returning to NICU

Anaclaire · Feb 6, 2003

Just a note to welcome you to the boards here! They NICU board stays relatively busy and many people here offer great information and compassion to each other. Glad you're here too!

Warmly,

Anaclaire

:)

nicudaynurse · Feb 6, 2003

Thanks for the welcome AnaClaire.!!!!!!!

MEtheBabiesRN · Feb 6, 2003

Hi NICUdaynurse. I've been out of level 3 for 2 years as well and definitely miss it. I've been doing some soul searching as to why I miss it. Haven't really figured that part out yet but think it's something to do with being pushed out when I came back to Canada. At any rate, I still work level 2 but want to go back to level 3 sometime soon. Did you take any refresher courses or anything like that to prepare yourself? I don't feel like I've forgotten a whole lot. Just maybe rusty with some of the skills but nothing I couldn't relearn. Any suggestions?

nicudaynurse · Feb 7, 2003

Hey MEtheBabiesRN

Actually I did work some agency nursing in the NICU within the last year, but that wasn't very often. I did find that it was like riding a bike. I did not forget anything although my efficiency wasn't as good. You shouldn't have any problems. So does Canada rate their NICU's like we do in the States (Level I, II, III)?

MEtheBabiesRN · Feb 7, 2003

Yes but Level I is actually just called newborn nursery. Level II is basically overflow from Level III. Certainly not like the Level II I worked at in Dallas, where the babies were basically feeders and growers with the occasional IV. I called it assembly line nursing because you would have your 4 babies and it would be VS, change,feed q 3hrs with each being a half hour apart.

nicudaynurse · Feb 8, 2003

Wow what a small world. I worked NICU in Dallas as well. What they did is all the babies started in the intensive care room and then when they were extubated they went to the intermediate room and the next room was the grower feeder area the last step before they go home. It was all the same unit so one night you could have an intensive care baby and the next night you could have grower feeders. The unit I just got hired onto does it that way as well. I like the variety. I wouldn't want grower feeders all the time because like you said it is just VS, give meds, change, and feed. That gets old quick, but I wouldn't want the intensive care all the time either.

MEtheBabiesRN · Feb 8, 2003

It doesn't sound like the same hospital I worked at. We had separate level II and Level III nurseries. Nothing in between.