Unit Notes
***LEVEL II NICU EXPERIENCE REQUIRED***
Minimum 2 years of experience - must be recent, within the past 6 months.
A pass/fail Sim Lab (re: foley catheter insertion) is required on Day 1 of orientation (study guides provided with first day instructions
- Unit: NICU - Level II EQ & SCN (Special Care Nursery)
- # beds: NICU: 12 Private Rooms
SCN: 18 beds (3 rooms - POD based - 6 babies in each room) Sometimes they do go over capacity until they are able to move a baby to newborn)
- Certs: BLS & NRP required. STABLE preferred would be a plus
- Ratios: NICU 2:1 SCN 3:1
- Charge Nurse: Yes, on occasion take assignment based on census
- Nurse Aides: No
- Weekend Requirement: 4 weekend shifts in a 4 week schedule (SAT & SUN are considered weekend for days & FRI, SAT, SUN for nights)
- Holidays: Will work in with perm staff holiday rotation (put into a group - groups are planned for 3 years out)
- Schedules: Self-scheduling. Nurse puts schedule request in then scheduler will review & balance out the schedule fairly between staff. Don't usually do block scheduling but she is not opposed to this as long as the needs of the unit are fulfilled.
- Scrub Color: Navy
- Tele: Client Monitors
- Vents: Puritan Bennett 840, Draeger, Vision Bipap, V60s.
- Hospitalist or Intensivist in house: NNPs (Neonatal Nurse Practitioner) 24/7
Neonatologist in house during the day
- IV Team: No
- RT 24/7: Yes, manage vents
- Pharmacy 24/7: Yes & tube system in L&D which is next door to NICU
- Shifts: 12 hr shifts. 7-7. Shift huddle starts @ 7 & the nurses are usually on the floor within a few minutes...then bedside report.
- Floating: Travelers will not be floated out of the NICU
- Floor specific orientation: 2 Shifts with a preceptor
- Common diagnosis / Types of patients: NICU takes babies 28 weeks & above. High level care, a lot of respiratory complications, vents, CPAP, RAM & Vapotherm nasal cannulas. Types of patients: hyperbilirubinemia, meconium aspiration, respiratory distress syndrome, PPHN (Persistent Pulmonary HTN), IGUR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction), Chorioamnionitis, PICC lines, TTN (Transient Tachypnea), chest tubes, passive cooling, exchange transfusions, pneumos, UAC (Umbilical Artery Catheters) & UVC (Umbilical Venous Catheters), & sepsis.
SCN will see lower level of the NICU dx. A lot of CPAP, blood transfusions, a lot of NAS (Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome). Surgicals & babies less than 28 weeks they transfer to St. Joseph or Phoenix Children's - some cardiac babies go to Phoenix Children's)
- Additional Notes: Require at least Level II NICU experience
(Level III NICU preferred)