Seeking Good NICU

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Where are some of the best NICU's in the DFW area? I mean as far as, nurse-doctor relationship, nurse satisfaction, and salary.

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Specializes in ICU, ER, HH, NICU, now FNP.

Since most of the NICU's in the area are staffed by the same group of docs - with the exception of a few of them - and the docs rotate around within a reasonable geographic area, they tend to be somewhat similar in the doc/nurse relationship regard - some better or worse than others. I suppose each has it's princes/princesses and it's prunes LOL.

The teaching hospitals do not use this group. That is niether a good or a bad thing. Just different. A very few of the other facilties also do not use this group.

I would look more at location that is convenient for you, the types of cases handled at the facility compared to the types of cases you are interested in (ie: only a few facilities handle neuro and cardiac surgeries) and the level of NICU you want to work in.

Interviewing for a NICU job is a chance to interview the unit as well. What kind of orientation will you have? What is the culture like among the other nurses in the unit? Ask to speak to a couple of people who are realtively new (1-2 years experience) in the unit. What are the staffing ratios like for different levels of babies? How do they handle admissions?

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Where are some of the best NICU's in the DFW area? I mean as far as, nurse-doctor relationship, nurse satisfaction, and salary.

I have two friends that are currently RN's in the NICU at Presby of Dallas (downtown) and they both LOVE it! Their salaries both are high (over $60), but I think that may include overtime. Their shifts are pretty cool as well. They work day shifts, and do not have to work weekends.

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There are a lot of NICU's in Dallas/Ft. Worth so it will come down to how far you want to drive and what level of care you want to provide. Do you want Level III and be aware that there is a wide variance in what a Level III unit will provide. Some Level III's don't do surgery, nitric oxide, high frequency, etc... ,but some do everything such as ECMO, every kind of surgery, etc... Do you want room to grow like being on a transport team? Do you want a very large, busy unit or a medium size not too crazy all the time unit or even a small unit?

Like I said before there are lots of NICU's in the DFW area. If you want a bigger unit then I would start with units such as Harris Methodist Ft. Worth, Cook Children's, Presby Dallas, Methodist Dallas, Medical City Dallas, Baylor Dallas, Parkland, John Peter Smith etc.. or a medium size unit such as Medical Center of Arlington, Arlington Memorial, Baylor Grapevine, Baylor All Saints, Harris Methodist in HEB, etc.... and there are lots of smaller units as well.

My suggestion would be to call up some of the units you are interested in working and ask to speak with the NICU nurse manager and ask lots of questions and you could even suggest a tour of the unit.

Most NICU's in the area usually have open positions especially night positions.

Another suggestion would be you could hire on with an Agency and that would give you the opportunity to work in several NICU's so you could "check them out"

Good luck and let me know if you have anymore questions!

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I work in the NICU at Baylor Dallas and love it.. Great unit and staff is very supportive which helps. Great benefits..

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