Transport

We have a specially trained transport team on our unit that were former bedside RNs- they no longer do bedside care and only work as our transport nurses now.

We have only a few transport nurses; they work 2/3 of time in the unit, 1/3 of time at the transport base station. They were expert bedside nurses before becoming transport trained. The transport portion of training was extensive and handled totally by the hospital's transport division. It included a lot of flight training as well as time in the OR learning advanced skills. The program is only 3 years old, so we are still learning and growing. The nurses had to apply for the position and be approved by the unit's medical director, the transport director and the transport division's medical director.

We have a transport team. These nurses have at least 5 years NICU experience and then an extensive orientation. It is seperate from bedside nursing and they must apply just like any other position. This is within a children's hospital so they do a lot of transports including the neonates for the cardiac intensive care unit and they typically transport without a doctor

We have a dedicated Neonatal/Pediatric transport team made up of experienced bedside nurses. They do not do bedside care except to help with procedures, occasionally, such as umbilical line placement.

"We're going to start doing transports. There's the new transporter. Familiarize yourself with it when you have time. All RNs need to sign up for at least 1 day a month Transport Call."

YIKES Bortaz. That sounds scary. Most transport nurses have a lot of NICU experience and go through very lengthy and intense transport training. They are going to expect all of you to do transport? Most transport nurses can intubate, put in lines, needle a chest, read an x-ray, etc.... Will all of the nurses be able to do this?

That sounds like a flawed plan! We go out with an RT and fellow, we can't intubate but we can do lines and art sticks. We have training on the isolette and get checked off on helicopter and ground transport by the flight nurses and pilots. We have to go thru a life flight training for safety. We also require 2/3 years experience and have compentencies to do.

"We're going to start doing transports. There's the new transporter. Familiarize yourself with it when you have time. All RNs need to sign up for at least 1 day a month Transport Call."

That's a lawsuit waiting for a place to land. I feel for you guys.

I have worked in 2 NICUs- the first had a core group of Transport nurses that were on each shift- they were trained for transport- the staff would absorb their assignment (Charge would help). The second hospital everyone has to sign up once a month- it doesn't seem like many people do, it has turned into a core group of people. BUT everyone is expected to go on transport if needed, I have been a transport once, on orientation, and it was basically put leads on the kiddo and out the door (no lines, nothing special). As far as who goes- MD, RT and RN. Thanks for all of the response, funny of different transport can be from institution to institution.

I have been a transport once, on orientation, and it was basically put leads on the kiddo and out the door (no lines, nothing special).

I'm going to assume this kid wasn't coding then...? Because around 50% of our transports to us are and the RN is supposed to run it. Line them if needed and get kid back to our hospital alive.

We transport from a lot of hospitals with no NICU... therefore we get a lot of random things, from extreme prematurity to hypoglycemia.... never know what you are going to get. Some are kids barely holding on- rarely it is a quick transport like that.