or not sometimes and unit preferences. We have a book we keep dates in, when you get cancelled it goes in the book and people are...
  19. NicuGal

    Gastric lavage in healthy term newborn??

    NicuGal replied to flarson's topic in Ob/Gyn

    We did that over 25 years ago but not anymore! We have one fellow from another country that wants us to do that all the time and we refuse, there is no good reason to do it. And the amniotic fluid...
  20. NicuGal

    Low NICU census

    NicuGal replied to Mimi2RN's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We were slow, but we recently picked up again. I like being slow,but only for a small amount of
  21. NicuGal

    methadone effects on newborns

    NicuGal replied to hannahphn's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    To the moms who responded on here....you are the minority of what we typically see, a small minority. The majority of withdrawl kids we see are the product of a mom who is not only on methadone, but...
  22. NicuGal

    Thoughts on warming milk in the NICU

    NicuGal replied to jayhawkfan's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We are trialing the Penguins and have had no problems with them...and we will have to go with them because of cost (we are low bid). We will make the liners a charge item per our purchasing. We use...
  23. NicuGal

    Kangaroo Care

    NicuGal replied to Crafty Fraggle's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Being on HF or OSC excludes those kids from being kangarooed. They are usually too sick to move anyways. We don't take our kids off the osc unless we absolutely have to because you lose your volumes...
  24. NicuGal

    Are 12 hour shifts going extinct?

    NicuGal replied to MunoRN's topic in General Nursing

    We have a mix of 8's and 12's, but we currently are only hiring in at 32hr/week, 8 hr shifts. This is the trend here. The reasoning is that it is easier to cover an 8 if there are call ins, and the...
  25. NicuGal

    Thoughts on using donor breast milk in NICU?

    NicuGal replied to HeartNIC's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    That really is not best practice to refreeze milk that has partially been thawed. If you are using it within 24 hours, then just let it thaw all the