Would you work alone?

[Pmkn10RN]

I interviewed for a position in a Level II NICU and was told that for all of the level II positions in the hospital system...there is only one nurse per shift( they will add another nurse if the census gets above 3 babies). I've always worked in level III units......is this common for level II?

[adpiRN]

No, this terrifies me.

I work mother baby in a tiny hospital. They usually have 2 NICU nurses but when there are no babies they could have one nurse.

One day when that was the case a 25 weeker came into triage and had to be stat sectioned for abruption. Not a good day for that nurse.

[prmenrs, RN]

You'd need to check w/your state's regs, but in most places, the hospital can't do this. Level II's are still "special care", and are required to have 2 RNs. Some places require 2 "licensed personnel", one of which must be an RN. But check before you sign on!!

[Soliloquy, MSN, APRN, NP]

The only time this is allowed is if you're the only one in a single pod but there are other nurses nearby.

No, not safe. If a baby codes or something crazy goes down, you don't want to be the only one there. You'll need support.

[Pmkn10RN]

I didn't accept the job. I wouldn't feel comfortable and it seems dangerous. It just seems crazy that it's allowed. I wanted to hear what everyone else thought.

[HyperSaurus, RN, BSN]

Lol, no, I would not feel remotely comfortable. We keep 3 RNs on at all times, even if there are only 2 babies. If something bad walks into our L&D unit, that automatically takes two of our nurses out of our unit.