ncbeachgrl

Drugs such as ampicillin can cause the artery to spasm even if given slowly, but there definitely isn't any hard set rule that states you can't give abx through the UAC. I agree with others; it will depend on your unit policy (and there really should be one). I have worked in units where you gave meds via the UAC routinely, in other units where you only did it if you couldn't get peripheral access, and yet in another that you couldn't give meds through it unless you had a physician's order. Unfortunately it's like most things in the NICU; what is common practice in your unit? Hope this helps!

Have you thought of moving to the Nashville area? Try Vanderbilt Childrens, Centennial Hospital or Baptist Hospital. Good luck and you're in my prayers!

I applied to the NNP program and just got my letter today. When I called admissions back in February, they said it might be through the middle of March before everyone got their letters. I am not sure if the PNP program is the same as NNP, though. Hope this helps and good luck!

Does anyone have any idea what the graduate nurse pay is at Vandy? I have seven years of experience, but it would be helpful to know what the base pay is for new grads. Also, does Vandy offer sign on, retention, and/or relocation packages? Thanks!

Does anyone know the diff for working night shift at Vandy? I am planning on moving to Nashville next summer and would like to continue working night shift.

$7.25/hr as a CNA in Fayetteville, NC in 2000 $17.59 as a new grad in 2001 in Durham, NC In 2005, I moved to Abilene, Texas and even with over 3 years of experience, I started out at $19.08/hr, which was less than I was making when I left N.C. Speaking of starting pay, my husband and I are moving to Nashville, Tn next May. I will have seven years of experience by then. I was just wondering what the starting pay was in that area, and by what percentage your pay is "bumped" for each year of experience you have. Thanks!

We have 1 LVN in our NICU, and she has been there for several years. In our nursery, LVN's cannot actively admit (they can do the work, but cannot chart the admission assessment, initiate a care plan, chart discharge needs, etc.), and an RN has to do their initial assessment every shift. They also cannot charge, take transport call, or precept (which isn't necessarily bad, if you ask me! :)). As everyone else has said, go for your RN! Good luck!

Thanks for the responses! I too, had often wondered about not warming the affecting foot, but knew I had only been taught to warm the unaffected foot. You're right, if the baby really does have "cath toes", the best thing to do is pull the line.

This may be a dumb question, but can someone accurately explain why the opposite foot is warmed if a baby has cath toes, and never the affected foot? As a new grad, I was taught warming the opposite foot is correct, but am working somewhere now that puts heel warmers on both feet. I thought this process was wrong, but wanted to be sure of my theory before saying something.

I was wondering, where do you work? When I worked in NC, that was our policy too, using those same beds.

We take axillary temps on babies in open cribs. I usually will take a manual temp on a baby who is in an isolette or on a warmer bed too, because most of the time, the baby is cool or has overheated. At the last hospital I worked at, we had SpaceLab Monitors and there was a temperature probe that did show up on the screen. That probe was placed in the axillary region, and a second probe was placed over the liver and recorded as the skin temp. We would use the axillary temp on the monitor as a reference for setting the bed/skin temp, and very seldom, did a baby ever overheat or get cold. It worked out really well.

Hi VegRN2Be! I have lived in both Durham and Raleigh and even worked at Duke for a while! When I first got out of nursing school, I lived off the freeway near North Carolina Central University. I lived in a fairly safe area (Courtney Creek Apartments) but had to travel through a rough area of town to get to the freeway. In hindsight, it probably wasn't safe at all! :) Most of my friends lived off 15-501 and it was a 15 minute or less commute to Duke for them. I can't remember the name of the apartment complexes, but I know my friends really liked them. Anything in or near RTP will be nice, but pricey. Briar Creek is really nice with lots of shopping conveniences, and they have both apartments and townhouses there. It is less than 20 minutes, and that's with traffic. There is tons of real estate, but if you will be living on your own, it may again, be too costly. Anything down from Duke's campus will also be nice, but again, pricey. And the closer you live to the hospital/campus, the more college students you will be near. Hope this helps! What area will you be working in? Duke is an awesome hospital. I really miss working there!

Has anyone gone to IV vit K for the ELBW kids? We have had 2 kids with necrosis in the thigh due to the Vit K, both these kids were like 400 grams? They have no fat and it probably isn't great to give them that route. Our attendings and peds pharm are looking into this as an alternative route for our tiny baby protocol. When I first started nursing, we would give Vit. K IV to the micropremies, but I remember us stopping that practice; I was told that a baby died somewhere as a direct result of IV Vit. K being given too quickly or something like that. Don't know how true that is. But I know we went back to giving every admit Vit. K IM, and yes, I have seen a few bad thighs as a result.

At my current hospital, all of the nurses have to take transport call one week at a time. It sucks because you have to be available to go out on transport within 30 minutes if you are called. We receive 1.75/hr while on call which seems to be about the going rate, but it still sucks because for one week you essentially can't do anything. Luckily we don't get called out very often, but it would be my luck the one night I have a sip of wine or go to the movies, I'd get the call.

To echo the words of everyone else, bonuses do not make for a happy career! I worked somewhere where there was a decent retention bonus for staying 3 years. And honestly, by the time Uncle Sam was done with me, it wasn't much of a bonus to speak of. The difference is, I liked my job and I received much better incentives, perks, and rewards within that three year period. A few years back, my husband got a job in Texas, and we moved and I took a substantial bonus (in which increments of thousands of dollars-literally- are given to me every six months for three years). And I absolutely despise where I work now. I only have 16 months (and counting) left on my contract, but keep this in mind as an instructor once told me: The more money a hospital throws at you (especially up front), the worse off the place is. You will more than likely be unhappy, have unsafe assignments and receive crappy benefits, and little, if any incentives. Not to mention if you break a contract, you will have to repay the money that has been given to you thus far. Man, do those words ring true for me now...Hope this helps!