Travel NICU

[nicu-nurse, BSN]

I know this could go in the travel section, but when I searched I have not seen any travel NICU topics so I thought I might reach more people in this forum.

Do any of you travel as a NICU Neonatal RN? I have 10+ yrs of Level III experience and am considering travel. I have my RNC-NIC and am wanting to branch out and grow. My questions are do you get high acuity patients on your assignments or are put into feeder rooms often? What challenges have you faced in your NICU travel assignments? I have only worked in one neonatal unit.

Thanks!

[Clara S]

I'm on my very first travel NICU assignment in NC. Here in this hospital things are VERY different than were I come from. I do a few feeders and growers but for the most part level 3.  Like you, I spent 12 years in one facility so doing things differently seems so weird to me. The hospital I'm at is a low Resourses hospital so I've learned to do many things on my own that I'm used to doing with support staff. For example hands on care I'm used to doing with RT, here you are all alone for your cares. I work in a smaller 6 bed NICU 3 here were 8/10 times in all by myself. We have another nurse in NICU 2.  I'm also required to go to ALL deliveries with no support. It is my job alone to stabilize a patient once they're born in distress until help arrives. It's stressful and when I first got here I wanted to quit. BUT I ended up extending my contract and getting the hang of it. I hate going to deliveries by myself specially having to cpap or ppv a baby but I've grown very confident in myself and have learned a lot. Good luck!

[nicu-nurse, BSN]

Clara Sowell said:

I'm on my very first travel NICU assignment in NC. Here in this hospital things are VERY different than were I come from. I do a few feeders and growers but for the most part level 3.  Like you, I spent 12 years in one facility so doing things differently seems so weird to me. The hospital I'm at is a low Resourses hospital so I've learned to do many things on my own that I'm used to doing with support staff. For example hands on care I'm used to doing with RT, here you are all alone for your cares. I work in a smaller 6 bed NICU 3 here were 8/10 times in all by myself. We have another nurse in NICU 2.  I'm also required to go to ALL deliveries with no support. It is my job alone to stabilize a patient once they're born in distress until help arrives. It's stressful and when I first got here I wanted to quit. BUT I ended up extending my contract and getting the hang of it. I hate going to deliveries by myself specially having to cpap or ppv a baby but I've grown very confident in myself and have learned a lot. Good luck!

Wow!! This was all incredibly helpful!! Thank you so much for answering my questions!

I am still trying to process going to all deliveries by myself without a nicu respiratory therapist --that's intense! 

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

Some nicus will try to pawn  feeders,or long term pts because they are tired of the same routine day after day,you have to speak up.We had travel nurses they go acute cases but less patients which cause animosity with regular staff working short.